The Switch 2 Is Here (Soon)

The next generation is here!

(Well, in about a week, as of writing this.)

It’s been a year since I laid down what I think the Nintendo Switch 2 needs in order to succeed.

These were my claims:

1. Better specs will not be Switch 2’s main concern
2. Switch 2 will not be as powerful as the competitors (generation 10 consoles)
3. Switch 2 should be cheaper than the competition
4. Switch 2 will have to somehow differentiate itself from the growing handheld market – including its own predecessor
5. Switch 2 will still be using cartridges
6. Switch 2 will have additional technological solutions (gimmicks) – hopefully ones that either make things better or aren’t in the way
7. Switch 2 will need games

Now that we know more about the device (thanks to the Nintendo Direct on April 2nd), let’s see how many of those claims hold up!

Better specs will not be Switch 2’s main concern

There was an alarming amount of emphasis on stronger hardware. (Better graphics! Bigger screen! 120fps! 8 times the storage! Faster loading times!)

I’m at least glad they put some focus on framerate, but I can’t imagine many third-party developers putting fps over graphics.

Better specs are by no means a bad thing, however as I said a year ago, Nintendo will not be able to compete with specs when it comes to the competition.

And since graphics and specs aren’t what you compete with, there needs to be something else.

Switch 2 will not be as powerful as the competitors (generation 10 consoles)

Nintendo may have put emphasis on better specs with Switch 2, but they’re by no means overly impressive (unless you only compare them against Switch 1).

The competitors’ consoles aren’t out, but they will definitely be more powerful than Switch 2.

Switch 2 should be cheaper than competition

Nintendo raised a ton of pitchforks by announcing that Switch 2’s games have increased prices (80 dollars! Although not all games will cost that much.)

Switch 2’s price is around 450 dollars (compared to around 270 dollars of Switch 1, and 350 dollars of Switch OLED). I’ve heard people complain that it’s too much.

Soon after Nintendo’s announcement, Xbox and PS5 prices were silently increased. The current gen competitors are already more expensive than Switch 2, so it’s highly unlikely that the next gen consoles will be any cheaper.

As for PC gaming handhelds (like Steam Deck and Asus ROG Ally X), their prices seem to be all over the place, ranging from around 600 to 1000 dollars.

Switch 2 will very likely be cheaper than the competition.

Switch 2 will have to somehow differentiate itself from the growing handheld market – including its own predecessor

I’m not seeing this yet. It seems like Nintendo doesn’t feel especially threatened by the competition at the moment.

It’s easy to say that Nintendo doesn’t need a major difference from other consoles, since Nintendo’s console “has Nintendo games“.

However, just “having Nintendo games” didn’t make N64, or Gamecube, or Wii U a massive success.

Switch 2 will still be using cartridges

Yup, cartridges are still here.

People have been complaining about the fact that some cartridges no longer contain the game itself. These cartridges are called game-key cards.

The game-key cards are a sad thing when it comes to game preservation and ownership. But at the same time, they are still step up from your average digital codes.

I’ve seen PC games sold in second hand shops that only contain a one-time digital code. You can’t know if it had already been used before, unless you buy and try it out yourself. And so you might get screwed.

But buying a game-key card at least means that you now have proof of ownership of that game. And as long as the digital services are still up, you can still download and play the game.

Game-key cards seem to be a way for Nintendo to encourage publishers to make “physical” versions without spending a ton of money on cartridges or optimizing game size. (This was a problem with Switch since many publishers didn’t want to spend money on cartridges.)

It’s easy to proclaim that some day the key cards will be nothing but e-waste, but that is true for all digital media in physical form. The bigger problem is that it’s up to Nintendo when the game-key cards become obsolete.

Switch 2 will have additional technological solutions (gimmicks) – hopefully ones that either make things better or aren’t in the way

We got GameChat (with mic and camera), mouse controls, extra remappable buttons (GL/GR), and GameShare.

None of these is a big “new” innovation, but the good thing is that they’re definitely not in the way of making games for the console. At least one of these is bound to be something that Sony and Microsoft end up parroting in the future.

I’m approaching GameChat with very reserved judgement. On one hand, it’s really nice that I won’t have to set up a separate Discord call with friends to get things done in the next Splatoon. On the other hand, how will it work when playing with strangers? Will random little kids get to hear me swearing at them? Or is GameChat restricted to people you opt to become friends with?

From what we’ve seen thus far, the mouse controls seem to be very seamless, meaning that transitioning between them and joystick during a game is instantenous. That’s a great thing. Apparently you can even use a USB mouse instead of a Joy-Con 2.

There isn’t enough info on how the mappable buttons work at the moment, but if they’re like mappable buttons in existing controllers (which only allow mapping existing buttons to other places) then I imagine their use will be rather limited.

GameShare lets multiple people play a game even if only one player owns it. Nintendo DS had something similar (Download Play). The major difference is that GameShare streams gameplay from one Switch 2 to another, unlike Download Play which required the other player to download software. I’ve heard some speculations about what kinds of things could be possible with GameShare’s technology (such as using Switch 2 as a Wii U gamepad or the second screen for DS emulation), but usually these kinds of highly technical and console-specific gimmicks end up getting unused. (Much like the infrared camera on Switch 1.)

Finally, a few game publishers have mentioned that Nintendo will place a bigger emphasis on their online services. We’ll have to wait and see if that’s true and what it actually means.

Switch 2 will need games

The NES was just a box that people were forced to buy to play Super Mario.

People don’t want to buy consoles. They are forced to, in order to play the games.

So what games are we getting?

As big launch titles, we got Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong: Bananza.

Mario Kart series is huge. Both Mario Kart and Mario Party series are insane sellers.

However, there’s a difference between a game that sells well and a game that sells systems. Mario Kart 8 has sold around 70 million copies (and it’s the most sold Mario game to date), but was it a system seller? It didn’t make Wii U sell buckets. We’ll see how it goes this time with Mario Kart World.

Donkey Kong: Bananza looks good, but I can’t imagine it having nearly the kind of pulling power that Breath of the Wild had.

Metroid Prime 4 is bound to be pretty good.

DragXDrive is a tech demo for dual mouse controllers (however, unlike Switch 1’s demos Arms and Snipper Clips, it lacks charm).

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is more warriors gameplay. It’s okay, but I wasn’t all that impressed with Age of Calamity, so I’m keeping my hopes down.

Switch Online: Gamecube is actually something I’m personally a bit interested in, but only because it means I get to replay F-Zero GX and Soul Calibur 2 (without having to somehow connect a Gamecube or a Wii to a modern TV).

The Duskbloods – it seems that Elden Ring fans are eating good.

Mostly everything else presented were ports of older games, or better versions of Switch 1 games, or games coming to other consoles.

Overall, I’m not super hyped at this point, but it’s probably because Switch 1 set the bar so high with Breath of the Wild and Octopath Traveler. Those were both games I couldn’t wait to get my hands on.

So, how does it look?

Nintendo has definitely learned a few things since the release of Wii U, but also they are clearly in their arrogance phase right now.

Switch 2 is already sold out. In Japan only, over 2 million people have participated in the lottery to preorder it (yes, you have to join a lottery just to win a CHANCE to buy the console in Japan).

Preorders in the US were gone in minutes.

This seems unprecedented. Gaming media outlets are expecting Switch 2 to break PS5’s record of becoming the fastest selling console at launch.

But we musn’t forget the past. Just a few weeks ago I read a gaming magazine from 1995 proclaiming that Nintendo 64 was sold out at launch as well.

And N64 started Nintendo’s gradual downfall for an entire decade.