Analogue’s 4K remake of the Nintendo 64 has been delayed again and again due to the US tariff situation. But at least you can get 8BitDo’s updated take on the N64 controller, which was announced alongside the Analogue 3D, while you wait. You can get one through Amazon in white or black for $39.99 and while it’s one of 8BitDo’s more budget-friendly controllers, its functionality is limited.
The Nintendo 64, which launched in 1996, had an unusual three-prong controller design, with a single analog joystick in the center of the gamepad above the middle grip. The 8BitDo 64 offers the same buttons as the N64’s controller in a more traditional layout, but while it’s easier to hold, the lack of a second joystick limits its compatibility with modern games, which generally expect two. The 8BitDo 64 is compatible with the Switch, Switch 2 (after updating the controller’s firmware), Windows, and Android devices and connects to consoles, PCs, and mobile devices using either a Bluetooth connection or a USB cable.
It also features more durable Hall effect joysticks and shoulder buttons which should help prevent it from developing stick drift over time. But if you’re not planning to use it with the Analogue 3D (someday), the controller will potentially only be useful for playing classic N64 games through an emulator or the Nintendo Switch Online service but your GoldenEye 007 muscle memory may not perfectly transfer over to the updated button layout. Nintendo’s own wireless N64 controller is a more accurate reproduction, but you still need to be a Nintendo Switch Online subscriber to buy one.
Here at Ars, we're big fans of classic console emulators that go beyond providing perfect re-creations to those that actually improve on original hardware with new features we could only dream of as kids. So we were excited when we recently stumbled on a Reddit post that shows a full Super Game Boy-esque color palette added to the usual shades of red and black found in Virtual Boy Wario Land.
After experiencing colorized Virtual Boy emulation for ourselves (and grabbing the sample screenshots you can see in this piece), we were struck by just how much a splash of color adds new life to Nintendo's failed '90s experiment (which Ars' own Benj Edwards has written about extensively). Going beyond the usual red-and-black graphics helps to highlight the artistry in the small selection of official Virtual Boy games and provides a great excuse to check out the system's surprisingly vibrant homebrew scene.
Nintendo famously chose to use a line of (then cheap and abundant) red LEDs for the Virtual Boy's stereoscopic display, leading to its iconic monochromatic color palette. While the handful of '90s Virtual Boy developers did their best under this limitation, the hardware's red-on-black graphics have aged even worse than the often muddy grayscale found on the original Game Boy.
© Kyle Orland / Red Viper
Now that the Switch 2 is out, and the console’s biggest exclusives — Mario Kart World, and Donkey Kong Bananza — are delighting fans, it’s time to see what else this thing can do. Nintendo’s hosting its next Direct presentation on Thursday July 31st bright and early at 9 AM ET. You can watch the direct on YouTube here and, of course, in the Nintendo Today app.
According to Nintendo, the 25-minute presentation will be a partner showcase, focusing on third-party titles for the Switch and Switch 2. (Sorry, y’all are gonna have to wait a little longer for more news on Metroid Prime 4.)
Join us for a #NintendoDirect Partner Showcase tomorrow, July 31, at 6am PT! Tune in for roughly 25 minutes of information on upcoming #NintendoSwitch2 and #NintendoSwitch games from our publishing partners.
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) July 30, 2025
Watch here: https://t.co/PvBBmmxGTI pic.twitter.com/8hJBngwXHw
A handful of older games are finding new life (and new audiences) on the Switch 2 like Cyberpunk 2077, and I expect there will be many more announcements of studios bringing their backlogs to the console. And for new games, Silksong, the long, long awaited sequel to Team Cherry’s Hollow Knight might finally get to see the light of day.
Last month, rumors from prominent insiders and leakers swirled that a Direct would be announced for the end of the month. They also speculated about what games would be shown which included a Persona 3 Reload port and, of all things, a new Animal Crossing. But we’ll find out for sure what Nintendo will give us next when the presentation airs tomorrow at 9 AM.
Perhaps we've been thinking the same thing, you and I. That there won't be a long-standing drought of Nintendo Switch 2 availability after all. The console has been easy to buy online from several retailers this week, including Best Buy, Target, and Walmart. Amazon, which didn't sell the Switch 2 at launch, is currently selling it by invitation only.
The console's messy preorder process and spotty launch availability made it feel a little like late 2020 all over again, when the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Nvidia RTX 30-series GPUs launched in extremely limited quantities due to component shortages. However, Nintendo appears to have ad …
The Switch 2 technically launched with an F-Zero game, as F-Zero GX was available on Nintendo Switch Online's premium tier as part of the GameCube lineup. But if you're looking for a new F-Zero or Wipeout, the console has a spiritual successor that costs just $14.99: Shin'en's Fast Fusion.
Fast Fusion pits you in futuristic sci-fi hovercraft races where you fly forward at hundreds of miles per hour. Races are all about managing boosts by collecting coins to build your boost meter and driving over boost zones on the tracks themselves. (You can boost into opponents to make them spin out to earn some extra coins, which never gets old.)
The ga …
Nintendo just announced the two leads of its live-action Legend of Zelda film, and unlike the celebrity-packed Mario movie cast, Zelda will star two young, lesser-known actors: Bo Bragason as Zelda and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as Link. You may not have heard of them, but there's a good chance they're going to be a part of the franchise for a while.
Choosing stars who are in their teens (Ainsworth) and early 20s (Bragason) makes a lot of sense. In the games, even the "older" Links and Zeldas are still typically young adults, so Bragason and Ainsworth seem like they'll fit the mold. (Yes, I know Link and Zelda are technically older than 100 in …
Amazon Prime Day is the best time to save money on a Nintendo Switch OLED during a time when there aren’t any deals on the last-gen console (however, there are some other great gaming deals). Right now, you can get one with neon red and blue Joy-Con for the all-time low price of $249 ($100 off) at Woot. Alternatively, you get the console bundled with a digital copy of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for $275 ($75 off) at Woot. These are both international models; they’ll work totally fine in the US (Switch games are region-free), but they don’t have a 1-year Nintendo warranty, just a 90-day one provided by Woot.
Nintendo’s popular hybrid game console still has a lot to offer eight years after launch (even with the Nintendo Switch 2 being available). The OLED model stands above even the Switch 2’s with better contrast and more vivid colors, and its wider kickstand is leagues ahead of the original non-OLED Switch.
One of the best things about the Switch is its incredible game library. You can play blockbuster games, including The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and beloved indies like Hollow Knight and Celeste.
If you want to brush up on gaming history, you can pick up a year-long subscription to Nintendo Switch Online plus Expansion Pack for $80 at Best Buy. This service includes access to a growing library of games originally released on the NES, SNES, N64, Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, and Sega Genesis. Upcoming games, including Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond will be released for the Nintendo Switch, so there’s still plenty of life left in the system.Sign up for Installer
If you plan on building up a sizable digital game library, you’ll need a microSD card to hold all of them. Samsung’s 512GB microSD card is $28.49 at Amazon, its lowest price ever for Prime Day. PowerA’s Enhanced wired controller is down to $19.09 ($8 off) at Amazon, and is easy to recommend if you play a lot of local multiplayer games.
One of the biggest surprises of the Nintendo Switch 2's reveal was its proposed accessibility. For years, Nintendo has been known for accidentally stumbling on accessibility solutions while stubbornly refusing to engage with the broader subject. Yet, in the Switch 2, there appeared a more holistic approach to accessibility for which disabled players have been crying out. This was supported by a webpage dedicated to the Switch 2's hardware accessibility.
However, specifics were thin and no further information emerged ahead of the Switch 2's debut. Now, having spent the last week with the Switch 2, I've found that this limited information hid, aside from a few missteps, an impressive suite of system-level accessibility considerations and advances that somewhat offset the otherwise gradual update the Switch 2 represents. But as we finally answer lingering accessibility questions over the Switch 2, there's a nagging sense that this information should have been readily available ahead of launch.
I tend to find setup procedures dense and unapproachable thanks to cognitive disability. Yet I was pleasantly surpris …
The first Switch was such a hit that Nintendo decided not to mess with a good thing. Instead of releasing a successor that feels like a generational leap or a pivot in a new direction, it's following up the hugely successful original with the Switch 2 - a welcome upgrade that largely sticks to the formula. It looks about the same, works about the same, and plays most of the same games. It's the Switch, just better.
Nintendo's bet is that it doesn't have to wow people all over again, and so it made a sequel that's only as good as it needs to be. After spending a week with the new console, I've realized that good enough is exactly what the Switch needed.
Fundamentally, the concept of the Switch hasn't changed. It's still a tablet with a split controller stuck on either side, with a dock that connects to your television.
But the idea has been refined. The Switch 2 is much bigger, for one thing. It now has a 7.9-inch LCD panel, up from the original's 6.2 inches, making it great for playing text-heavy games. It also means the entire device has become larger as a result, now weighing in at a comparatively hefty 1.18 pounds with the controllers …
For about 15 years, big-budget Nintendo games cost $60. In fact, that was the standard game price across the industry.
Meanwhile, Nintendo's consoles are generally cheaper than most competing gaming systems, such as the Xbox and the PlayStation. Its consoles have never cost more than $300 — until now.
At $450, the Switch 2 is Nintendo's priciest console. Mario Kart World is priced at $80 — the most expensive first-party title Nintendo has ever released. Some fans are outraged by the price increase. But some industry analysts say a price hike was overdue, considering the rising costs of game development and inflation, among other factors.
So why is Nintendo suddenly so expensive? And what does an $80 game mean for Nintendo and the entire video game industry?
Login