Nintendo doesn’t want achievements, except when it does

It’s hardly a surprise, but it was worth confirming: the Nintendo Switch 2 won’t have achievements. When Polygon asked Nintendo’s vice president of player and product experience Bill Trinen if Nintendo was about to change its ways and introduce the ubiquitous progress trackers, he returned a simple, one-syllable answer: “Nope.”At...

Every game you can pre-order for the Nintendo Switch 2

Releasing alongside the Switch 2 on June 5 is the brand new Mario Kart World and a handful remastered original Switch games, including The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. You can also reserve copies of Switch 2 games that are slated to bed...

All the ways you should prep to pre-order a Nintendo Switch 2

Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders are officially opening in the U.S. on April 24. This news comes after the original plan to open pre-orders on April 9 was delayed due to the “potential impact of tariffs.” Thankfully, the console isn’t increasing in price from what was originally announced — $449.99 for...

Palia’s community keep building wonders for the Home Tours board

Palia is a life simulator and fantasy adventure game where players build up their own homesteads. As players explore the nearby Kilima Valley and Bahari Bay, they learn recipes, catch rare bugs and fish, and make friends with the villagers. The player adventures out into the world, but they always...

Switch 2 will end two decades of Nintendo’s awkward voice chat attempts

This story was first published in Switchboard, a newsletter from Polygon that delivers all the latest Switch 2 news, reporting, and rumors directly to your inbox. Sign up here to get it weekly.One of the big new features that Nintendo touted at last week’s Switch 2 reveal was GameChat, a...

Nintendo confirms you will have to pay to use the Switch 2’s C button

Nintendo has made its own Discord-like chat app for the Switch 2, and it’s going to charge you for it. Once the free period is over on March 31, 2026, GameChat, and the C button that activates it, will require a Nintendo Switch Online (NSO) membership.So what happens if you...

Are PC handhelds like Steam Deck really competitors for Switch 2?

When Nintendo launched the Switch in 2017, it had no competition in dedicated handheld gaming, a sector it had established with the Game Boy in 1989 and ruled ever since. Sega had come and gone; Sony, after two determined attempts with the PlayStation Portable and PlayStation Vita, had just about...