Nintendo revealed an announcement trailer for their next generation console, the Switch’s successor, called the Switch 2. And of course, I have reactions. But first, in case you haven’t watched the trailer, you can see it right here:
First off, the name, Switch 2, I think they missed an opportunity to use the Super adjective and call it the Super Switch. Perhaps this is the beginning of numbered console generations for Nintendo as they’ve never had a numbered successor in the past. Will we see a Switch 3 in another eight or nine years? We’ll have to wait until my last kid graduates high school to see.
It doesn’t look fundamentally different. It has two removable joy-cons that are magnetically attached to a screen, and a dock to charge and output the display to a TV. Gone are the brightly colored blue and red joy-cons and instead we get basic black that matches the rest of the console. The only indication of color is the recessed area around the thumbsticks. We’ve seen what Nintendo can do with special edition units so I can’t imagine they’ll change that approach for the Switch 2.
Everything is larger too. The screen and joy-cons seem like they will be much more comfortable and easier to use. The screen also boasts a USB-C port on the top which is a welcome addition for tabletop play. For the current Switch you had to use a special kickstand adapter in order to keep your Switch plugged in in tabletop mode.
And speaking of kickstand, this is what the new one looks like on the Switch 2:
It seems flimsy and a major step back from the OLED’s full-width half-panel kickstand. The original Switch’s kickstand was a complete joke, this one is a step up from that one but a downgrade from the OLED version.
Not gonna lie, the Switch 2 is giving off some Wii U vibes. The Wii U failed because people couldn’t really tell what the differences were between it and the original Wii despite the Wii U having a giant screen controller. Gamers knew but even that wasn’t enough. The Switch 2 looks so similar to the original, kids asking their parents for the upgrade will be hard pressed to justify it.
The reveal trailer also showed what I can only assume is Mario Kart 9. There weren’t any announcements for launch games and there plenty of rumors floating about, I have my own wishlist of launch titles but I think to really drive sales of the Switch 2, Nintendo has to come out swinging with Switch 2-only games. When Breath of the Wild came out, it was available for both Wii U and Switch and that might have been to placate Wii U owners as an apology for investing in a failed console more than anything. At least that’s my theory. The launch titles need to be absolute bangers to really drive sales. I’ve long held a theory in my head that Metroid Prime 4 would be a Switch 2 launch title, and that may still be true. I can’t imaging it being released for both.
Other than the Switch 2-only must-have launch titles, the hardware specs need have a serious upgrade over the Switch. Developers need a reason to make games for the Switch 2 that they just can’t do on the Switch. Nintendo fans have always held their ground that graphics don’t matter as much and it’s all about gameplay. It also helped that Nintendo has managed to create some gorgeous looking games despite their hardware limitations compared to other consoles. But I think its time now that Nintendo catches up.
Anyways, that’s all I got for now. Obviously, we’ll have more commentary once more details are officially revealed. Don’t believe any of the rumors out there. You’ll just set yourself up for disappointment.
