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Super Mario 3D All-Stars launches today, but, as is often the case in the world of video games, some people got access to it early thanks to kindly retailers shipping them out so they arrived yesterday. However, a lot of people also gained access to the title by somewhat shadier means, thanks to the fact that it leaked on the net a few days ago.

Because copies are “out there” already, we’ve been hearing reports that the collection suffers from a pretty awful crash bug. It has been claimed that some people are using this bug as yet another stick to beat Super Mario 3D All-Stars with; many have accused Nintendo of a ‘lazy cash grab’ because the titles in the package are partly based on emulation, rather than being built from the ground-up for Switch. Reports that the title is also potentially unstable has only given these individuals more fuel for their fire.

However, we’re now seeing evidence that this particular bug only impacts those who are running the game (retail or downloaded from the web) on a modded Switch console, and the bug is not present in legitimate copies of the game running on unsullied Switch systems:

Ha, looks like people running into crashing issues when quitting Mario 64 or weird skips and hitches in Sunshine are simply playing on custom firmware. I saw some folks talking about this but couldn't reproduce it - now I know why.https://t.co/yx2MTsOpg1

— John Linneman (@dark1x) September 18, 2020

Don’t expect this to be a lasting thing, however; as is so often the case, modders have already overcome the problem.

We quite liked Super Mario 3D All-Stars, as you’ll know if you’ve already seen our review – and watched our comparison video which shows just how much better the games look than they did originally.

In use

At this point, the capabilities of Alexa and Google Assistant are well known. To quickly recap, you can ask both speakers to control devices in your home, play audio, answer questions, give you info from your personal accounts (e.g., Google Calendar) and link up to third-party services that make these speakers even more capable.

Given how mature both platforms are, the real question when comparing the Nest Mini to its predecessor is how its new speaker sounds. Google says the Nest Mini has twice the bass as the original, something not terribly easy to measure. It does produce fuller sound than the original, but that's not saying much. When I reviewed the Home Mini two years ago, I said that it was "severely lacking in the bass department and generally lacks the clarity you'd want for listening to music." Harsh but true.


The Nest Mini, on the other hand, is much more pleasant. Doubling the bass doesn't mean a ton when the original speaker had nearly no bass to speak of, but the Nest Mini's sound profile is generally better balanced and less shrill. I didn't consider the Home Mini a viable option for listening to music, but I'd be perfectly happy with the Nest Mini for casual playback in a small room. It's certainly better than blasting music from your phone's built-in speaker, which is what too many people do these days. Indeed, putting aside my music snob sensibilities for a moment, the Nest Mini will probably be fine for large swaths of the population. It's surprisingly loud and keeps its clarity even at higher volumes, and that's about all you can ask for from a tiny $50 speaker.


I can say the same about the Echo Dot. The Dot definitely has better bass performance than the Nest Mini, but at the expense of some precision in the mids and highs. Things can occasionally sound a bit muddier on the Dot, but it has a more pleasant thump. One thing is for sure: The Echo Dot that was introduced last year (and whose design is carried through to this model with the clock) is significantly better at music playback than the older models. Older Echo Dots sound terrible, full stop, while the new one redefined what I thought such a small speaker was capable of.

When doing some head-to-head comparisons, I thought the Nest Mini handled more complex arrangements better. A song like "Graffiti" by Chrvches has major bass, lots of high-frequency synth work, and a singer who hits some pretty high notes. Basically, there's a lot going on here -- and in that crowded soundscape, the Echo Dot came across a bit muddy. But on a more stripped-down track like "Appointments" by Julien Baker, the Echo Dot came across with a fuller, more true-to-life representation of the sparse vocals, piano, and electric guitar. The same can be said for a more robust, straightforward rock song like Death Cab for Cutie's "To the Ground."

Microphone performance is also worth mentioning, and the good news is that both speakers are pretty responsive, even when blasting music. I had to speak slightly louder than I expected to get both to reply, but once I adjusted I was able to get the speakers to pay attention without a problem. Google says that the Nest Mini has improved mics, but I can't really tell the difference. The good news is that either way, you shouldn't have a hard time getting the Nest mini or Echo Dot to hear you.

Which should you buy?

As for which you should buy, your decision ultimately comes down to which assistant you prefer: Google or Amazon. There are slight differences in music playback, but at this point both speakers are very close to each other in sound quality. More important than comparative speaker quality are whether Alexa or Google Assistant supports the music services you use. The Echo Dot's more extensive music service support, coupled with its physical buttons and 3.5mm output, give it the edge for me. But don't get me wrong, if you prefer Google Assistant (or just want a smart speaker you can easily mount to your wall, the Nest Mini is a fine option and a notable improvement over the original.