Just when you thought that Minecraft couldn’t hit any other console, the game is heading to the Nintendo 3DS.  Set to release in digital version on 9/13, Minecraft 3DS was revealed during the most recent Nintendo Direct.

The digital version will arrive first, but there is a packaged version coming to the handheld at an unspecified date.  The Minecraft 3DS version includes five skin packs and two texture packs.  Other details gleaned from the video were that inventory, crafting and map would be handled on the touchscreen.  While the gameplay would be on the main screen.

Players will be able to choose between button or touch controls for the game.

Nintendo is no stranger to a relationship with Microsoft to put the crafting and building game on their platforms.  The game just arrived on the Nintendo Switch and we liked it in our review. 

We won’t need to wait long to see how Minecraft does on the Nintendo 3DS.  It will get the benefit of the New Nintendo 3DS handhelds.  The game will only be available for those that own the more recent 3DS systems.

Minecraft is Coming to Nintendo 3DS September 13th on eShop

The latest Nintendo Direct has offered up some real surprises but the biggest ones are from Bethesda, not Nintendo…

After having already announced Skryim for Switch, publishers Bethesda are going all in with their support for Nintendo’s console, with ports of both Doom and Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus.

Doom is out this year and seems to be the secret game that Bethesda were hinting at earlier in the week. A snippet of footage was shown during the Nintendo Direct, and while it seems to be simplified from the original versions it still looks impressive.

Since Doom does run well on less powerful PCs it’s appearance on Switch isn’t as strange as it first seems (the original Doom was also released on the SNES and N64). The real shocker though is Wolfenstein II, which is a state-of-the-art next gen game that is just about the last game you’d expect to be announced for the console.

Bethesda announced a release date for Skyrim on Switch of November 17, but Wolfenstein II won’t be released until 2018 – sometime after the other consoles and PC.

The majority of the Nintendo Direct was focused on Switch and 3DS games being released this year, so there were relatively few other surprises.

One exception though was Minecraft for New 3DS (so not the older models), not least because it’s available right now on the eShop, with a retail version to follow later. Or at least it’s supposed to be available today, as of 9.30am it’s still not on the UK store.

Nintendo also announced Snipperclips Plus for Switch, which will add more than 30 new stages and new ways to play the existing ones. It’ll be available either as a new standalone version or you can buy the new content as DLC.

Another oddity was the Arcade Archives range of coin-op ports, starting with Vs. Mario Bros. Back in the ‘90s Nintendo released slightly altered versions of many of their classic NES games in arcades, but there seems no obvious reason why they should suddenly dredge them up now.

The promise of a brand new Square Enix game for Switch turned out to be the previously teased Octopath Traveler, an old school Japanese role-player with an unusual graphical style that’s being dubbed HD-2D. There’s a demo out today, so we advise giving it a go to check out the visuals at least.

Nintendo’s two biggest first party titles for Christmas were reconfirmed as Xenoblade Chronicles 2, which was looking very hardcore anime, and Super Mario Odyssey – which looked as amazing as usual.

Nintendo also revealed a hardware bundle with the Switch, a digital copy of Super Mario Odyssey, two red Joy-Cons, and a special carry case. They didn’t announce a price, but we doubt it’s any cheaper than buying the game and console separately.

Email gamecentral@ukmetro.co.uk, leave a comment below, and follow us on Twitter

Doom and Wolfenstein II coming to Nintendo Switch, Minecraft on New 3DS

Since Minecraft: Story Mode Season Two’s announcement back in June, Telltale Games has released two episodes from the planned five episode series. Today, the studio announced that the upcoming third episode would be landing next week, and launched a brand new trailer to give fans a sneak peek at what’s to come, seen above.

Titled, Jailhouse Block, the episode will be picking up the story where the previous one left off with Jesse and the gang imprisoned. The new episode’s synopsis provided by Telltale reads as follows:

Having bested The Admin’s icy obstacles, Jesse and the gang are rewarded with a one-way trip to The Sunshine Institute, a nigh inescapable prison buried at the bottom of the world and filled with all manner of miscreants. In order to make it back home, Jesse has to find a way to break out, even if that means employing a few desperate measures…

Neowin’s Usama Jawad reviewed the previous two episodes of this season, Hero in Residence and Giant Consequences, finding them both to be much more enjoyable over the first season.

Minecraft: Story Mode – Season Two Episode three, Jailhouse Block, will be available on Windows, macOS, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, iOS, and Android devices starting September 19. The Nintendo Switch received the entire eight episode first season last month, although there is no word on when will the second season land on the console.

Don’t forget to follow us @NeowinGaming on Twitter to keep up to date with our gaming coverage!

Minecraft: Story Mode Season Two episode three debuts next week

As we wrote about a few weeks back, Mojang has decided to transform its annual Minecraft [$6.99] convention into MineCon Earth, a brand new format aimed at getting more members of the community involved and at being more inclusive. Today, Mojang revealed more details about the event. This new MineCon Earth will take place at November 18th, with the developers broadcasting a 90-minute show that you can either watch along or with friends in what Mojang is calling Viewing Parties. Mojang announced the locations for some Viewing Parties (they’ll take place at Microsoft Stores across the US) and will be adding more as the day draws nearer. These Parties will be more than just places to watch the stream; they will also host competitions, giveaways, and more, and they will all be free to attend, which is part of how Mojang is hoping to make MineCon a more accessible event than it was in previous years.

And it wouldn’t be a Con without swag, of course. MineCon Earth swag can be preordered from here, and it spans from the new Minecraft-themed Xbox One S’s to tshirts, plushes, MineCon Earth Lanyards, and more. There’s also an online Minecraft costume contest, where players can submit videos of themselves, and the winners will get to appear during the MineCon Earth broadcast. There’s a lot more stuff to come, but it’s already clear how Mojang is turning what used to be a pretty difficult event to attend into something much more accessible, and that’s good for the community, especially given how much of the game’s community are children that can’t just travel across the world to attend an event. What do you think about these changes?

‘Minecraft Earth’ Swag and Viewing Locations Revealed

Minecraft is a hugely popular game with children and players of all ages, but parents need to understand the new Better Together version before letting kids play it.

The new version is significant for many reasons, not least because it puts the Minecraft business on a firm footing for future expansions by unifying the game technology across console, desktop and tablet versions.

This is a brave move on Mojang’s part. Any substantial change to a video game with an avid following such as this will cause ripples online. That’s certainly what were seeing in early reactions to the beta version of the new game. Although to the uniformed eye the new version of Minecraft looks the same as previous versions, there are visual and functional changes that not everyone is keen on. There are also issues around parental settings and access to online servers that families need to be aware of.

The First Cross-Platform Minecraft

There has been long running debates about which version of Minecraft is the best. This is an impossible question to answer as different players, and different families, focus on different aspects of the game.

The new Better Together Minecraft should help resolve some of this as the same game will be available on different systems. It is currently available in Beta on Windows, Xbox and Android phones and is scheduled for a full release in the Autumn.

This will also include the Nintendo Switch, Kindle, VR and iPad versions of the game, but currently the PlayStation remains outside these plans as an agreement on Sony’s platform hasn’t yet been reached.

Credit: Microsoft

Minecraft Better Together

Further good news is that if you have an existing digital version of the game you will get the new version of Minecraft for free. This means that if you buy Minecraft in the next month or two you will effectively get two games for the price of one: the original game and the new updated game.

It’s A Brand New Game

An important aspect of the change is that this “Better Together Update” is in fact an entirely new game build on a new game engine. This opens a whole host of new possibilities but it also, inevitably, feels different to play to the other versions.

Popular Minecraft content creator, Joseph Garrett (Stampy Cat on YouTube) has been outspoken about this and other aspects of the new version of the game. He recently shared an hour long overview of his reaction to the changes.

Caveating his comments with the fact they are based on the Beta version he stated that, “It’s essentially a completely different game… there’s a part of me that’s used to the older version and now this one is different, but I think some things are objectively better in the older version.”

“I’m a customer that brought Minecraft like anyone else”, he continued, “the way I play the game is recording it. I think that this new version is going to negatively effect the way I play and record Minecraft.” He rounded off his video by saying, “I play Minecraft almost everyday, it’s my living… and this is the biggest change I’ve had to deal with. Some of it’s good, a lot of it (in my eyes) isn’t great.”

It’s clear that this update is in fact a whole new game. It will take time to assess how that compares to previous versions, as well as to get used to the updated visuals. Also, Minecraft is a game always on the move so it’s likely that early concerns are soon tweaked or fixed. The challenge for Mojang is to balance between features that help new players and those that may hinder those used to how the game functioned previously.

Better Together Is The Future of Minecraft

While the old versions of Minecraft will continue to exist on their existing platforms, it’s this new Minecraft game that will be receiving investment and development going forwards. “Existing owners will still be able to access and play the old console version and minigames”, states the Better Together FAQ, “but those versions will not receive updates after the official release of Minecraft.”

While there’s no rush to update to the new version — the existing Minecraft games won’t stop working — parents need to know that it is this new version of Minecraft that children will want to play. It’s here that new exciting updates will happen as the game is developed in the coming years.

Credit: Microsoft

Minecraft Better Together Trailer

Worlds that children have created in the Xbox One version of the game will port over to the new version of the game. It’s unclear how this will work for the Nintendo Switch, and currently there’s not a public plan for how the PlayStation version of the game will integrate with these new plans going forward.

Take Care With Minecraft Online Servers And Children

I talked to Adam Clarke who is a Minecraft Content Producer who uses the game in his work with schools, arts and theatre projects. He is positive about the opportunities of the new version.

“Minecraft is always an amazingly creative experience. It has intrinsic educational value from problem-solving, storytelling and team building skills. The better together version allows our kids to play together on console on tablet for the first time it also opens up service which of been unavailable on the console version. It gives children the opportunity for the first time to play on servers with mini-game worlds where they will connect and play with other people from all over the globe.”

Children playing in open online servers can be a cause for concern for parents. I asked Adam what security steps have been taken to protect young players. “Children will need an Xbox live account. So, if you don’t want your children to engage an online chat you have ability to change those settings. Learning how to do that maybe daunting at first but it’s well worth the effort. Another way to help your kids navigate this world — to start playing with them”

The online servers that Adam talks about have previously only been available in the desktop version of the game. It’s therefore important that parents understand this new aspect on Minecraft that will be available in the console version for the first time.

Some of the activity in these online servers has caused concern (dating and pixelated nudity in the Lifeboat server for instance) in the past, but Microsoft has hand picked the servers that are available in the console version of the game and worked with the companies that run them to ensure a safe experience. While players can still access other servers in the tablet and desktop versions of the game, on consoles only the hand picked servers are accessible.

The Minecraft ESRB Rating Is Still E10+

The ESRB of Minecraft on Xbox and Nintendo Switch is E10+ and will remain unchanged for the new Minecraft Better Together version of the game. Answering the question about whether servers have to be sanitised to comply with this rating, it answered: “To be listed in the in-game server browser, we require that servers provide moderation and ensure that their content is safe and appropriate for players of all ages.”

Games are rated for the content they ship with rather than for the content that might be created by them. Minecraft has it’s E10+ rating for Fantasy Violence. The ESRB describes the experience as players traversing “an open-world environment, avoiding hazards, building new structures, and crafting weapons to occasionally defend against monsters.”

They address the violence in the game by stating that, “though not encouraged, players can engage in violent acts such as lighting animals on fire and harming animals with weapons. Mild explosions are occasionally heard as players use dynamite to fend off creatures and mine the environment.”

It’s worth noting that playing Minecraft via services like Xbox Live often assumes the players are at least 13 years old. The Lifeboat server, which is accessible in the update, states that its content is suitable for those 13 and over.

Setting Up Minecraft Parental Controls

The new Better Together version of Minecraft in many ways offers better protection for young players and more control to parents that was previously available. The new game adheres to the parental controls on each system.

This offers parents a chance to better understand the interactions their family can make online gaming and set sensible restrictions. This means that there are simple settings to turn off chat so that children can join servers but not see or participate in any in-server communication with other players. Parents can also limit the multiplayer interactions to friends only or no multiplayer if they’d prefer to keep their children from joining servers at all.

Credit: Microsoft

Minecraft Better Together Trailer

Furthermore all the official server partners included in the game have taken “steps to ensure online play is safe and comfortable for all ages”. This includes chat filtering, in-game reporting, and live moderation.

The Lifeboat server, for example, states that it “goes the extra mile to keep young players protected”. This means that its chat filter is updated to block profanity as well as sensitive personal data. It also has a large staff of volunteer moderators to better filter what is happening online. They also state that their games are “made for and offered for players age 13 and older”.

It is also pragmatic about the limits of this kind of protection “The chat filter will only do so much, as it is possible to say nasty things with harmless words.  So don’t assume that nothing harmful or bullying has gotten through.  Watch for changes in mood of your child. If this happens sit down and have a talk with him or her.”

Marketplace Microtransactions Are Now In Minecraft 

Another big change that parents should be aware of is the arrival of cross platform micro-transactions in the new version of the game. This new Marketplace replaces the ability to buy add-ons in separate online stores.

These purchases can now be made in the game itself and will attach, for Xbox users, to the Xbox Live account. It will use a Minecraft Coins currency to buy things, which in turn are purchased for real money.

This is a smart move as it creates a new consolidated market (55 million players) for potential content creators. At the same time it’s something parents should check their purchasing and credit card settings for to avoid unexpected purchases being made on the account.

These transactions need to also take into account the cost of the main game. Currently it seems that this will continue to vary by platform although now the experience will be the same. This means it is cheaper to purchase on tablets than it is on consoles.

Conclusion

It’s still early days for the Better Together beta and there is a lot to try out and take in. To move Minecraft forward it was inevitable that a change of this nature was required. The question is whether the approach to the implementation is getting the balance right between serving new players and those used to the previous Minecraft games. Time will tell.

For parents, it’s important to understand all this so they can setup the appropriate controls and play habits in their family. This will not only ensure that children are safe when they play but the whole family can enjoy Minecraft together without any unpleasant surprises.

For more information, the Better Together Minecraft.net FAQ is a good place to start.

What Parents Need To Know About ‘Minecraft’ Better Together

Ricky is at the home of Minecraft in Stockholm, Sweden, to find out what goes into making one of the most popular computer games of all time!

Minecraft was first created in 2009 and later released by the Swedish games company Mojang. Since then, it’s sold more than a massive 120 million copies around the world.

Even though American tech giants Microsoft bought Mojang in 2014, Sweden’s capital city of Stockholm is still the home of Minecraft. It’s where the teams who make the game work.

But it’s not all fun and games – many of you have told us about the problems you have with bullying in Minecraft, or ‘griefing’. What are the people who make the game doing to keep you safe?

Ricky got an exclusive look around the game’s HQ…

Your Minecraft questions

One person who’s worked there since the early days of Minecraft is Jens ‘Jeb’ Bergensten. He’s the man in charge of what’s in the game and how it looks.

So who better to answer YOUR questions about Minecraft?

Working in the gaming industry

If you love gaming, the idea of working for a company that makes games might sound like a brilliant idea.

But what does it really involve, and what can you do now to help yourself when you’re older and wanting to get a job?

Lydia Winters works for Minecraft and here are her top tips…

Behind the scenes at Minecraft HQ

‘Minecraft’ is available on Nintendo handhelds right now

With the new Minecraft update today on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation Vita, 4J Studios has added support for the Glide Myths Track Pack and Strangers: Biome Settlers 3 Skin Pack. The update is out now in Europe/Japan and will be coming to North America later today.

“Stretch your wings in this legendary Minecraft Glide Track Pack. Drift through the clouds of Icarus, dive into conflict in Excalibur and ride with the Kelpies in Celts,” the PlayStation Store says of Glide Myths, which is £2.49. The Skin Pack is £1.69 and the description says, “Get this pack and make your home in distant lands or ocean depths!”

Here’s the full patch notes for Minecraft update 1.56:

Additions

• Added Glide Myths Track Pack; Drift through the clouds of Icarus, dive into conflict in Excalibur, and ride with the Kelpies in Celts.
• Added “Strangers – Biome Settlers 3” Skin Pack.

General

• Endermen and Endermites should always be hostile to each other.
• Polar Bears should not attack the player when in peaceful mode.
• Wither Skeletons no longer fear daylight, and will attack anything that lives.
• Skeleton Horses can now be tamed and leashed.
• Zombie Horses can now be leashed
• Skeletons shouldn’t attack Village Golems.
• Strays now flee from Wolves.
• Wolves should not become hostile against mobs that they can’t directly see.
• Crafting any kind of Boat now requires a Wooden Shovel.
• String can now be crafted from Web.
• Purpur Stairs and Slabs can now be crafted from both Purpur Blocks and Pillars.
• Stone Slabs, Redstone Repeaters, and Redstone Comparators can now be crafted from Stone, Granite, Andesite, Diorite, and their Polished variants.
• Observers should register changes to Item Frames.
• Observers should register changes to Doors.
• Observers should register changes to Flower Pots.
• Observers should not output extra signals for fire block state changes.
• Observers should not output multiple signals when lava or water is place in front of them.
• Pistons can now push Daylight Sensors.
• Potion durations have changed.

Fixes

• Fixed slow moving mobs in water.
• Fix for Farmer Villagers not planting seeds often enough.
• Fixed area in the Mini Game Lobby that caused players to become invulnerable in the Mini Game if they were in this location when the round started.
• Fix for MCCE-5523 – Pick Block in Creative
• Fix for MCCE-5549 – Hotbar is not centered in splitscreen battle (PS4, PS3 only)
• Fix for MCCE-2000 – Zombies get stuck in water
• Fix for MCCE-2868 – Levitation effect all in Capitals

The Xbox One/Xbox 360 version of this update is out, and the Wii U/Switch version of this update will be out today or tomorrow.

As a reminder, the Better Together update for Minecraft isn’t planned for PS4, but Mojang is still in talks with Sony about it.

Minecraft Update 1.56 on PS4, PS3 & PS Vita Brings Track Pack and Skin Pack Support

Yesterday during the latest Nintendo Direct we found out Minecraft would be released exclusively on the New Nintendo 3DS.

Since then, it has been clarified the closet equivalent to Minecraft: New Nintendo 3DS Edition is the 0.15.4 build of Minecraft: Pocket Edition.

With plans to bring a local multiplayer component to the New 3DS version of the game, how far will the updates go?

Aubrey Norris who is part of the Minecraft team recently replied to a fan on Twitter regarding a question about the upcoming “Better Together Update” which will unify the Windows 10, mobile and console editions of Minecraft – including the Nintendo Switch version.

While the New 3DS version may miss out on social unification, it’s still impressive how the team at Other Ocean Interactive – who are behind this 3DS adaptation – have managed to provide world sizes that are 2016 x 2016 and 128 blocks high. These dimensions exceed the sizes of the maps in the Wii U version of the game. Not bad for hardware based on a device originally released in 2011.

Let us know in the comments if you have bought Minecraft on New 3DS yet and what your thoughts are about it are so far.

Minecraft “Better Together Update” Not Coming To New 3DS Version Of The Game

Not surprising, but disappointing

In case you hadn’t already heard, Minecraft is out on the Nintendo 3DS. While having Minecraft on 3DS is pretty awesome it will unfortunately not be getting the Better Together update.

For those unfamiliar, the aforementioned update will be unifying Minecraft across consoles, Windows 10, and mobile devices.

It seems, however, the 3DS version of the game will be using its own custom version of Minecraft. This means the game will be limited to local multiplayer on the portable console, but it’s pretty awesome seeing it on 3DS at all.

Better Together update not coming to Minecraft: New 3DS Edition [Go Nintendo]

Minecraft’s Better Together update will NOT be coming to 3DS

The launch of Minecraft Marketplace in June has been a more than $1 million boon for creators.

Microsoft officially launched the Minecraft Marketplace as a storefront for partners to sell their creations in June. Since then, Microsoft says, Minecraft creators have collectively earned more than $1 million for their creations.

To recap, Minecraft Marketplace serves as a way for creators to make some money for their work, but it gives users a safe place to acquire new content as well. Partners are already selling adventures, worlds, texture packs, and more on the Marketplace, and several new bits of content have been added in the months since launch.

One million dollars an impressive number, to be sure, but the program is still young and fairly limited. Marketplace launched with an initial roster of nine partners, and that has since expanded to 12. Microsoft says there are plans to add even more partners over time, which will likely mean we’ll see even greater milestones hit more quickly in the coming months.

Minecraft Marketplace creators have earned more than $1 million since June launch

More and more Windows users are now playing Minecraft on their computers. Even if the game is 6 years old, it seems that the players always find something to do in this game.

Today we will not talk about how awesome a game like Minecraft is, but instead we will talk about an issue that many PC gamers are facing while playing this game. According to reports, there are players who can’t chat with others in Minecraft. Well, today we will tell you how you can fix this issue so that you can chat with your friends from this popular game.

Can’t Chat In Minecraft Issue: What’s Causing It?

The “Can’t Chat in Minecraft” issue is actually caused by the default settings that the game comes with. In other words, the default settings from the “Minecraft” multiplayer section are not allowing you to chat in this game. That being said, you are able to write commands, but you are not able to interact with other players through text chat.

Can’t Chat In Minecraft Issue: How To Fix

In order to fix the “Can’t chat in Minecraft” issue you will just need to head to the game’s Options->Chat Settings and change the settings from “Command Only” to “Shown.” After completing this simple task, you will be able to start chatting with others players from Minecraft.

However, in case the chat doesn’t function after completing the mentioned task, you will just need to restart the game. After restarting the game, we can guarantee you that the chat feature will work without any problems.

Are you playing Minecraft on your computer? Tell us what new features you would like to see being added to this popular game!

Minecraft: How To Fix The Chat Issue

The Minecraft Marketplace has been operating for a few months now, and Microsoft today happily announced that the community has earned over $1 million through content for the popular block-building title.

“Minecraft has some ~amazing~ Marketplace partners, and we’re continually bringing new folks onboard,” Microsoft said in a statement. “We started the program with nine folks back in June, and since then have expanded our partner roster to 12, with plans to keep adding more partners. The program offers our players a wide variety of community-created content that they can safely and easily access, while also allowing the community to support one another’s work and allow creators the chance to turn their creativity into a way to make a living!”

The Minecraft Marketplace is fueled by Minecraft Coins, which are used to buy in-app content. Creators set flexible prices and after a 30% cut is taken by a platform’s app store, the content creators get a “majority” of the remaining sale.

There are well over 26 million Minecraft players on the PC alone. About 121 million copies have been sold across all platforms. Microsoft purchased both developer Mojang and the Minecraft IP back in 2014 for $2.5 billion.

Minecraft Marketplace creators have earned over $1m

Minecraft Marketplace creators have earned $1M by selling user-made content

People are playing Minecraft to make money, not just to create blocky looking buildings in a fantasy world.

Mojang, the developer behind the popular game, said Tuesday that Minecraft creators have earned over $1 million selling custom character designs, maps, interactive stories, and other accessories in the game’s online marketplace.

The fact that Minecraft Marketplace was only launched in June after being announced in April underscores the game’s popularity and potential as a business to third parties. Creators who post items for sale in the game’s marketplace earn a cut on all sales.

Microsoft (msft, -0.47%), which bought Mojang in 2014 for $2.5 billion, pitches the marketplace as a safer way to buy and download third-party add-ons to the core Minecraft game as opposed to buying them from other websites. In order to sell goods through the game, users must first apply online and be approved.

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Minecraft Marketplace is available through Apple (aapl, -1.59%) and Android-based mobile devices, Windows 10- powered personal computers and phones, Amazon (amzn, -1.37%) Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire TV, and the Samsung Gear VR headset, according to a Microsoft support page. It is not compatible with Microsoft’s Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch, but a spokesperson told Fortune in an email that the marketplace “will be available in Minecraft on Xbox One and Nintendo Switch with the launch of the Better Together Update later this year.”

Correction: Minecraft Marketplace debuted in June after being announced in April.

How Gamers Made Over $1 Million on Minecraft

Nintendo Switch games update a big boost for Wii U owners following Legend of Zelda news

Pokémon fans, it’s time to celebrate: A real, true, “core”Pokémon game is coming to the Nintendo Switch, fulfilling the hopes and dreams of Poké-maniacs everywhere.

The announcement was made by Nintendo in a YouTube broadcast ahead of the E3 conference. The game won’t be ready for a “year or more,” says the company.

Earlier in June, Nintendo announced “Pokkén Tournament DX,” a fighting game in the style of “Mortal Kombat,” would be coming to the Nintendo Switch later this year. This announcement was a letdown for lots of Nintendo fans, who were hoping for a more traditional Pokémon game to come to the hybrid console.

Also of note is that this Pokémon game would also be the first in the main series for a Nintendo home console — previous mainline Pokémon games have only appeared on Nintendo’s portable systems. Home consoles like the Nintendo Wii U have previously only recieved spinoffs, like the “Pokémon Rumble” series. This new one is confirmed to be a role-playing game, in line with the classic Pokémon titles.

While the Nintendo Switch can be detached to play away from a TV, Nintendo considers it a TV console first and foremost.

So while the wait for this new Pokémon will be painful, it’s going to get a lot of Nintendo Switch owners very hyped. And it’s sure to give a lot of folks a reason to buy a Switch.

A real Pokémon game is coming to the Nintendo Switch and it’s time to get hyped

At E3 2017, Nintendo released some more footage of the highly anticipated new Mario game for Nintendo Switch, which comes out October 27, 2017. Check out Mario tossing his hat onto a giant t-rex and running around in a very fancy white tuxedo in “Super Mario Odyssey.”

Nintendo dropped another trailer for ‘Super Mario Odyssey’ — and it looks amazing

Mario takes a characteristic leap in “Super Mario Odyssey,” the next major entry in the Mario series.Nintendo

For a launch year, the Switch is getting a mess of fantastic games. Nintendo started with the showstopper in “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild,” which launched alongside the Switch in March.

“Zelda” was quickly followed by an updated rerelease of “Mario Kart 8” — arguably the best “Mario Kart” game ever made — and an entirely new entry in “Arms.” “Minecraft” launched soon after, and Nintendo even allowed the Switch version of “Minecraft” to play nice with the Xbox One, PC, mobile, and VR versions of the game. If you’re playing the game on one of those platforms, you’re also playing with people on the Switch!

And that’s just through to now (June 2017) — much more is coming in the back half of 2017 and next year.

2018: A “core” Pokémon game, new entries for Kirby and Yoshi, Nintendo’s online service, and a new game in the “Metroid Prime” series.

Nintendo

The Nintendo Switch Online service is scheduled to launch in 2018 at a price of $20 a year. For that price, you’ll get instant access to a classic game library and the ability to play games online.

Nintendo

Nintendo’s new service costs $20 a year (or $4 for a month or $8 for three months) and is scheduled to launch in 2018. When it arrives, it’ll be available only for the Nintendo Switch — Nintendo’s newest game console, which operates as a portable handheld and a home console.

Beyond access to online gaming, which is free for now on the Switch, you’ll also get access to a library of classic games from Nintendo’s history. The first three games Nintendo showed off were “Super Mario Bros. 3,” “Dr. Mario,” and “Balloon Fight,” but more are expected to be announced as we learn more about the service.

Notably, those classic games are all from the NES: Nintendo’s oldest home console. Nintendo has yet to confirm whether games from the SNES, Nintendo 64, GameCube, Wii, or Wii U will appear on the service (to say nothing of Nintendo’s handheld gaming library). There is no release date for the service outside “2018” thus far.

What’s still missing? “Super Smash Bros.,” “Animal Crossing,” and many more.

YouTube/Nintendo

There are still plenty of Nintendo franchises that could use a spin on the Switch. The most notable ones are obvious: “Super Smash Bros.,” “Animal Crossing,” and “Star Fox” all come to mind immediately.

Then there’s the more obscure stuff: “WarioWare,” “Punch-Out,” “F-Zero,” Nintendogs,” “Dr. Mario,” and “Brain Training.” And that’s before you start talking about really obscure stuff like “Earthbound.”

All to say one thing: Nintendo still has miles of depths to plumb before it runs out of classic characters and game franchises.

Of note, it looks as if we’ve just seen the beginning of Nintendo’s effort to release updated versions of games that debuted on the Wii U. Nintendo America’s president, Reggie Fils-Aime, told Vice recently: “Given the [very low] install base of Wii U, there was some fantastic content that consumers did not get to play. So that creates certainly a business opportunity.”

Who knows when: Where is Netflix? What about Hulu? YouTube? Amazon?

Netflix

It seems like a given that Nintendo’s Switch console — a system built for use as a handheld and a home console — would get video streaming services like  Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, YouTube, and others. It’s 2017, and there are approximately zero game consoles without these services.

Yet, somehow, Nintendo’s Switch launched without any of these services and continues to exist without them. Though Nintendo’s never put a date on it, the company has repeatedly pointed to those services coming at some point in the future. When those services will arrive is the big question, and it’s one that Nintendo’s not answering (nor are Netflix, Hulu, and other services — we’ve asked).

This stuff isn’t exactly crucial, but it sure doesn’t hurt.

Nintendo’s new console is having an incredible run, and the future looks even brighter