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The 5 Missing Links in Nintendo’s Direct Mini

So, gamers were either left excited/disappointed by yesterday’s Nintendo Direct Mini, with a majority of news being DLC or ports of old games making their way to the Switch. The hype preceding the Direct definitely did not help, and Nintendo proved once again they do things on their own terms with the Direct Mini instead.

That said, despite all the news, there are still several important missing details that will hopefully be revealed soon.


Online Infrastructure

The Nintendo Switch still sucks when it comes to the online infrastructure, with Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network being more robust than Nintendo’s offering. It’s coming to a year since the release of the console, and we still have no concrete news about the paid online component for the Switch.

Voice chat, matchmaking, and even adding friends on the Switch has been lacklustre, to say the least, Nintendo needs to address this elephant in the room as soon as possible.


Release Dates

While the Direct Mini gave us a few dates for titles like Dark Souls: RemasteredPayday 2Kirby Star Allies and others, we are still missing the big games. 2017 was the year for Mario, Link, and Splatoon‘s Inklings, 2018 should be the year for Samus, Pokemon, and Fire Emblem.

Everybody knows that these games are in development, but there are no other details about them. These are the tentpole titles that will make fans excited than most games, and they should be front and centre. Even if they are not released this year, at least let the fans know.


Virtual Console

We got the SNES Classic and the NES Classic, but what most Nintendo gamers want is the Virtual Console for the Switch. The ability to relive the classics on a new, shiny piece of current-gen hardware is priceless.

With so many Neo Geo ports already available on the eShop, the Virtual Console is a no-brainer move for Nintendo to capture all the retro gamers.

The wait has been agonizing, and the Virtual Console has to be more than just the classics of NES, SNES, 3DS, Wii, and Wii U. With rumours swirling around a Gamecube Virtual Console, more awesome first-party titles will only help Nintendo’s sales.


Cloud Storage

Lose your Switch, lose your data. The fact that this is even a possibility is a travesty. The Switch is not versatile at all when it comes to managing your game data, so if you ever break or lose your Switch, all your hard work will be lost.

Nintendo needs to step up their game by giving gamers an alternative method to manage data, and cloud storage is the most convenient method to save everyone the pain of lost data.


Third-party Support

Never would I have thought I would see Doom on the Nintendo Switch, but it happened in 2017. The relationship between the Big N and third-party developers has always been testy, but 2017 has seen a positive turn in terms of games. SkyrimResident Evil RevelationsSteamworld Dig 2, Enter the Gungeon, and Yooka-Laylee all came to the Switch, and we are all better for it.

With the Switch getting more popular by the day, Nintendo should court more third-party developers to grow their burgeoning install base, and with Dark Souls: Remastered already confirmed, 2018 is off to a good start.