Nintendo's Zelda Anniversary Gets Interesting & Sony Threatens A Major Market | News Wave

[00:00:00]What's up, guys? Welcome back to Newsweave. As we head towards the holiday season with what should be the release for a new Ocarine of Time title, there should also be some 40th anniversary Zelda stuff happening. We think there's going to be a direct, but now things are getting interesting because people are starting to talk about maybe some stuff we could expect to release alongside of Ocarine of Time for the Switch, too. And we'll go over that here today. Also, we are going to continue coverage here with Sony as they move away from physical media because there is a certain market that I see many of you talk about and we have some numbers that we can actually go over here for the used market that yeah, Sony is basically going to be eliminating here. And we also have Microsoft moving more and more towards the cloud. In this case, a cloud that is ad supported so you can stream the games you bought.

[00:00:49]Yes, that is something they're currently testing and we'll look at all of that and more. Guys, if you can enjoy if you enjoy these videos, make sure you hit that like button. Helps out a ton. And if you're new here to the Spawn Wave channel, make sure you subscribe down below. Also, we are over on Spotify now audio and video. So, check that out. I have a link down below in the description if you'd like to watch or listen to Newswave over there each weekday morning, 8 a.m. Eastern time.

[00:01:12]And we're going to start today with a very odd situation that was unfolding over the last couple of days. And then as do you can see this by from Mario 64 Avatar Legends the fighting game. So the day before it released which is the 23rd. It was delayed for the Xbox to September 3rd which is I mean last last minute on that one. They seem to site unforeseen circumstances on the on a backend feature. Okay. So that yeah they're getting it's getting pushed then to the first week of September. And for the Switch, this was also weird. It's launching as a sta as standard edition only. No crossplay or non-English localization. I have no idea what this is all la very last minute stuff for this game. I mean, people seem pretty excited for the for this game, this Avatar Legends fighting game. And now all these random things happen right before launch. So, I don't know what the deal is there, but there you go. Xbox owners have to wait a couple of months, I guess, for that one. And then Switch owners kind of just walled off their no crossplay or anything with the standard edition. So, uh, very, very strange situation there. Also, we did get a bit more information from Ubisoft around how Assassin's Creed at Black Flag Reync has been doing since launch. This we can see. Now, this is some paperwork here that they send out to investors for Q1 with their first quarter of sales.

[00:02:37]They specifically did point out Assassin's Creed saying it launched course in July achieving 84 on Open Critic and Metacritic with 3.5 million copies sold in to date. That exceeds their annual expectations within its first 14 days. So like they I mean this thing absolutely blew away their expectations. It exceeded annual expectations in its first two weeks.

[00:03:01]Yeah. Something tells me they're pretty happy with this uh this remake. And also, if you play it, it it's pretty clear this wasn't the budget of a a big new trip or AAA, I guess say, Assassin's Creed game. But this is the thing. Black Flag is just a fun Assassin's Creed game, and people have a lot of nostalgia for it. I know it sounds weird, nostalgia, but I mean, yeah, it is an older Assassin's Creed game, and people were all about this. So, 3.5 million copies sold so far, and I think it's going to continue selling there. In fact, it might even be like a good like holiday gift at this point. So, yeah, go figure. You go back, you get an Assassin's Creed game that doesn't completely lean into like the heavy-handed RPG elements, and you end up with one that sells, I think, well ahead of the budget that they put aside for it. Oh, and we had talked previously about this Donkey Kong Lego set that actually looked pretty cool. Now, we do have like the full release details on it and even a trailer like you can see it here. This is a pretty well done trailer because when you start to see who's in it, Steve Weebi, that that's a fun nod.

[00:04:01]Uh, of course, King of Kong. That was uh it was a movie that really blew up kind of just showing off the honestly kind of the almost the the underbelly almost of of the arcade records and other things.

[00:04:12]It was very very well done in terms of like that drama documentary kind of setup. But in this case, uh the the Donkey Kong Lego set, it it is releasing August 1st, 1,371 pieces, cost $200, and they do have it set up to where the barrels, I mean, it looks like they move around, roll down, and try to at least mimic a screen that would normally play out there for uh for Donkey Kong, their arcade set. So, that's pretty fun.

[00:04:38]Again, I'm not as into the Lego stuff, but there's obvious crossover there when it comes to gaming and Lego. So, I just wanted to bring it up there, especially with a trailer that I I thought was actually really well done. And guys, with some of the quick news out of the way, let's get into the bigger stuff.

[00:04:50]Let's start right away with The Legend of Zelda, as we are kind of anticipating a direct or an event of some kind for the 40th anniversary for the franchise.

[00:04:59]With that, we would expect to see more about this Ocarine of Time Reborn. I mean, there there's quite a bit they have to tell us with that game. I mean, the release date, I think that's in uh November, so we're probably less than four months away from it coming out.

[00:05:12]pricing probably 70 digital 80 physical and then anything when it comes to gameplay or anything else with that right a lot of questions around this but along with that probably a trailer for the movie that's due out next year and then I figured a ton of merchandise maybe a fun little surprise in there for I don't know NSO or something but obviously merchandise we've now seen the figures that have been shown off and what about uh I don't know some stuff to go along with Ocarine of Time Reborn maybe some some accessories for the Switch switch to maybe a switch to itself. Well, this is interesting because things started to kind of make the rounds yesterday and we could start here. Now, this was Necroalipe who's quote tweeting themselves, who was also quote tweet quote tweeting Mike Odyssey then um talking about how there seems to be a pro controller that some have even seen, which is interesting. Okay, so Necroppe says that they've seen the design and there could be like a teaser or something thrown around, but either way, the Switch 2 Pro controller, The Legend of Zelda 40th anniversary edition, it is not a theme controller tied to Ocarina of Time. Now, they have gone on to kind of describe what it looks like where it's going to be green kind of at the hand like the handles almost I guess and it's gonna be gold the triforce crest centered around like between the buttons plus and minus and that sounds about right. I can kind of picture that and yeah, okay, that makes sense. I think the thing that's so interesting is it wouldn't necessarily be Ocarine of Time themed. It would actually just be around the 40th anniversary for The Legend of Zelda, which that's not a bad idea in terms of marketing because people will of course then align that with the game and they're like, I guess I got to get all of this. It to me it's, hey, the controller is kind of separate, but still with like under that umbrella of The Legend of Zelda. Now, I will admit I saw that and said, "Okay, a controller is cool and that's probably what I'd rather get than a system. But it would be kind of fun to see what Nintendo would do like with this with the Switch 2 console, like the system completely with that, the dock, the Joy-Cons, everything, right? Well, Special Nick does say that both the controller and the console are Zelda themed, not necessarily Ocarina. So, there is discussion now around a ProController for the Switch 2, the system for the Switch 2. And I have to imagine if Nintendo is doing a I mean a Switch 2 themed around The Legend of Zelda 40th anniversary. You feel like they're going to do something with the Joy-Cons.

[00:07:39]Although well no because then the colors you figure would they would just be the standard like neon kind of colors. They would actually play that into The Legend of Zelda and you'd probably have some kind of markings around the the outside or even the thumb sticks or something for the for the Joy-Con twos. So then you feel like there would also be JoyCons. So that's my assumption is there's going to have a blowout of merchandise around The Legend of Zelda.

[00:08:01]And while look, Ocarine of Time, it that's a good one to align something with, I think that can kind of stand on its own. And then you can have all kinds of stuff to celebrate The Legend of Zelda 40th anniversary because that is a big deal. I mean, I know it's been a lot of talk about Mario. It's been Mario, Mario, Mario, Mario for the last year or so. It is about time we moved on and got to The Legend of Zelda anniversary because while I enjoy Mario, it's like I don't know something about having a big Zelda blowout with all kinds of stuff that is a bit more exciting to me. And maybe it's just because we have had a lot of Mario stuff technically for the last several years now. Getting getting stuff again moving along here with Zelda and the idea of the big remake or reborn or whatever for Ocarine of Time. I'm sure we'll eventually get something like that with Mario 64. That could happen.

[00:08:49]But right now, it's like, all right, let's see what they have in store for us with the legendary title with Ocarine of Time. And then let's get all kinds of controllers and systems out there. Big celebration. Nintendo will collect all kinds of money. And uh then people probably still be somewhat annoyed at whatever changes they make with Ocarina of Time. But uh we got to get there first and we're about to be in August.

[00:09:09]So I have to imagine if people are talking about seeing the design of the controller and it kind of makes me think that marketing is in play here like behind the scenes and maybe we are getting closer to some sort of direct or event to happen in the next few weeks even at least I mean you kind of want to feel like you want at least a I don't know a threemonth runup to the games release to collect pre-orders and get everyone hyped up. So, I would start looking around a bit. Keep an eye out for maybe some kind of event getting announced here pretty soon. At least here's hoping because I just I think everyone kind of wants to see what exactly Nintendo has planned for this Ocarina of Time remake. Next up, let's talk about Sony as the coverage has continued because while Sony has been quiet, man, everyone else has been talking about this. And what I mean by that is everyone in the industry, analysts, you're starting to see developers get asked about this because as we go along, there is going to be earning season happening for all these companies and investors are certainly going to ask about this because they are both I'm sure excited but kind of also worried because while the excitement of oh okay, we'll get a better cut on this for the company. What if people are less inclined to rush out and buy these games and then all of a sudden it kind of evens out and we're actually on the short end of the stick for the whole thing? I mean, again, Sony has a a risky bet that they're putting out there with this entire push for all digital, but let let's start here with the used market because I see so many people asking about that. It's like, hey, no one's really thinking about like used games that are going to go away technically with this move. And so, we can see now this is over on Eurogamer.

[00:10:47]They say the secondhand video game market stands in jeopardy in the wake of Sony's decision. The market, which analysts estimate is worth 7.2 billion globally, could be destroyed as a result of Sony's controversial move. That's according to analyst by data intell via CNBC, which said the figure represents pre-owned games, console hardware, accessories, and peripherals involved in transactions. In 2025, the firm estimated it would reach 13.8 8 billion by 2034. Of that 7.2 billion, consoles accounted for 42.3% of the revenue.

[00:11:24]North America was the dominant region and is responsible for 36.8% of that sum or an estimated 2.65 billion in revenue. In the US specifically, more than 38% of all video game transactions over the same year involved a pre-owned game. That seems obvious, I think, to most of us, but I have to imagine that's incredibly annoying to basically all the publishers and Sony because that's in their mind is just lost revenue. And I do think that's kind of shortsighted because I feel like there are many people out there, let me know if this is you, who maybe went to a store that has a bunch of used games and you took a chance on a game or a franchise that you've never really tried out because the used game was just cheap. That's it.

[00:12:06]And then you get the game and you're like, "Hey, this is actually pretty good. It was maybe the game was $15 and you're like, "Hey, this is pretty fun.

[00:12:13]Maybe I'll look into other games in this series or other games in that genre."

[00:12:18]You could you could have been pulled into an action or like a like a turn-based RPG for the first time and like, "This is really cool. I'll check out some other ones." And then you start to get on, oh, you know what? The new Final Fantasy. Okay, maybe not the new Final Final Fantasy. Hey, Expedition 33 looks like a cool uh cool turn-based RPG. I'll check that out. That's kind of the idea. Used games are a way for people to get into gaming maybe for the first time even or explore more of gaming and then get more and more involved or as these companies like to say more engaged. That's like their favorite word when they talk with investors. So I do think there is a lot of value in the used game market. Even if like they're saying it's oh 13.8 8 billion by uh 2034. That does pale in comparison by quite a bit to new games and like the new market because it's I I think it's just easier to track new games, but also new games do tend to be quite a bit more expensive like release day, even down the line, whatever, right? So, I think used games though, I think used games are very important in gaming overall. But for a lot of these big companies, publishers, platform holders, they want that money, too. So it's it's actually more of a detriment in their mind to the bottom line. But I mentioned people were asked about this and the latest one being Ease Gilmo and of course CEO over at uh Ubisoft. We we can see he said what we saw on the PC is that it helped to grow the market. This talking with an investor who asked about this entire situation. There's also some pressure for the future on the cost of machines and being able to be the only digital will help to have more accessible machines. I would say there are pluses and minuses, but we think it will not disturb the industry too much.

[00:13:58]Again, it's a whole risk I think to to rock the boat this much this abruptly when they still have a lot of stuff to figure out on the digital side. And I just don't unless regulators get involved in the government. I don't know if there's much motivation for them to do so. And then it's like, well, if the government has to come in with regulators, what does that do for the industry? because they could honestly they could get to a point where they don't even know when to stop and they become deeply involved with gaming. Is that what people want? I feel like the answer is no. So I I I don't know. I I'm curious with the PlayStation 6. That's going to be the big tell here or if honestly game sales kind of slow on release because people are less inclined to jump in immediately on digital games if that's the only thing available. Now, GTA 6 not going to be the best example because it's GTA 6. Even though it is basically all digital, yes, you can go get a code in a box, but it's basically all digital. It's uh it's going to be tough to measure that up because it's going to be such an outlier. So, there it's going to be a while, I think, before we see the ramifications, good or bad, out of Sony's decision. I just think for the most part, it's all too soon. and cutting out things like used games or really betting on the idea that physical gamers who really buy a lot of physical games will then also translate over to digital. I don't know. It's uh it seems like an unnecessary bet even for Sony to make when they can just kind of let the market take care of itself over the course of the next few years just based on their own trend lines that they're making the spreadsheet decision on. And in our last bit of news, let's talk about Xbox as they have announced or at least introduced the idea of adup supported cloud streaming for their Xbox insiders. Now, we can see this is over on their news.xbox.com website where they have a list here of what you can expect. Ads will play before sessions begin. The core game experience is unchanged. This is optional. Players can choose other ways to play at any time.

[00:15:58]So essentially what happens here is if you have let's say you you've bought a game on Xbox. All right? So you have that set up in your digital library and you want to stream it. Maybe you don't have access to your Xbox or uh maybe you're playing through uh an Xbox One, but it's an Xbox Series game. You can fire up an ad, watch that before the game starts and then play for an hour.

[00:16:21]They say uninterrupted and then it will end. So they're doing this in like hour blocks basically. And that's obviously to test and see how retention is, see how the ad experience is. They want people in and out, seeing which ads play and make sure everything works. All right. They say for many players, the device they already own now allows them to stream games with Xbox. Cloud can also help Xbox One owners a tricked it up there. See, it's all caps then like the one anyway owners play newer games built for Xbox Series X and S without needing to purchase new hardware right away. that can be especially meaningful in places where consoles are harder to find or less affordable, giving more players another way to access great games on devices they already have. So, you're seeing the playbook now in front of you. Uh the the budget console in the future, just based on what we're seeing with memory prices and like this is it.

[00:17:13]This is the cheaper system. So, I wouldn't be shocked if Microsoft eventually introduces a little streaming box and you can do add supported streaming for games you buy. And like that's that's kind of the play there.

[00:17:25]And I mean, honestly, the the box could be 150 bucks with a controller. Okay, maybe $200 for the controller.

[00:17:31]Everything's just getting more expensive as it is, but that's a way for them to at least get people involved with the Xbox ecosystem. Or we've talked about how some TVs have the Xbox app already built in and you just need a controller.

[00:17:44]So maybe they set it up with it's like the it's it's like the cloud starter kit. It's a controller for Xbox and it's like a three-month card for Game Pass or what have you and it's $100 and that's the way in. So I this is going to be explored though definitely by Microsoft, probably by Sony. Nintendo again, they still have a fairly cheap system, but again, compared to the market right now, who knows what the future holds for them as well when they have to try to figure out how do we attack the $300 to $400 range for systems when everything's expensive that has to go into every one of these systems. So, with with Microsoft, they've already talked about the Xbox One will be capable of playing Xbox Series games then through cloud streaming. I think Sony's play for the PS6, part of it is going to be that your PS5, if there is a PS6 exclusive, can play those games by cloud streaming.

[00:18:34]Like, I I really do think that's going to be part of the plan over the course of the next five, definitely 10 years, and then who knows after that? Because if all you're really doing is launching a a game, an icon from your dashboard without having to put a disc in or worry about that, how big of a jump then is it from don't even worry about downloading it. Wait till that happen. So, that'll be funny because people talk about how, oh, guys, the the mainstream steering the ship right now. That's why they're getting rid of physical media. It's like, all right, well, in 10 years, if the mainstream decides they don't feel like downloading games anymore, because, you know, streaming is just good enough.

[00:19:08]I'm I'm going to be curious to see how how quickly the attitude changes around the mainstream steering the ship anymore when it really is just all cloud streaming. But, uh, at least for now, it's an option. You just have to watch an ad to play about an hour of it. And before we go to the comment of the day, we'll take a look at the poll that I posted up yesterday where I asked, "Are you picking up Halo Campaign Evolved?"

[00:19:28]So, I we did a whole video. It was myself, Nate, and Sean, and we spent like half an hour talking about the game. You can check that out. I'll have it linked actually at the end card here.

[00:19:35]Um, but reviews did come out. It's sitting like an I think an 81 on the PS5, like an 84 on the Xbox, a little lower than on PC, but we have 49% say no, I'm not interested. 34% say maybe later if there's a sale, and then 70 17% saying yes, getting it ASAP. I mean, look, waiting for a sale to me that makes sense because it it is the campaign. There's no multiplayer. And I know that's like the lasting appeal for I mean, many of these games like Halo, Gears, Fortza, even whatever. Uh, so I understand that regard. So, if if it ends up being 50% off, 25 bucks, I mean, I think that's an absolute steal for a game that I got a kick out of. I think it was a lot of fun. I'm also a big fan of Halo, and I like Halo Combat Evolved, the campaign when it came out, but I also like the multiplayer still. It was a good time. you have some friends you can play through it with. It's four player co-op, all online, so you guys just kind of sync up and play whenever.

[00:20:26]And it's set up to where you can just pick a level, everyone can join in, and then you kind of run and do mission select. So, it's it's a lot of fun. I fully recommend it, but I also don't really fault people, especially how expensive everything's getting to maybe wait for a sale pro honestly probably by the end of this year. And we'll finish up with the comment of the day you're seeing here. This is from the Onyx Gemini saying, "Can we finally get Jetet Radio Future Sega GT 2002, Crazy Taxi 3, Blinks 2, and Midnight Club 3 backward compatibility soon? It's been 20 plus years." So, okay, let's see. Uh, Blinks 2, yes, I don't know about Crazy Taxi 3, Midnight Club 3, probably not. See, most of these probably not. Uh, Jet Radio Future is one example where this has actually been discussed. I think Phil Spencer even kind of alluded to it at one point. There are issues with licensing even with backwards compatibility because the way it works with backwards compatibility. Even if I put the disc into my Xbox Series X, it will read the disc, it'll see it, but it downloads it from their store and they also want to sell it. That's that's part of what makes this even feasible. They want to make some money on the thing. So like if you go on the store now, Conquer is on there for PC. You can buy it, right? Or you can do Game Pass or whatever. But unfortunately that then has licensing issues popping up and sadly many of those games you listed probably have some kind of licensing issue. Apparently with Jetset Radio Future it's the music is a big problem which is uh which is quite unfortunate because that'd be a lot of fun to see that brought over. Have all kinds of things when it comes to uh like the Xbox Series FPS boost auto HDR up rendering like all kinds of stuff they could do to make that game look awesome. But unfortunately, it's in this weird licensing purgatory that'll probably never allow it to be backwards compatible. And ladies and gentlemen, that's going to do it here for Newsweave. If you enjoyed this video, guys, hit that like button. If not, hit the dislike. Leave comments down below about everything we talked about here today. If you missed yesterday's Newsweave, I'll leave it in a card. Or maybe you did want to hear more about Halo Campaign Evolve. Myself, Nate, and Sean did talk actually quite a bit about the game and our thoughts on it. I'll leave that in the video right below.

[00:22:34]also has 4K 60fps footage, so you can see how it looks there on the PS5 Pro.