GamesBeat weekly roundup: Nintendo Switch revealed, and Red Dead Redemption returns

Welcome to another GamesBeat weekly roundup! It was a big week for the gaming world, with Nintendo revealing its new system, the portable-console hybrid Switch. Also, video game voice actors begin striking, we review Battlefield 1, and the Star Control series finally makes its return.

Enjoy, and have a great weekend!

Pieces of flair and opinion

• The DeanBeat: Nintendo aims for the gaps in the game business with the Switch
• Nintendo Switch: Everything we know so far
• Why I can’t wait for Red Dead Redemption 2
• Nintendo Switch: Our first impressions of the hybrid console unveiling
• Nintendo NX: our last-minute wishes before the reveal
• Nintendo is running out of time for an NX launch in March
• GamesBeat and Bots showcase VentureBeat’s new Channel Strategy

Above: Red Dead Redemption 2.

Image Credit: Rockstar Games

News

• The voice actor’s strike is underway in video game business
• Hearthstone gets new quests, and Murlocs are a bit different now
• September 2016 NPD: NBA, NFL, FIFA, and NHL top the sales chart
• Microsoft’s Xbox revenue declined 5% last quarter despite winning some U.S. market share from Sony
• Pick a Hearthstone Championship Tour winner for BlizzCon, earn some free cards
• Nintendo Switch: Analysts dig the concept but worry about processing power
• Nintendo Switch’s first games: New Mario, Mario Kart, NBA 2K, and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
• Watch the Red Dead Redemption 2 trailer right here
• Nvidia gets back into console chips with custom Tegra for Nintendo Switch
• For Switch, Nintendo is partnering with From Software, GungHo, and more
• Nintendo wants everyone to buy a Switch — from esports fans to 3DS diehards
• Nintendo NX is Nintendo Switch, a home-portable hybrid launching March 2017
• CastAR adds former Sony PlayStation marketing chief as CMO
• Nintendo will reveal the NX console with a 3-minute ‘Preview Trailer’
• Doom’s fast-paced arcade mode is part of a free update
• Pornhub’s 360-degree videos now work on PlayStation VR
• Valve fights back in skin-gambling battle with Washington state
• Video game software sales estimated to hit $98 billion by 2020
• Stealth Bastard developer Curve Digital brings in VR specialist as new studio head
• Hearthstone Arena: crazy stats from 157 million hours of playtime in 2016
• Prey clip details an alternate timeline where JFK survives his trip to Dallas
• Watch Dogs 2 delayed 2 weeks on PC
• Star Control: Origins revives the beloved sci-fi franchise
• Red Dead Redemption 2 is official, coming in 2017
• Baobab Studios raises $25 million to make VR animated entertainment
• Heroes of the Storm will launch a new weekly Brawl mode and hero, Samuro
• Watch Civilization VI’s launch trailer
• NPD: 28% of U.S. population ages 13 to 54 purchase extra video game content
• Hearthstone’s Heroic Tavern Brawl ditches wacky rules for competitive play and insane rewards (update)
• Rockstar Games teases a second Red Dead announcement
• How the Philadelphia 76ers plan to grow esports with Team Dignitas
• Actors group could start strike against video game publishers on October 21

Mobile and social

• Pokémon Go is the fastest mobile game to hit $600 million in revenues
• China dethrones U.S. as its iOS app revenue hits record $1.7 billion in Q3
• Finland’s Seriously launches clicker adventure Best Fiends Forever on mobile
• Mastermind Studios launches Battle Bash strategy game on iMessage
• Playdigious unveils playable game demos in mobile ads
• DeNA shutters U.S. offices as the early leader in mobile gaming retreats to Japan
• Nielsen: Mobile games live and die on how fast developers can crank out new content
• Kabam receives $800 million bid for its best asset: its Vancouver studio
• Candy Crush Saga is becoming a game show for CBS
• Plants vs. Zombies Heroes enters the mobile digital card game arena

Above: Tank battle in Battlefield 1.

Image Credit: Dean Takahashi/EA

Reviews, previews, and interviews

• Walking the line between historical accuracy and fun in Battlefield 1
• Razer’s 4K Blade Pro keeps its slim figure even with an Nvidia GTX 1080 GPU
• Watch us play Eagle Flight: Ubisoft’s VR bird simulator
• Battlefield 1 delivers memorable moments from the horror of World War I
• Watch us play Accounting: A Rick & Morty-tinged VR nightmare for HTC Vive
• Mafia III has a gripping tale about racism in 1968, but bugs and weak gameplay hold it back
• Battlefield 1 impressions: World War I’s Battle of Cambrai has intense tank combat
• Battlefield 1 multiplayer impressions: It’s tough to survive in your first match