Gaming

The hidden costs of the Nintendo Switch 2

How much to upgrade your games? Is the Joy-Con durable?

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Last week’s Nintendo Direct painted an extremely positive picture of the Switch 2. It did, however, leave a few questions unanswered. Now, we’re beginning to learn more about the unreleased console, and the rose-tinted glasses are slowly coming off. If you’re planning to get the Switch 2 in June, here are a few more costs you need to think about.

Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour

Let’s start with the Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour. After pulling the wraps from the console, Nintendo announced a small game to showcase its features. It shrinks the player down to expl0re the inner workings of the console, while offering small mini-games for a more practice demonstration. The Welcome Tour is essentially a tech demo akin to PlayStation’s Astro’s Playroom. The main difference is that the former is a paid game.

The game’s announcement as a paid product sparked the first questionable moment of the Direct. How is a more interactive instruction manual not free? If you’re still interested to get the software, we now know how much it will cost: US$ 9.99.

To be fair, it’s smaller than a full-priced game, but it’s still ten dollars more than free.

Game upgrades for the Nintendo Switch 2

Most users will likely skip the Welcome Tour. However, it’s a bit more difficult to skip game upgrades.

Games made for the original Switch are naturally compatible with the Switch 2. However, to maximize the new console’s hardware, a few games will have a Switch 2 edition. Owners of the original game can pay a small sum to upgrade them to the new version, which will tout enhanced resolutions and framerates.

During the Direct, Nintendo did not reveal how much an upgrade will cost. Now, we have a better idea.

Nintendo has just announced, via IGN, that upgrading Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom will cost an additional US$ 9.99 apiece. This means that, all in all, they’ll cost US$ 70 and US$ 80, respectively. Upgrades for other compatible games are currently unannounced, but they will likely cost the same.

Arguably, players can do without the upgrade. After all, the games are still playable in their current states.

All the accessories

Even if you can skip the Welcome Tour or the upgrades, it’s practically impossible to live without the new Joy-Cons. Now, we’ve known the price of the controllers since the Direct. A pair will cost an eye-watering US$ 89.99.

With enough care, a pair of Joy-Cons should last a long time, so you don’t need to keep buying new ones. However, a new piece of information makes the price even more important.

Despite prevalent drifting controversies with the original Joy-Con, the new controllers will not use Hall Effect joysticks, making them potentially prone to the same issues of the original. According to Nintendo, the new Joy-Cons are constructed differently to mitigate the drifting issues.

However, without an actual years-long test, we can’t tell just how durable the new controllers are. In the meantime, it’s fair to assume that purchasing multiple Joy-Cons is still in our future, and they don’t come cheap.

While we’re on the subject, the Switch 2’s other accessories are also costly. For example, the new Camera will cost US$ 49.99. A charging grip will cost US$ 34.99. A carrying case with a screen protector inside will cost US$ 34.99.

A potential price increase?

Finally, let’s talk about the effect of ongoing tariffs coming from the United States. Soon after the Direct, President Trump announced a wave of tariffs against a number of countries. Because of how interdependent the world is, a tariff affecting a large country will ultimately affect the products made in another country.

The Nintendo Switch 2 is no different. As a result of the global sanctions, Nintendo indefinitely delayed the start of the console’s preorder period in the United States, while it’s evaluating the economic impact of the tariffs. It’s entirely possible that the last hidden fee of the Switch 2 that we don’t know about is a price increase right before the launch on June 5.

Gaming

PlayStation unveils Prism Collection

Transparent PS5 accessories return

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PlayStation is bringing back the see-through aesthetic with the Prism Collection, a new lineup of transparent DualSense controllers and PlayStation 5 console covers.

Announced on October 28, the collection features three colorways: Flare Orange, Emerald Green, and Graphite Gray. Each combines translucent materials with a glossy finish, offering a glimpse of the hardware beneath the exterior.

The collection takes inspiration from the transparent electronics trend of the late 1990s, giving the PS5 and its accessories a retro-inspired look with a more contemporary design.

Three colors, one transparent design

The Prism Collection applies the transparent treatment to both the DualSense wireless controller and matching PS5 console covers.

The three color options are:

  • Flare Orange: A vibrant orange finish with subtle rosy tones where the transparent materials overlap.
  • Emerald Green: A deep green finish that gains visual depth through its translucent exterior.
  • Graphite Gray: A cool-toned gray design with a more understated appearance.

The DualSense controllers feature a high-gloss transparent finish across the back, revealing parts of their internal components. A metallic finish on the center cover adds contrast to the design.

The collection revisits an aesthetic popularized by consumer electronics in the late 1990s, when transparent plastic casings let users see the technology inside their devices.

According to PlayStation designer Leo Cardoso, the goal was to revive that look while keeping it consistent with the PS5’s design.

PlayStation Prism Collection price and availability

The Prism Collection will launch starting February 4, 2027, with preorders opening on November 10, 2026, at 10 AM local time in supported markets.

The DualSense controllers will be available globally, while the matching console covers will be sold directly through PlayStation in supported regions and in limited quantities through select retailers elsewhere.

Here’s how much the accessories will cost in select markets:

Accessory US price UK price Europe price
Prism Collection DualSense controller US$84.99 £74.99 €84.99
Prism Collection PS5 console cover US$74.99 £64.99 €74.99

Actual retail prices and availability may vary by region.

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Gaming

ROG G700 review: The best prebuilt PC you can get off the shelf

This PC will make you stop worrying about specs.

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The last time I touched a PC was 2014.

At the time, I’d just finished moving houses. While my old house had space for a desk and a fairly decent PC for its time, I opted for a smaller workstation because I was confident that laptops were the future.

Now, more than ten years later, I wish I didn’t dismiss PCs so readily. Thanks to AI, the price of a new PC has reached new levels of absurdity today. It’s not easy to stock up on components anymore.

So, it was like a very heavy blessing falling down from heaven and crash-landing on my lap when the ROG G700 arrived on my doorstep. It’s my first PC in over a decade, and, wow, what a return.

A box with everything you need

The art of building a PC takes a lot of effort these days. You’ll need a command over every little detail that every single component can do. Obviously, you also need to time the market for better prices.

That said, the ROG G700 is not for the minmaxers. It’s a fully built tower you can — gingerly — pick up from the shelf and play on just as soon as you get home.

It’s perfect for people like me. Now, if I had the time and the money, I’d definitely make a little more effort to explore every single detail. However, as someone returning to the PC world after a decade, this prebuilt PC is more than enough to dip my toes back into it.

It is quite the package, though. The tower is 9.45 inches wide by 20.05 inches long. It’s also 18.88 inches tall. If you have a small space, you might struggle to find a space for this behemoth.

Plus, it weighs 40.39 pounds. If you live up a flight of stairs, you’d better not skip leg day. Even then, it was scary to handle this tower, knowing how much hardware I was holding up a few feet from the ground.

A clean design for gamers

Usually, I’m not a fan of heavy gamer aesthetics. As much as I identify as a gamer, I prefer keeping that part of my identity lowkey from how I look. I don’t go for all the edgy angles and the RGB lighting.

But the ROG G700 is one exception to my rule. Even then, it’s not that huge of an exception.

The ROG G700 exudes that gamer aesthetic, but it’s still pretty clean. The chassis has subtle grilles that ease cooling. The main panel is transparent that peeks into a cleanly organized system with heavy ROG visuals. The brand’s logo is peppered throughout the system. The RGB lighting, though bright at times, was easy to get used to.

Personally, I liked how clean the internals are organized. It always hits the right part of my brain when I see something well put together.

Additionally, though it could use a tiny bit more, the G700 has an ample number of ports well situated at the back and up top. When I was setting everything up, I had enough space to make sure I didn’t end up with wire clutter. My workstation was clean at all times.

The 2026 machine

Now, let’s get into the performance. With the highest configuration, the ROG G700 goes up to an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor, up to a 16GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 GPU, 32GB RAM, and 2TB of SSD storage. All thing considered, this is a very powerful machine for today’s world.

If you’re not down on particulars and just want something off the rack, this is more than enough. I tested the G700 on this year’s games like 007 First Light and Forza Horizon 6. Both games performed without a hitch. In fact, I appreciated both games a lot more than when I played them on older laptops. The graphics were absurdly crisp without sacrificing a smooth performance.

 

Also, as a hard multitasker, I love alt-tabbing even while I’m playing. While other setups usually complain, the G700 doesn’t really care. You can run a Twitch stream, play a YouTube video, or have Spotify open in the background, all while playing an intensive game. This is a machine that tells you to leave your worries at the front door because it can handle everything.

If anything, it can get too powerful. Despite the cooling system with a tri-fan intake, the tower still gets hot with heavy loads. After an hour on 007 First Light, my room started getting much warmer. Though you won’t get performance dips, all that heat is coming your way.

Is the ROG G700 your GadgetMatch?

As someone getting back into PCs, the ROG G700 is a powerful off-the-shelf prebuilt PC. Now, do you need all this hardware for day-to-day gaming? Probably not. But if you don’t want to worry if your rig can do certain things, get the ROG G700.

If you have the money, that is.

Being a powerful machine, the G700 comes with a hefty price tag. When it was launched, the machine started at PhP 179,995. Now, with prices of RAM steadily climbing, prices are likely higher today. Plus, you need good peripherals to maximize this PC, so expect to spend a lot more. Overall, it’s very expensive, but at least you’re getting your money’s worth on the investment.

For that, the ROG G700 gets a Swipe Right and a Super Swipe for being a powerful machine you can get today. It is, however, a Swipe Left if you’re looking for cheaper options that won’t break your bank.

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Gaming

Nintendo eShop will finally launch in the Philippines

The doors will open on November 10.

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Filipino Nintendo fans, the wait is finally over! Nintendo eShop and Nintendo Switch Online are launching in the Philippines on November 10.

If you’re in the Philippines (or any other country without the service, for that matter), owning a Switch 2 comes with a modicum of difficulty. The country does not have access to Nintendo’s online services, prompting users to buy physical cartridges or switch their region to supported countries, which unfortunately leads to lopsided pricing.

Around the launch of the Switch 2, Nintendo promised that these online services will soon launch in more countries, including the Philippines. Finally, that date is nigh. On November 10, users can access the Nintendo eShop to purchase games digitally, and Nintendo Switch Online to play with friends online.

Besides that, we don’t know much else. There are still a lot of questions unanswered. For example, how will the games’ prices compare to prices in other regions? Since users in the country are forced to switch to another country’s store, they are also subservient to that particular country’s taxes and fees.

Either way, it’s a huge win for Filipino gamers, who no longer have to pretend they’re Singaporean or American just to access online games.

SEE ALSO: Nintendo retires the original Switch in Europe

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