Ahead of the Switch 2’s launch, Nintendo assured players that it had revamped the system’s eShop this time around. While we didn’t get too many glimpses of that ahead of release, Digital Trends can now confirm just what has been upgraded. The new eShop is faster, features more sorting options, and even includes video previews.
Digital Trends received its Nintendo Switch 2 unit on Wednesday morning, one day ahead of its June 5 launch. While a full review is coming once we’re able to test it in depth, we were able to access the eShop and see exactly what has changed.
The most immediate difference is that the shop loads significantly faster. While it still takes a few seconds for it to load up, menus tabs load up in no more than a second. I’m able to continuously scroll down a tab like Recent Releases with thumbnails loading almost instantly and only butting up against an occasional page load hitch that stops my scroll for a split second. I’m seeing a major improvement on the Enter Code screen especially, as I can access it instantly. On previous Switch models, that would often be a point of slowdown thanks to some lag.
No embargo, so going to share live impressions: here’s the improved eShop in action. Significantly improved load speed, video previews on thumbnail hover. Controlling it here with a mouse-con too.
There are some new tabs on the sidebar menu, including a Wish List and For You tab. The latter will allow players to get custom recommendations based on their preferences. When I clicked on “Get Recommendations” for the first time, I was taken straight to a full screen trailer for VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action. Recommendations are refreshed every Saturday.
The eShop features one other new trick in the form of rollover video. When you mouse over a thumbnail for a game, you’ll now load up a trailer that auto plays on hover instead of screenshots. It’s a small update, but one that showcases how much quicker the eShop can function.
Players can navigate the eShop using the Joy-con 2’s new mouse functionality. I was able to scroll the shop using two Joy-cons acting as one mouse.
We’ll have much more coverage to come as we test the console in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for our full review. The Nintendo Switch 2 launches on June 5.
Acer’s Predator Atlas 8 finally has a US release date and price, several months after the company first showed off the handheld in May. The highlight is the Intel Arc G3 Extreme chip inside, which has been adopted by only a couple of other consoles besides the Atlas 8. This version will go on sale exclusively at Best Buy on November 1 for $1,299.99.
Acer originally said the Atlas 8 would arrive in North America in October, but left pricing open at the time. The launch came amid the ongoing DRAM crunch, which has made memory more expensive across the PC industry and complicated pricing for hardware makers.
Gaming laptops and I have a complicated relationship. One of my first gaming rigs was an Acer Predator that was already outdated when I bought it. I was a broke college kid, and that was the best I could afford. So trying out high-end gaming laptops is always fun. But ASUS' ROG Zephyrus G14 is a lot more than a laptop that can run AAA games. It is portable, so you're not lugging around a 2.5kg machine everywhere you go. It is built well, none of that plastic chassis, and can even function as a normal laptop outside of just gaming.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.