Noah Wardrip-Fruin
@n-w-f.bsky.social
UC Santa Cruz professor; makes/studies games, elit, AI, etc; co-editor MIT Press Software Studies series; parent; Quaker; Henson/Muppet fan; disabled; he/him
New book on Animal Crossing: New Horizons in the U Chicago Press Replay series
New book on Animal Crossing: New Horizons in the U Chicago Press Replay series
That makes sense. And maybe that's a way of articulating what's changed — people are publishing non-ethnographic books on single games?
November 4, 2025 at 8:06 PM
That makes sense. And maybe that's a way of articulating what's changed — people are publishing non-ethnographic books on single games?
Yeah. When I saw that it was going to use the camera, I thought maybe it would be some janky expression recognition that would try to choose a reaction to match. Or put that expression on a Mii. Having it just be your face doesn’t feel very Nintendo to me
October 31, 2025 at 4:37 AM
Yeah. When I saw that it was going to use the camera, I thought maybe it would be some janky expression recognition that would try to choose a reaction to match. Or put that expression on a Mii. Having it just be your face doesn’t feel very Nintendo to me
I think Nintendo is betting that we look back on the community around ACNH will fondness. That in a time of division, we'll (unexpectedly) want more of the community feeling we got when we were in Covid isolation. And that will sell Switch 2s, cameras, and Nintendo online subscriptions
October 31, 2025 at 12:13 AM
I think Nintendo is betting that we look back on the community around ACNH will fondness. That in a time of division, we'll (unexpectedly) want more of the community feeling we got when we were in Covid isolation. And that will sell Switch 2s, cameras, and Nintendo online subscriptions
And with the 3.0 update (plus a subscription), players will have three “slumber” islands where they can play and decorate with their friends, instead of just having the one island normally available on each Switch console
October 31, 2025 at 12:13 AM
And with the 3.0 update (plus a subscription), players will have three “slumber” islands where they can play and decorate with their friends, instead of just having the one island normally available on each Switch console
It's the social aspect that Nintendo is leaning into for these updates. ACNH’s new Switch 2 edition will (w/ a subscription) increase the number of players who can be on an island from 8 to 12. It will (w/ a compatible camera) place live video images of players above the heads of their characters
October 31, 2025 at 12:13 AM
It's the social aspect that Nintendo is leaning into for these updates. ACNH’s new Switch 2 edition will (w/ a subscription) increase the number of players who can be on an island from 8 to 12. It will (w/ a compatible camera) place live video images of players above the heads of their characters