Nintendo had a truly wild surprise up its sleeve for Switch Online + Expansion Pack during its Direct event on Friday. The company is bringing back the Virtual Boy as a physical device into which you can slot your Switch or Switch 2. A plastic replica of the mid-90s tabletop system will soon be available for Switch Online members to buy. The company will sell a cardboard version of the accessory too. No need to rub your eyes in disbelief (but if history is any indication, you might have to for relief after using this thing).

You’ll need either accessory to play Virtual Boy games, which will start hitting Switch Online + Expansion Pack on February 17. Mario’s Tennis (a pack-in game for the original system), Galactic Pinball, Teleroboxer, Space Invaders and Tetris are among the 14 stereoscopic 3D Virtual Boy games that Nintendo will bring to the subscription service over time. 

That means most of the Virtual Boy games that were ever released are coming to Switch Online + Expansion Pack. Nintendo only released 22 of them, since the Virtual Boy never took off. The company ended production of the device and stopped making games for it in 1996, only a year after the Virtual Boy hit shelves. Here’s hoping the latest version of the accessory doesn’t give players too many headaches.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-is-bringing-back-the-virtual-boy-as-a-switch-and-switch-2-accessory-140037508.html?src=rss

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Portable outdoor speakers are meant to be thrown in a bag and dragged along for the ride, and JBL’s Flip line has always leaned into that idea. The Flip 7 is currently $99.95 on Woot for the next week or until it sells out, a significant drop from Amazon’s $149.95 listing and even cheaper than its all-time low of $129.95, according to price-trackers. Plus, Prime members get free shipping (while everyone else pays $6), and it comes with a 90-day Woot warranty. For a rugged little speaker designed to tag along on hikes, bike rides, or just backyard hangs, the deal feels fair.

The Flip 7 doesn’t look much different from the Flip 6, but it has a few small quality-of-life upgrades. The woofer is a little larger, so the bass has more punch without drowning out everything else, and the 35 watts of total power give it more presence than you’d expect from something the size of a soda can. Also, at just over a pound, it’s easy to carry, and JBL makes it even easier by including a carabiner that clips onto a bag strap or belt loop so you don’t have to jam it into a pocket. A new Auracast button makes it easy to link with other compatible speakers, and the rubberized shell has been beefed up for IP68 durability, which means full dust protection and survival under five feet of water for half an hour. JBL also claims drop protection for up to three feet. 

That said, the Flip 7 isn’t perfect. At higher volumes, especially above 70%, the treble can get sharp and fatiguing, according to this PCMag review. JBL also skipped extras like a speakerphone, a 3.5mm aux input, or high-res Bluetooth codecs. You do get lossless audio over USB-C, though the difference isn’t huge. One annoyance is that the box only comes with the speaker and a carabiner—no charging brick or cable—so you’ll need to bring your own USB-C setup. Battery life is a solid 14 hours, or 16 if you enable Playtime Boost in the app, which trims the low end to squeeze out more runtime. If you want something cheaper with more features, the Anker Soundcore Motion 300 is a great alternative.

Donkey Kong Bananza, probably my favorite game of the year, is getting a paid expansion today called DK Island & Emerald Rush. As the title implies, you’ll get to explore the island where Donkey Kong hails from and visit a whole host of his friends while you’re at it. Naturally, there is more to explore and find there, but there’s also a whole new set of challenges once you’ve finished the main game story. That’s the titular Emerald Rush. 

The timed missions involve you running around the island smashing as much green ore as you can get. As you go, smashing fossils you find unlocks various perks, which in turn help you amass more emeralds. Some of those perks act as multipliers on how much emerald you collect; others do things like make more treasure chests (that are naturally loaded with emeralds) appear. In somewhat roguelike fashion, your perks and skill reset after every run — but the location of things like fossils and Banandium Gems stay the same. So as you learn the levels, you’ll be able to further maximize your collection. 

Emerald Rush mode isn’t limited to the new DK Island layer, either — it’ll be integrated into other layers in the main game. As with everything else in Donkey Kong Bananza, it looks like a pretty delightful time. The DLC is set to go live today, but it’s not up in the Nintendo eShop yet so its price remains a mystery.

If you haven’t played the main game yet, Nintendo also released a demo that you can try later today, as well.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/donkey-kong-bananza-is-getting-a-dlc-expansion-today-140016430.html?src=rss

The long-awaited Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is coming on December 4 to both the original Switch and the recently-released Switch 2, as announced during today’s Nintendo Direct livestream. The Switch 2 is getting a dedicated version with upscaled graphics and some other bells and whistles, just like the upcoming Pokémon Legends: Z-A.

We already knew the next Metroid would drop sometime in 2025, but it’s nice to have an actual release date. We got a nifty trailer for the first-person adventure earlier this year that showed off new power-ups for protagonist Samus Aran. The game looks very fun and certainly seems to capture the spirit of its predecessors.

The plot involves Samus exploring a jungle planet and battling malevolent alien creatures which more than likely include the titular Metroids. This is a first-person game, unlike the relatively recent Metroid Dread, with an emphasis on scanning the environment and solving puzzles.

The first Metroid Prime was released all the way back in 2002 for the Nintendo Gamecube. The fourth entry has experienced a rocky development cycle, with Nintendo scrapping the project entirely in 2019 to start over from scratch.

The Metroid series dates back to 1986 with the NES original. The franchise represents one half of the popular Metroidvania genre, which is buzzy right now thanks to the release of Hollow Knight: Silksong. A price has not yet been announced.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/metroid-prime-4-will-be-released-on-december-4-for-switch-1-and-2-134718933.html?src=rss

Switch 2 fans have a new Mario Tennis game to look forward to early next year. During Friday’s Direct presentation, Nintendo announced Mario Tennis Fever. It’s the first new entry in the long-running series since the release of Mario Tennis Aces in 2018. The new game will be a Switch 2 exclusive, with Nintendo promising plenty of tweaks to an established formula. For one, there are new defensive moves your character can take, including slides and dives, to prevent your opponent from scoring a point. 

Then there are the fever rackets, from which the game is named after. These essentially allow you to snowball against your opponent by building a rally gauge and then executing a “fever shot.” The effect of these depend on the racket you have equipped. For example, the ice racket will freeze a part of the court, while the mini mushroom racket will shrink your opponents, making it harder for them to cover their side of the court, if they’re hit by its projectiles. There are 30 fever rackets to try. Mario Tennis Fever will also offer the biggest roster in series history. In all, there are 38 playable characters, including fan-favorites like Rosalina and Donkey Kong. 

On top of that, Fever looks to offer plenty of different ways to play, with online play offered alongside a silly story mode that sees Mario and his friends turned into babies and forced to relearn the rules of tennis. There’s even a swing mode where you can use the Joy-Cons motion controls for a “more authentic experience.” 

You won’t have to wait long to play Mario Tennis Fever, with the game set to release on February 12, 2026.      

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/mario-tennis-fever-hits-the-court-on-february-12-134227490.html?src=rss

Nintendo is dropping a slew of Mario-related announcements this morning as part of the franchise’s 40th anniversary, including a new game starring his dinosaur companion. Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is coming out for Switch 2 in the Spring of 2026 and the brief bit of gameplay we saw plants it squarely in the cutesy yet intriguing tradition of past Yoshi platformers. 

The game’s worlds and levels appear to be part of a book named Mr. Encyclopedia (or Mr. E for short) that Yoshi can jump into and explore. The game’s main hook is traveling through those worlds and documenting the creatures you meet along the way, whose special abilities are what let you progress. For example, there’s a little yellow walking flower that feels quite familiar from past Yoshi games; finding it and letting it ride on Yoshi makes other flowers bloom in the level. Presumably, that’s a component to getting to where you need to go. In another level, dandelions that you can scatter will make rocks brittle so you can pound them and proceed. 

As with most Yoshi games, there’s a cute and distinctive art style on display here — the gameplay will be recognizable to anyone who has played games going all the way back to Yoshi’s Island on the SNES, but obviously with more modern tweaks. It’s not the same aesthetic as the yarn- and craft-based things we’ve seen on games like Yoshi’s Crafted World and Yoshi’s Wooly World (which introduced the absolutely adorable yarn-based Yoshi) but it’s in the ballpark. 

While Yoshi and the Mysterious World continues the kid-friendly aesthetics of those earlier games, I’m hoping it brings some of the challenge found in old-school titles like Yoshi’s Island. We’ll find out next year.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/yoshi-and-the-mysterious-book-is-a-new-platformer-coming-to-the-switch-2-next-spring-133805615.html?src=rss

Nintendo kicked off its latest Direct on Friday with a slew of Mario-related news to mark the 40th anniversary of its mascot. One of those announcements was for a Nintendo Switch 2 version of the delightful Super Mario Bros. Wonder, which is coming next spring. It will feature fresh multiplayer modes and other new features that Nintendo will reveal later.

A region called Bellabel Park will open up. You’ll be able to hop into several modes with family and friends, such as one that will see you compete to collect the most coins on a course and a game of tag. There’s also a Bob-omb relay race, a mini game where you’ll lay out donut blocks for each other to progress through a level and a rhythm game.

In addition, Nintendo is going to sell a physical version of the annoying cute talking flower from Super Mario Bros. Wonder. That’s coming your way next spring too.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/super-mario-bros-wonder-is-getting-a-switch-2-version-with-new-multiplayer-modes-133722013.html?src=rss

Supergiant has a thing for dropping its biggest Hades news at Nintendo Directs. Five years after launching the first game during a Nintendo stream, the developer struck again. The 1.0 version of Hades II is coming on September 25, for Switch and Switch 2.

Of course, Hades II isn’t exactly new to PC players. It’s been in early access there for 16 months. Despite being a pre-release version, it has over 63,000 Steam reviews. Its reception averages “very positive” (and “overwhelmingly positive” for those written in English). The 1.0 edition promises not only the game’s console debut but its true ending.

Only the Switch versions were covered in the Nintendo Direct (duh). But we already knew the PC and Mac editions were launching simultaneously with them. So, expect its Steam and Epic listings to be updated in short order. Like the original game, Hades II is likely a timed console exclusive. So, while it isn’t yet official, you can expect PlayStation and Xbox versions sometime down the road.

Supergiant Games

The Hades sequel shifts the focus from Zagreus to his sister, Melinoë, princess of the underworld. She’s up against Chronos: the Titan of Time, father of Hades and bona fide asshole. Supergiant says the roguelike runs at a smooth 60 fps on the Switch 2.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/hades-ii-is-coming-to-switch-and-switch-2-on-september-25-133511122.html?src=rss

Nintendo just dropped a trailer for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, the sequel to the immensely popular The Super Mario Bros. Movie. This is good timing, given that tomorrow is officially the mustached plumber’s 40th birthday. It hits theaters on April TK, 2026.

We’ve known this movie was coming for a while now, and even had an approximate release date. Now we have a trailer and it’s a doozy. Shared during today’s Nintendo Direct livestream event, the footage shows several deep-cut characters and locations from throughout the Mushroom Kingdom (and beyond.)

This is a teaser trailer, however, so we still don’t know too much about the plot. We do know that many of the first film’s actors are returning for the sequel, including Chris Pratt as Mario, Charlie Day as Luigi and Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach.

The sequel is something of a no-brainer, given that the first film was a cultural juggernaut. It’s the most financially successful video game adaptation of all time and the third highest-grossing animated film ever. All told, it banked around $1.36 billion at the box office.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/the-super-mario-galaxy-movie-will-be-marios-next-crack-at-the-big-screen-130840015.html?src=rss