July 2 marks the end of an era for Nintendo

Thursday, July 2 will mark the end of an era Nintendo and Nintendo Switch. After the phenomenal success of the Wii and DS era, Nintendo ran into trouble with the 3DS and Wii U. While the 3DS finally turned things around, the Wii U was a complete commercial flop. Some even predicted that Nintendo would drop out of the console race altogether, but instead it regrouped with the Nintendo Switch, an innovative device that combined its handheld and home console game pipelines into one and is on track to become the best-selling video game console of all time.

Nintendo made sure the Switch got off to a hot start by releasing it The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild As the launch title. The console also received a landmark Super Mario Odyssey Within a year of its launch, and it continued that momentum with a steady stream of high-quality releases. But now that the Switch 2 is over a year old, Nintendo is starting to leave the OG Switch behind. Only one more Nintendo-published game is 100% confirmed for the original Switch at the time of this writing, and it's set to release on July 2.

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Rhythm Heaven Groove could be the key to unlocking another long-rumored Nintendo franchise mystery

Rhythm Heaven is finally making its return after more than a decade, and it bodes well for the future of another major Nintendo franchise.

The last major Nintendo-published Switch 1 game is coming soon

Rhythm Heaven Groove Releasing on July 2, the music/rhythm game is likely the last Nintendo-published exclusive for the Switch 1. Rhythm Heaven Groove It will also be playable on the Switch 2 via backwards compatibility, but it's not getting a native release on Nintendo's latest console, as we've seen with games. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and Pokemon Legends: ZA. The jury is still out Rhythm Heaven GrooveBut it comes from a respected series and should prove to be a solid swan song for the OG Switch, if it does indeed turn out to be the last Nintendo-published exclusive on the platform.

It's entirely possible Nintendo has more surprises in store for Switch 1 owners. After all, the OG Switch is one of the best-selling video game consoles of all time, and the Switch 2 doesn't have the same install base. However, the focus is clearly on the Switch 2 at this point. when Rhythm Heaven Groove Launching on July 2, it will be only the second Nintendo-published Switch 1 to do so, along with the other Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream in April. Compare this to the switch 2 output. So far this year has seen the Nintendo Switch 2 Mario kills tennis fever, Pokemon Pokopiaand Yoshi and the Mysterious Bookwith Star Fox Coming up on June 25, Splatoon Raiders On July 23, Symbol of Fire: The Weave of Fate On September 17, and Nintendo Switch Sports Resort On October 22nd.

And then there is Zelda: Ocarina of Time The Switch 2 remake, which is without a specific release date at the time of this writing, is confirmed to be released this year. Nintendo is clearly fully committed to the Switch 2 at this point, and while it's sad that the Switch 1 era is finally coming to a close, it's best to move on to bigger things.

It's been nine years since the original Switch hit store shelves, so it's definitely had a good run. Those who have yet to upgrade to the Switch 2 can look forward to playing Rhythm Heaven Groove It's coming to Switch on July 2, but they might want to look into upgrading to Switch 2 sooner rather than later, especially with the $50 price increase starting September 1.

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