The Morning After: Our verdict on the Switch 2

You forget how much of a hit, how much of a turnaround, the Nintendo Switch turned out to be. After the major wobble (and baffling form factor) of the Wii U, Nintendo came back with a hybrid console that would replace and fuse its handheld and home console lineages. The console had no right being as playable (and enjoyable) as it was.
Now, finally, its successor has landed . And for once, Nintendo's calling its new console a sequel. Nintendo took the best features from the original and upgraded nearly all of them.
The major upgrades in hardware include a bigger 7.9-inch LCD screen, a more mature design that feels more solid and significantly upgraded performance and power. The only major drawback is battery life. Nintendo says it should provide between 2 and 6.5 hours of runtime on a single charge, but that depends on how resource-intensive your games are.
According to Sam Rutherford's review testing: 'In Mario Kart World , the Switch 2 lasted two hours and 23 minutes, which is on the lower end of Nintendo's official estimate. Meanwhile, in the NS2 edition of Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild , the console fared a bit better with a time of 2:56.' Compared to the OLED Switch's battery life, it's a reduction, but it's also equivalent to other high-powered handhelds, like the ROG Ally X and Steam Deck.
Check out our full review (and perhaps our guide to the best games on the original Switch — because backward compatibility).,
— Mat Smith
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If you're struggling to find a good present for Father's Day, MasterClass has discounted its subscriptions by up to 50 percent. I grabbed a similar deal for myself, unfortunately only 40 percent off, and I've been pleasantly surprised at the solid interface and how many courses are available. Many course videos can even be downloaded for viewing offline.
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Nothing CEO Carl Pei has been teasing this news since April, but now it's official: You might actually be able to buy the company's next flagship phone. The Nothing Phone 3 will be available to purchase from Amazon or directly from the company. Until now, only the Phone 2 has made it to general sale in the US. For the other models (including the very impressive Phone 3a), users would have to buy a unit via a beta program, which has no after-sale support. Any caveats? Well, there will be no carrier discount. The Phone 3 will support 4G and 5G with AT&T and T-Mobile. While there's no explicit support for Verizon, the Phone 2 worked well with its network, so that'll probably be the case with the third phone.
How much? There's no official US price yet. Pei recently said it would cost £800 in the UK at launch, which would translate to around $1,080 in US dollars.
Continue reading.
Infinite Machine made waves with its retro-futuristic P1 electric bike, and now it's back with the Olto. Its new e-bike boasts 40 miles of range and a top speed of 33 mph, with a 20 mph limit while riding in the bike lane.
Just like the P1, the Olto e-bike looks both futuristic and retro, (like a transformer that turns into a vape.) What's notable is it can carry two riders at the same time, and you can add accessories, like child carriers.
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Business Insider

17 minutes ago

• Business Insider

Nintendo Stock (NTDOF) Sinks as Third-Party Switch 2 Game Sales Disappoint

Nintendo (NTDOF) stock was down on Friday as the video game company faces a unique problem with the Switch 2. Third-party developers aren't seeing the sales they expected from the console, despite it breaking records with 3.5 million units sold in just four days. Confident Investing Starts Here: Easily unpack a company's performance with TipRanks' new KPI Data for smart investment decisions Receive undervalued, market resilient stocks right to your inbox with TipRanks' Smart Value Newsletter One developer even claimed that sales of its games on the Switch 2 were 'below our lowest estimates.' Instead, 81% of physical Switch 2 game sales were for first-party titles, such as Nintendo's Mario Kart World or its upgraded Switch 1 games. This could present a problem for Nintendo in the future. If third-party developers can't get their games to sell on the Switch 2, they might drop support for the console. This would reduce the variety of titles available on the gaming device, potentially limiting its appeal to consumers. What's Behind Poor Third-Party Game Sales? There are a couple of major problems that third-party developers have to deal with on the Switch 2. The first is Game Key Cards. These are unique cartridges sold by Nintendo that don't have the game on them. Instead, they grant the user the ability to download the game from Nintendo's online store. These are largely used by third-party developers to avoid the costs of cartridges with more storage. The problem with Game Key Cards is that they appeal to no one. Physical collectors want the game on the cart and digital buyers don't want to have to switch between carts to play games. Game Key Cards do neither of these things. Highlighting this is the performance of CD Projekt's (OTGLY) Cyberpunk 2077. It's the best-selling third-party game on the Switch 2 and is one of the only titles not from Nintendo with the full game on the cart. Old Games and High Prices The next issue with third-party Switch 2 games are their age. Many of these games have been out for years on other consoles and PC before they came out on the Switch 2. On top of that, developers are charging much more for these titles, despite them being discounted on other platforms. Yakuza 0 is a prime example of this with its $50 price tag, compared to its $20 price on Steam, and discounts that have dropped it as low as $5. This has Sega (SGAMY) asking gamers to pay more than double the normal price for a 10-year-old game just to play it on the Switch 2. On top of that, the physical release is a Game Key Card, limiting its value to physical collectors. NTDOF Stock Movement Today Nintendo stock was down 3.65% as of Friday morning but is still up 50.73% year-to-date. The stock has also risen 72.21% over the past 12 months. Nintendo needs to figure out its third-party game problem, or it might risk slowing or reversing its recent stock growth. Is Nintendo Stock a Buy, Sell, or Hold? Turning to Wall Street, the analysts' consensus rating for Nintendo is Moderate Buy, based on eight Buy, two Hold, and a single Sell rating over the past three months. With that comes an average NTDOF stock price target of $92.26, representing a potential 5.11% upside for the shares.

Tom's Guide

3 hours ago

• Tom's Guide

Is the Nintendo Switch 2 worth it? Tom's Guide's readers have spoken

The Nintendo Switch 2 has been out for two weeks and has already sold an astonishing 3.5 million units worldwide. That's no small feat considering its lofty $449 asking price and the difficulty of finding Nintendo Switch 2 restocks. Right now, Nintendo's latest handheld/console hybrid is a hit, but does it live up to the hype? I recently wrote an article discussing how I've grown bored with the Nintendo Switch 2, one week after its launch. Though the system addresses almost every technical issue I had with the original Nintendo Switch, I'm disappointed by the lack of Switch 2 exclusives and the abundance of third-party games that are years old. Yes, I'm stoked for Donkey Kong Bananza, but for the moment, there's not a lot for me to play on Switch 2. That article received a lot of comments, so we decided to gather our readers' opinions on the Switch 2 for this article. On our Facebook and Instagram accounts, we asked folks what they thought of Nintendo's console two weeks later. We also selected a handful of comments from some of our other Switch 2 articles to get a fuller sense of how people felt. Not surprisingly, opinions are mixed. Here's what Tom's Guide's readers have to say about the Nintendo Switch 2. Walmart's Switch 2 product page is live, and the mega retailer has been one of the most frequent sources of Switch 2 restock since the console's launch in early June. On June 25th, Walmart will have restocks starting at 9 pm ET for Walmart+ members and 10 pm ET for everyone else. Mario Kart Bundle: $499 @ Walmart While the Switch 2 doesn't yet have a robust selection of brand-new games and is more expensive than its predecessor, many of our readers are pleased with the new system. Between Mario Kart World and revisiting Switch 1 games with smoother framerates and faster loading times, the Switch 2 is keeping me pretty busy. - Daniel (post commenter) 'I'm happy with it,' says one Facebook user. 'Maybe I could have waited until there were more exclusives, but for me, it was even important to play improved Switch 1 titles. And there are so many titles running much better on Switch 2. Mario Kart World is also great, even if you see that it's an unfinished game where more is to come over the months and years.' This reader also said they are looking forward to playing Donkey Kong Bananza and a potential new Zelda title. Similarly, a commenter in our forum said they think of the Switch 2 as an investment for the future.' Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Another comment said they didn't regret their purchase because of their experience with most Nintendo consoles since the GameCube. 'I knew exactly what I was signing up for and adjusted my expectations accordingly,' they said. 'One or two early killer apps surrounded by ports of third-party games of yesteryear, plus the occasional JRPG sleeper hit or two.' So, which games are Switch 2 users playing right now? Based on feedback, folks are playing a mix of Switch 2 and Switch 1 titles. One commenter said they 'bought the Switch 2 specifically for local multiplayer games with friends, and it has been very fun. 4-player Switch Sports bowling/golf, Mario Kart, Mario Party Jamboree, and Mario Brothers Wonder have been some early favorites.' 'Between Mario Kart World and revisiting Switch 1 games with smoother framerates and faster loading times, the Switch 2 is keeping me pretty busy.' Most of the comments we've seen are generally positive, but some folks regret buying the Switch 2. 'I was bored of it after a few hours,' said one user. 'I haven't touched the thing in days. Maybe if it were my only access to gaming, I'd be more inclined to use it. But my PC and Steam Deck offer a vastly superior gaming experience in nearly every way.' 'Yep, I feel exactly the same,' said another user. 'I almost regret buying one at this point. Looking forward to a year or two down the road, but it's mostly going to go unused until then. Very underwhelming.' 'Putting out new hardware to tap pent-up demand for an upgrade without a decent software library to support it seems like a cynical cash grab,' said another commenter. An Instagram follower shared their thoughts on Switch 2 as a piece of hardware, saying it's a 'great piece of kit with many improvements, but the battery and the finishing aren't great at all.' They also said the 'Joy-Cons wobble and creak.' We haven't seen comments discussing that last part, so it might be unique to that reader. As I said, I received a lot of comments from my post, with most disagreeing with my opinion. That said, even the folks who disagreed were generally respectful and articulated their thoughts well. Here is one of the best takes from someone with a different view from mine: 'I don't want to say this perspective is worthless,' said the reader. 'But it was facilitated by a dismissal of what the S2 currently has to offer (I mostly bought at launch for better performance on S1 titles, upgrade packs, and GameCube), a misunderstanding of MKW's main appeal (which, despite the open world, is still pretty obviously racing), and a disinterest in engaging with anything besides exclusives (which is fair, but the lack there of will be moot by year's end — which is probably when your demographic should've considered buying the thing).' The demographic that this reader brings up is folks like me who own a current-gen gaming console like a PS5 and/or a gaming PC. Some of the other folks who agree with me are also in the same boat. To that end, the reader above is correct when saying that if you already own another gaming system, the Switch 2 might not be that appealing for the moment. One of the points I brought up in my article is that the Switch 2 currently doesn't have many first-party titles and that most games are third-party, which have been available on other platforms for years. 'Just a bunch of games that I can already play somewhere else. What was the point of the Switch 2 again?" - Muhahahahaz (post commenter) We saw commenters who shared this opinion in a piece written by my colleague Rory Mellon titled I've played 8 Nintendo Switch 2 launch games — here's the 3 I'd buy first (Mario Kart World isn't one of them). 'Those aren't launch games,' said one commenter. 'I can play Cyberpunk 2077 on my PS5 for cheaper with better graphics. I already have BoTW and ToTK on my Switch 1 OLED. Switch 2 ports aren't launch games.' Another person shared a similar sentiment, saying, 'just a bunch of games that I can already play somewhere else. What was the point of the Switch 2 again?' '$450 on hardware and $80 a game for titles I already own and have played at higher resolution on better platforms? Yeah, no, thank you,' said another commenter. 'I'm not interested in an $80 1080p version of Cyberpunk, Hogwarts, or any of the others. A $10 mini game collection is a must-have on a new $450 console? LOL. You have to be pulling my leg!' Hardware-wise, the Nintendo Switch 2 offers many meaningful updates over its predecessor. Its larger size and heavier weight make it feel more premium, and its 7.9-inch 1080p 120Hz display allows games to look and run like a dream. Games also appear fantastic on 4K TVs when the system is docked. While technologically impressive, the Switch 2 is lacking when it comes to exclusives. That's going to change over time, but right now, you won't miss much if you decide to purchase the system at a later time. This is as true for Switch 2 as it is with all launch systems. That said, many folks are enjoying their Switch 2 for what it currently provides. Mario Kart World can be a huge (and fun) time sink, and it can be worth firing up old Switch games to see how they run on the system. And if the original Switch was your primary gaming console, you now have a chance to check out some awesome third-party games you might have missed out on. Whether you own a Switch 2 or aren't interested, let us know in the comments below! We'd love to hear what you have to say.

Yahoo

11 hours ago

• Yahoo

INOD's DDS Momentum Surges: Is the Trend Set to Continue?

Innodata's INOD Digital Data Solutions (DDS) segment continues to anchor its growth as enterprises increasingly seek partners that offer full lifecycle support for Generative AI. With trust and safety becoming critical for AI adoption, Innodata is positioning DDS not just as a data preparation engine but as a platform provider that enables safe, scalable GenAI the first quarter of 2025, DDS segment revenues surged 158% year over year to $50.8 million, supported by new client wins and expanded relationships with Big Tech. The company secured $8 million in new deals from four major technology customers, while previously smaller accounts are scaling into multi-million-dollar recently launched its Generative AI Test & Evaluation Platform, a new suite designed to help enterprises assess the safety and reliability of large language models (LLMs). Built on NVIDIA's NIM microservices, the platform supports hallucination detection, adversarial prompt testing and domain-specific risk benchmarking across text, image, audio and video inputs - helping organizations build more trustworthy platform, which is currently in early access with MasterClass as the first charter customer, is expected to monetize in the second half of 2025. With growing demand for evaluation and trust infrastructure around GenAI, Innodata expects the platform to deepen enterprise adoption and support recurring revenue momentum across its DDS segment. Innodata's DDS business faces competition from emerging AI service providers like BBAI and Grid Dynamics GDYN, both of which are expanding their GenAI capabilities across evaluation and enterprise offers decision intelligence and model validation tools designed to assess AI performance and risk in mission-critical environments such as defense and healthcare. While provides advanced analytics for model reliability, it lacks Innodata's specialized focus on multimodal hallucination detection and adversarial red-teaming tailored to large language Dynamics supports full-cycle GenAI adoption, helping Fortune 100 clients with custom LLM development, prompt engineering and deployment. With strong enterprise relationships, Grid Dynamics competes on the AI transformation front. However, unlike Innodata, it doesn't offer a ready-to-deploy platform for model safety testing and benchmarking. INOD shares have jumped 17.2% year to date, while the broader Zacks Computer & Technology sector returned 1.5% and the Zacks Computer - Services industry grew 2.2%. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Innodata stock is trading at a premium, with a forward 12-month Price/Sales of 5.49X compared with the Computer Services industry's 1.81X. INOD has a Value Score of F. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research The Zacks Consensus Estimate for second-quarter 2025 earnings is pegged at 11 cents per share, unchanged over the past 30 days, implying a 50% decline from the previous quarter. Innodata Inc. price-consensus-chart | Innodata Inc. QuoteThe consensus mark for Innodata's fiscal 2025 earnings is pegged at 69 cents per share, which has remained unchanged over the past 30 days. The figure marks a decline of 22.47% from fiscal 2024's currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Innodata Inc. (INOD) : Free Stock Analysis Report Grid Dynamics Holdings, Inc. (GDYN) : Free Stock Analysis Report Holdings, Inc. (BBAI) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data