So after weeks of leaks, the Nintendo Switch 2 officially exists. And yet it’s hard not to be in two minds about it.
That’s partly down to all the industry leaks that have resulted in there being little to be surprised ahead of the official announcement.
But even with Nintendo finally deciding to show its hand with a trailer lasting 2 minutes and 22 seconds (see what they did there), it also manages to be frustratingly vague, with no information on actual specifics like specs, price, or release date.
Bring it all back
Nonetheless, one quick sigh of relief is that this really is a direct continuation of Nintendo Switch, not just in name but in functionality. Unlike the announcement of the original Switch back in 2016 which consisted of a montage of showing how this hybrid console could work not just at home but on a flight or a rooftop party, there’s no game-changing paradigm shift to prove here.
The Switch 2 is the same console that lets you play home console games anytime, anywhere, while detachable (magnetic) Joy-Cons means you can pass one to a friend for local multiplayer out of the box.
More importantly, it’s confirmed that both physical and digital Switch 1 games will be backwards compatible on Switch 2, so existing owners will be able to comfortably sell off their old unit without abandoning their game library or being forced to double-dip on new ports and remasters that had defined much of the Switch 1’s generation.
For many Nintendo fans, I suspect this will be a source of comfort, especially compared to the Wii U, which, despite continuing on a naming convention of another wildly successful console, completely floundered at attempting to present a new way of playing with its pricey tablet-sized gamepad.
With Switch 2, the general form and function are known quantities. It’s just a bit bigger, slicker, and smooth, literally so with the new dock and its rounded corners.
But doesn’t it all just feel a little too safe? While this isn’t the first time Nintendo has continued a naming convention for its consoles (think NES to SNES, Wii to Wii U), it’s the first time it’s attached a number that makes it so unambiguously a sequel – that the initial video announcing the Switch 2 was originally titled ‘an update from Nintendo’ is rather telling.
2 Switch 2 Furious
You might expect this with Sony and Microsoft where gaming consoles just feel almost like PC updates, but as conservative as Nintendo is as a Japanese company, it’s always innovated in its hardware. Think the N64 that introduced the analogue stick for 3D movement, the GameCube with its charming handle and a controller that Smash Bros players still swear by generations later, the intuitive Wii remote motion controls that opened gaming up to a whole new mainstream.
Sure, people give the Wii U a hard time but it still resulted in unique experiences like Nintendo Land, the tension of trying to outrun the undead while checking your rucksack for supplies in ZombiU or simply decluttering map UI and menu screens from the telly since you can view these on your gamepad.
That playful innovation can be traced back to Nintendo’s roots in making toys before entering the games industry in the 80s. Right now, there’s no indication that Switch 2 offers anything new or unique in how we can play games.
If anything, it appears to have cut down on some of the original hardware gimmicks as the IR sensor found on the Switch 1’s right Joy-Con appears to be gone from the Joy-Con design for the Switch 2. As noted in the fine print that “certain Nintendo Switch games may not be supported or fully compatible with Nintendo Switch 2”, that almost certainly means the most playfully experimental and leftfield Switch 1 titles like 1-2 Switch and Nintendo Labo will be unplayable.
What’s still unknown is just what the new C-button below the home button is for, although a lot of speculation is that it could function as a mouse pointer. While not unwelcome, that also strikes me as something more practical than playful.
Indeed, there’s a sense that the Switch 2 is meant to be a lot more grown up and sophisticated, not least with a complete black design with just a trace of colour and personality hidden in the margins of its Joy-Cons. Bigger, better, but also a bit boring.
One more thing?
In other words, I’m still hoping that Nintendo is holding back a few surprises and weird gimmicks that haven’t been given away. If it’s not in the hardware, maybe it will lie in the software and user experience. That said, when the only game teased is a sequel to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, its predecessor’s biggest-selling game, it’s hardly what you might consider a generational leap.
Compared to the austere presentation of Switch 1, there’s also the opportunity to bring back the charm of past hardware. What about a new version of Street Pass or Miiverse (given the state of social media, we can sure do with something more inclusive and positive), custom themes, or bringing music back to the eShop? At the very least, we all know the eShop can do with a serious overhaul.
Whatever this one more thing is, Nintendo shouldn’t get complacent. The Switch may have been a unique proposition back in 2017 but the Switch 2 will be launching in a market that’s got the Steam Deck, with even more varieties to come now that Valve has licensed out SteamOS to other manufacturers.
Who knows, perhaps just the ability to play Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom in 4K 60FPS will be enough to shut me up. But will that still be enough of the Nintendo magic? We’ll have to find out with the Switch 2 Direct on 2 April.