Why Nintendo Switch's Game Release Schedule Is a Masterstroke

The Nintendo Switch appears to be a success so far but the company needs a continuous stream of games to sustain its growth. Nintendophiles Rishi Alwani and Mikhail Madnani join host Pranay Parab to talk about upcoming Nintendo games, apart from HTC Vive's rumoured India launch, Battlefront 2, and the NES Classic. Then pop culture enthusiasts Roydon Cerejo and Akhil Arora step in to talk about the dystopian science fiction novel and TV show - The Handmaid's Tale.

We start by talking about all the big games that are expected to launch on the Nintendo Switch in 2017. We discuss whether Nintendo's done a smart thing by spacing out these games through the year instead of making more games available with the launch of the Switch. Then Mikhail talks about the Nintendo 3DS and how it still is getting new games, and whether the 3DS is the PS4 of handhelds.

Rishi then starts talking about the NES Classic and why it was discontinued with rumours of a possible replacement. Mikhail chips in with his take on the scalper problem and sideloading games on the console. He also talks about the virtual console that has been rumoured for a long time.

We then talk about the HTC Vive's India launch, and the price our sources have confirmed to us. The jawdropping price leads to quite some speculation, followed by talk about its availability and whether VR even has a market in India.

Rishi starts discussing the Star Wars Battlefront 2 reveal and why he is excited about the game. We chip in with our expectations from the story and the single-player campaign and the influence the role of Criterion could have on the game. We also wonder whether season passes are dying in gaming.

Then we move to the games we’ve been playing this week, which includes Steamworld Heist, Asura, Dawn of War III, Overwatch, Graceful Explosion Machine, and Full Throttle Remastered.

The Handmaid’s Tale is the topic of discussion in the second part of the show. Lots of spoilers ahead so proceed with caution. We start by talking about the show's story and whether it is true to the book. We discuss the plot and the setting and whether a book written in 1985 is relevant in this day and age. We talk about Margaret Atwood's role in the production of the show and how it influences it. We reserve special mention for the soundtrack, casting and the style of narration.

You can subscribe to Transition via iTunes or RSS or just listen to this episode by hitting the play button below. The music for this episode comes via Magnus Souleye Pålsson's album PPPPPP, which is the soundtrack for the game, VVVVVV.