@Meemoo I think it's safe to say there will be Mario Kart in some form. MK8 is actually Nintendo's best selling game. I think it is also safe to say that the console will be backwards-compatible though too, so I don't think they'll just re-release MK8. There have been rumors of a MK9 for a while now.

Likewise, with Zelda, it'll just be backwards compatible stuff more or less. I think the next new Zelda game we get will probably be a more traditional 2D one, but I don't think they'd put that out as a launch title. Maybe, if the console comes out say March 2025, it could make for a good holiday game. I know some people have been thinking an Ocarina of Time remake is coming... given the reputation that game has, I'm sure if it were a launch game it would sell gangbusters. Being a bit of a Zelda-head myself, Ocarina of Time has only increased in quality to me over time so I would be highly interested in checking that out.

Animal Crossing is their second highest seller, and there have also been rumors that they're making another one of those. I don't think they'll see as high of a return on it though, since New Horizons really came out at the perfect time with COVID just kicking off and on a platform with a huge user base. Still, it's possible that we see it announced pretty soon after, if not for a launch title, I think.

Hopefully, fingers crossed, Metroid Prime 4. Would be awesome to have that at launch for a more hardcore crowd. I have a sneaking suspicion, though completely unfounded, that it's actually more or less in a complete state but they haven't wanted to show it off because it will allude to the console capability. They'd probably rather show it off alongside the reveal as a way to be like "this is the power of the new console."

Another 3D Mario game is also in order. I just have no idea what it would be. A lot of people are saying "Odyssey 2!" but that's not really how Nintendo works most of the time. Galaxy 2 was an outlier. I think it'll be something completely different.

My wildcard guess is a new F-Zero. They already tested the waters with 99, which was quite the success. Perhaps they had a target visual look they wanted to hit for the game and couldn't quite meet that running at a locked 60 FPS on the original Switch. The successor showing a beautiful, fast, smooth racing game would also be a nice little exhibition.

I do think, though, that most of the focus for launch is going to be put on using your old Switch titles in higher resolution with better frame rates. The demo that some people in the industry got to see last year was Breath of the Wild (supposedly) running in 4K. If Nintendo has some new party/family games with the addition of playing old games at higher fidelity, it would capture both crowds pretty well.

I think it's safe to say a new Pokemon game will come out, and said game will be shit. I'm curious what they'll do with Smash, since it also sells like crazy and we've actually had the game longer than Smash 4 was around now. By the time the Switch 2 comes out, it'll actually have been the same amount of time with the "finished" version of the game with all the DLC as Smash 4's entire life cycle. Kind of crazy.

The problem that Mario Kart and Smash have at this point is that they are both currently the absolute ultimate versions of every game in their series'. I'm sure Nintendo wants to make new ones, because they'll sell like crazy, but where do they go from here? If they just port them over and add a couple extra features that are exclusive and you have to buy it all over again, it'll be the second time they did that with both games (more or less feels that way for Ultimate even though it's technically not true) and it'll feel kind of like a slap in the face to those core fans that had the games on Wii U as well. If Nintendo was truly based, they'd cut them back by a lot and do something funky with each game, but then people would complain about the lack of stuff even if the games were still amazing. For now, it might be in their best interest to continue making DLC for both games and you can use the new DLC on your old version of the game, but maybe not necessarily on the old console. They could justify this a lot more if the tracks/characters/stages we got were a lot more intense, to the point where the Switch wouldn't be able to actually play them at all.

My true desires would be for a new F-Zero, a new (actually good) Star Fox, a new 3D Mario game that's closer to Mario 64 (or just a straight up remake), and an Ocarina of Time remake. I'm going to buy the next console as soon as possible, just because I'm interested in the homebrew scene more or less, but if those games were all launch titles I'd be a very stoked (and broke) man.

@beardalaxy yeah Mario kart sounds like a given.

They kind of drew themselves in a corner with smash and mario kart tho because the switch versions are as definitive as those entries can be.
Anything smash does moving forward will be considered a downgrade unless they can add everything from before + more.

Metroid 4 might get the BoTW treatment.
That being, it will be released as a launch title but also be playable on the switch, but who knows.

OOT remake sounds interesting, but I don't think the game needs one imo.
I haven't played it as a kid, but I did play it shortly before tears of the kindgom on my 3DS and the game holds up incredibly well. I think Majora's mask needs one more (I'm currently playing it with a fix mod for the 3DS)

@Meemoo @beardalaxy I:d hazard a guess that we'll get Metroid Prime 4 for the hardcores, a new Mario Kart for the general audiences, and some Wii Sport/Nintendo Land/1-2-Switch type game for the casuals.

@intrax @beardalaxy speaking of Wii sports stuff

I wonder if they are gonna continue with gimmick consoles or go back to the home console proper.

@Meemoo @inTrax Evidently, all signs currently point to it being backwards compatible with not only physical cartridges but also all controllers. I'm guessing it'll probably be more or less the Switch but better. it worked out so damn well for them and it let them consolidate their handheld and console markets into one, i highly doubt they go back on that.

@beardalaxy @Meemoo I think motion controls are a permanent fixture of Nintendo consoles now especially since they're the preferred way to play games like Splatoon.
As far as new gimmicks, I agree that this'll play it safe. Though, I bet there will be a way to have dual screen play in order to have DS games eventually be a part of the online service. Whether that's via connecting two screens/systems together or changing the possible orientations of the controllers I haven't a clue.

@inTrax @Meemoo maybe the dock will have a bit of power so you can connect your switch to the TV and have it portable and it'll be a blend of Wii U and the switch. Lol.

@beardalaxy @Meemoo Ehh, I feel like they'd only put power in the dock if they needed help reaching the benchmark of 4K.
I'm not too knowledgeable about the exact tech side of things, but I feel like that method would lead to lower resolutions and input lag. It would be easier (and more profitable) if they allowed one switch to connect to another in the dock for that Wii U functionality. Hopefully copying one aspect of the Wii U doesn't cause it to fail lol

@inTrax @Meemoo the wii u gamepad had less latency than most people's displays did. they had a chip dedicated to streaming video to it. i'm sure they could make it work the same way but in reverse over 10 years later.

@beardalaxy @Meemoo Issue is TVs have also gotten bigger in that time too. Not saying it can't be done, but that having a consumer used to 4K resolution when docked and then going to 1080p or even 900p when in "Wii U mode" might be a disconnect Nintendo wouldn't want to have.