Gaming

NieR: Automata (Switch) review: A smooth(er) operator

Experience 2B in handheld

Published

November 4, 2022

Luigi Leonardo

Five years ago, Nintendo launched the Switch. The handheld console ushered Nintendo fans into a new generation of gaming. However, despite the promise of a fresh start for Nintendo, the Switch never looked like a proper contender against the beefy graphics of a PC or a PlayStation.

Around the same time, a new sci-fi game, called NieR: Automata, quietly made waves. Though it wasn’t an instant hit from the first day, the title eventually made its way into the annals of gaming history as an enthralling experience for sci-fi fans. That said, as a notable title released in 2017, it still wasn’t anything you’d expect on the Nintendo Switch. Shows how little we knew back then.

Now, the Switch is home to a surprising variety of capable ports such as Apex Legends, DOOM, and The Witcher 3. Impressively, each title works surprisingly well on the handheld console. If you haven’t had enough of big titles on the console, make way for — you guessed it — NieR: Automata.

Just like old times

The title’s port is action-packed from the get-go. Instead of just the base game, players will enjoy The End of YoRHA Edition which includes all additional downloadable content. It’s a great deal for the price you’re paying for.

Now, whether you’re playing docked or handheld, NieR: Automata plays as it was back then. The port does not cut content. If you’ve played the game before, it’s the same game. However, if it’s your first time playing the title, you’ll enjoy the game as if you bought it back in 2017.

Regardless of where you find yourself, here’s a refresher for the game’s plot: Almost ten thousand years into the future, the world has been taken over by a race of anthropomorphic robots. Aided by 9S (an android modeled after a boy), 2B is on a mission to take the planet back and fight the robots.

Rather than a straightforward RPG shooter, NieR: Automata mixes and mashes different mechanics into a wonderful postapocalyptic package. From an open-world exploration stage, players can find themselves thrust into 2D platformers and bullet hells in a single chapter. Not one stage feels out of place or overstays its welcome.

A compromise for graphics

As you might expect, the Switch port does compromise on a few technical aspects to get the game running on the console. However, it’s a good compromise.

From the first chapter, you’ll notice a difference in display quality compared to more robust consoles. However, it’s not just a matter of the hardware being unable to run the game. There are some downgrades. For example, texture quality is considerably lower compared to the original games. Rocks look chunkier, and foliage is sparser. At the very least, you won’t see it as much if you’re playing in handheld mode.

To compensate for the drop in texture quality, the Switch port has more antialiasing. Despite the less organic textures, edges are smoother. It’s a welcome addition to the Switch, which often does terribly with tearing for games with larger resolutions.

Additionally, NieR: Automata handles framerates a lot better than the original versions. Years ago, the title, amid all the fanfare, did not come off as the most polished game due to framerate stutters happening throughout the entire game. Now, the Switch port feels right. Though the port is locked at 30fps, the lack of any substantial framerate drops makes for a more immersive experience compared to one that tries and fails at pushing things to 60fps.

All in all, porting NieR: Automata is an impressive feat. For a title over five years old, the Switch port still feels fresh and right at home with the rest of the console’s library of games.

NieR: Automata The End of YoRHA Edition is now available for the Nintendo Switch, selling at US$ 39.99 through the Switch store.

Gaming

Xbox might get rid of physical discs too

The experimental disc-to-digital feature will digitize your physical library.

Published

July 2, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Sony and Microsoft are seemingly locked in a farcical battle to sink their own ship first. Just today, the PlayStation fired its most damaging salvo yet by cancelling physical games starting 2028. Not to be outdone, the Xbox is going pound-for-pound through an experimental disc-to-digital feature to digitize physical games.

According to The Verge, Microsoft is currently testing a feature which will allow users to completely digitize their collection of physical games on the Xbox One and the Series X. Upon inserting the disc, the Xbox will create a digital copy attached to the physical disc.

Being attached to the disc means that the digital copy can move from console to console. Once the disc is inserted to another console, the digital copy transfers with it.

The feature will prevent more than a single person from using the disc at the same time. It sounds similar to Nintendo’s Virtual Game Card but without the ability to lend games out to friends and family.

It’s still an experimental feature, so there’s no schedule for a global rollout yet. Still, the disc-to-digital feature sounds like an eerie prelude to Microsoft similarly eliminating physical discs for the future. If it’s any consolation (but it’s probably not), Nintendo already got the ball rolling by introducing the Virtual Game Card feature, but the Switch 2 mercifully hasn’t removed physical cartridges.

Gaming

PlayStation goes all-digital in 2028

Physical discs are ending

Published

July 2, 2026

GadgetMatch

Sony PlayStation will stop producing physical game discs for all new PlayStation titles starting January 2028.

The company says the move reflects changing consumer habits. More players now buy games digitally instead of on disc.

Games released before January 2028 will not be affected. Those titles will continue to receive physical editions as planned.

After the transition, all new PlayStation games will launch in digital format only. Players can buy them through the PlayStation Store or from retailers selling digital game codes.

Sony says the shift will help it focus on digital distribution. It also wants to give players more ways to purchase games while continuing to improve the gaming experience.

The move also signals a major change for the industry.

Players will no longer be able to buy physical copies of new PlayStation games after January 2028. That could reduce the second-hand game market since digital purchases cannot usually be resold.

Collectors may also see fewer special editions that include game discs. Future collector’s editions could instead bundle digital download codes with physical merchandise.

The transition also makes reliable internet access more important. Every new game will need to be downloaded, and players may need to upgrade their storage as game sizes continue to grow.

For Sony and game publishers, the move could lower manufacturing and shipping costs. It also gives them greater control over pricing, distribution, and digital sales.

While the company did not mention game preservation, some players may also raise concerns about long-term ownership. Unlike physical discs, digital games depend on online storefronts and account access.

Sony thanked players for their continued support and said it remains committed to delivering a world-class gaming experience as the industry continues its shift toward digital.

Gaming

Marvel’s Blade, the videogame, might be cancelled

Microsoft might shut down the studio developing the game.

Published

July 1, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Is there a Marvel franchise more doomed than Blade? On the big screen, Mahershala Ali’s much-awaited depiction has fizzled into obscurity. Now, the videogame might follow suit.

If you haven’t heard (or have forgotten) about Marvel’s Blade, then that’s not on you. Arkane Studios, the developers behind the adaptation, haven’t said a word about the game in years. Today, according to The Verge, Microsoft might shutter Arkane Studios, inevitably leading to a cancellation of Marvel’s Blade.

The source also indicates the game itself was plagued by delays (which we know) and is already above its budget (which we don’t know). Even if Arkane Studios continues its operations, there’s already a substantial chance that the game won’t be made anyway.

Arkane Studios won’t be the only one, according to the report. Microsoft is also considering Compulsion Games, Double Fine, Ninja Theory, and Undead Labs for the chopping block.

Blade won’t be the only loss in an Arkane Studios shuttering. The studio is also responsible for the critically acclaimed Dishonored series and the more recent Deathloop.

However, in the Marvel end of things, fans can still scratch their superhero videogame itch later this year. In September, Insomniac Games, the same studio behind the wildly popular Marvel’s Spider-Man series, is set to launch Marvel’s Wolverine, a promising take on the iconic mutant.