Pokémon Winds And Waves Skipping Original Nintendo Switch

Nintendo and The Pokémon Company revealed the next mainline entries in the series: Pokémon Winds and Pokémon Waves. On February 27 the official Pokémon account said the tropical-based Winds and Waves will be playable only on Nintendo Switch 2 when it launches in 2027, noting players will “travel across beautiful windswept islands and a vast ocean with glittering waves that ebb and flow,” and team up with Pokémon to overcome challenges and the forces of nature.

The first trailer shows noticeably higher-resolution textures and more detailed models than seen in the series before. Pokémon games have begun to show their age on the original Switch, and focusing on the new hardware appears to have freed developers at GameFreak to build a more modern-looking game.

That shift comes at a cost. Nintendo has sold over 150 million original Switch consoles, and owners who haven’t upgraded may be left behind.

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