Nintendo’s new approach to amiibo: expensive premium figurines
Posted on 1 month ago by Ethan Gnau in Features, General Nintendo, Switch 2 | 0 comments
On the surface, things haven’t been particularly easy for amiibo as of late. Last year, the line did celebrate its 10th anniversary, which is a pretty big milestone for toys-to-life: they’re usually long discontinued by the time by that point. Still, that doesn’t necessarily mean amiibo are doing better than ever – it’s kind of the opposite, in fact. When they first launched in late 2014, each amiibo figure cost $12.99 each. They were marketed as affordable statues and add-ons to games – these bonuses were fairly inconsequential for the most part (but Super Smash Bros. amiibo training is still surprisingly deep), and if you didn’t want to spend the money on each figure you didn’t have to.
Recently, Nintendo upped the general price of new amiibo figures to $24.99 – $34.99 each. Of course, these are much more detailed than the original $12.99 amiibo that released in 2014, but it’s a steep bump nonetheless. Furthermore, the prices of all older amiibo were increased to $19.99 each. That means characters who were originally released for $12.99 now cost $19.99 without any significant increase in quality. Even if there were an increase in quality, this price bump puts amiibo out of range for most collectors. And yet, despite these price troubles, Nintendo announced a boatload of amiibo in the September 2025 Nintendo Direct. In my opinion, this marks kind of a doubling down of sorts – rather than going the amiibo card route like we previously suggested, Nintendo is doubling down on making amiibo into figurines of the highest possible quality.
[Let’s Talk] February 2026 Pokemon Presents reactions
Posted on 1 month ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Let's Talk, Switch, Switch 2 | 0 comments
The latest Pokemon Presents just aired yesterday for Pokemon Day, and it brought along the latest wave of news and announcements for the series.
As expected, the show ended with the reveal of Pokemon Winds and Waves. We got our first in-game look and the starters were shown off. Perhaps the biggest piece of news is that the titles are coming out in 2027 – not 2026 – and yes, they’ll only be on Nintendo Switch 2.
Of course, Pokemon Winds and Waves was only one segment of the show. Various updates were shared on Pokemon Champions, Legends-Z-A, and more. Find a recap of everything shown here.
What did you think of the latest Pokemon Presents presentation? How are you feeling about Pokemon Winds / Waves and the starters so far? Let us know in the comments.
Mario Kart World dev talks about what went into the making of the game’s Photo Mode
Posted on 1 month ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch 2 | 0 comments
What was it like working on Photo Mode for Mario Kart World? Planner Ayako Akaza recently provided some insight as part of a post on Nintendo’s Japanese recruitment site.
Photo Mode may seem like a straightforward feature, but actually implementing it wasn’t simple. According to Akaza, at one point, “we had crammed in a lot of features and it began to look very difficult to engage with and felt like maybe players would never actually use it”. It was also shared that Photo Mode was based on a prototype made by a programmer. After interesting tidbit is that after one of the developers wanted a vertical frame, that led to the creation of a magazine-style design.
Our full translation of the piece can be found below.
More: Mario Kart World, top
List of all confirmed Pokemon for Pokemon Winds and Waves
Posted on 1 month ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch 2 | 0 comments
Pokemon Winds and Waves have been officially revealed, and like previous entries in the series, the Pokedex is a big deal – so we’ve compiled a list of all confirmed creatures so far. This post will be updated in the months ahead as we hear more about the games.
Winds and Waves will be bringing back past Pokemon from the series. On top of that, we’ll be getting introduced to a slew of new creatures leading up to launch, led by new starters Browt, Pombon, and Gecqua. What we’ve seen thus far is just the tip of the iceberg.
Here’s the list of all confirmed Pokemon for Pokemon Winds and Waves as of now:
More: Game Freak, Pokemon Waves, Pokemon Winds, top
Pokemon Winds and Waves reveals starters Browt, Pombon, and Gecqua
Posted on 1 month ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch 2 | 0 comments
The starter Pokemon for Pokemon Winds and Waves were just revealed with Browt, Pombon, and Gecqua having been shown for the games. Fans were given a first look as part of the debut trailer that premiered during today’s Pokemon Presents presentation.
Browt is your grass starter, Pombom is fire, and Gecqua is water. Here’s the rundown of each one:
Pokemon Winds and Waves announced, only on Nintendo Switch 2
Posted on 1 month ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch 2 | 0 comments
Following various leaks, Pokemon Gen 10 has been officially announced as Pokemon Winds and Waves, with the upcoming games on the way to Nintendo Switch 2. They’ll be out in 2027. Note that these titles will not be released on the original Nintendo Switch.
Pokemon Winds and Waves will be the next generation following Scarlet and Violet. The announcement notes that the games “feature an open world to explore, with beautiful windswept islands and a vast ocean with glittering waves.”
The only other information shared thus far is as follows:
Pokemon Champions launches in April
Posted on 1 month ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Mobile, News, Switch eShop | 0 comments
Pokemon Champions has confirmed its launch timing, which is set for April on Nintendo Switch and the mobile version following this summer. News about the game just dropped during today’s Pokemon Presents event.
Pokemon Champions was actually announced exactly one year ago today. The battle-focused game was known to be coming sometime this year, but beyond that, we didn’t have specific timing.
Catch up on everything you need to know about the title with the following information:
Pokemon Presents live stream for Pokemon Day 2026
Posted on 1 month ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, Switch, Switch 2 | 0 comments
It’s officially Pokemon Day 2026, and with the Pokemon Presents presentation happening in a few hours, we’ve got the live stream for you. The fun starts at 6 AM PT / 9 AM ET / 2 PM in the UK / 3 PM in Europe.
It was already announced that Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen are returning on Nintendo Switch today in celebration of Pokemon’s 30th anniversary. However, this should be just the tip of the iceberg for news. We’ll likely get another update on Pokemon Champions, for one thing. And while no one can say for sure, some fans believe that Pokemon Gen 10 will be revealed – that’d certainly be a good way to end the presentation.
Below is where you can watch the Pokemon Day 2026 Pokemon Presents live stream:
Famitsu sales (2/16/26 – 2/22/26)
Posted on 1 month ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch, Switch 2 | 0 comments
Nintendo Download – February 26, 2026 (North America) – Pokemon FireRed/LeafGreen Resident Evil Requiem, Tales of Berseria Remastered, more
Posted on 1 month ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch 2, Switch eShop | 0 comments
It’s time for the newest North American Nintendo Download Switch report for the week of February 26, 2026. The latest releases on the Nintendo eShop include Pokemon FireRed/LeafGreen, Resident Evil Requiem, Tales of Berseria Remastered, and more.
Here’s the full roundup:
