Nintendo Switch 2 hardware has one major issue

The buzz of the Nintendo Switch 2 is, or perhaps was, undeniable. For the year leading up to the official reveal, we knew something was coming from Nintendo and both message boards, like Reddit, and social media were filled with theories on what we would see when the curtain was finally pulled back. After having the console for a couple of weeks, it’s pretty safe to say that it has been a success on the whole, with most fans pleased that it’s simply a better Nintendo Switch.

Personally, I love the Nintendo Switch 2, perhaps more so in my heart rather than my head, because now I’ve had it in my hands for a while, I’m starting to see a few issues with the hardware.

Donkey Kong Bananza

If I follow my heart down this path, I end up adoring the little system because it basically polishes what came before, and what came before was an almost perfect console. If you stop comparing it to the likes of Xbox Series consoles and the PlayStation 5, the original Nintendo Switch was a gem; offering constant successes in first-party software, the hybrid play system was revolutionary, and it reinvigorated the handheld scene.

The Nintendo Switch 2 does all of this, but better. Larger screen, better Joy-Con quirks, upgraded visuals and sound, and the promising future of Nintendo’s mascots jumping into new titles. My heart loves this. I can’t wait to get my hands on the next big Mario or Zelda game, and I’m more eager to play Metroid Prime 4, despite not being much of a Metroid fan, because it looks gorgeous and will feature mouse support.

My head, however, feels differently.

When I break it down, and I don’t mean literally, though those videos on YouTube have been insightful, there are some failings I can’t help but focus on. The Joy-Cons, for example, feel great when it comes to the materials they’re built from, but the lack of any ergonomic design makes holding the console in handheld uncomfortable. It’s all too slick, so when I go over to my Steam Deck and play there, able to wrap my fingers around a proper grip, I find myself not wanting to play on the Switch 2.

Mario Kart World/Nintendo

I’m surprised, given that the Switch 2 is certainly not pocket friendly, that Nintendo didn’t go for a bit more depth on the rear of the Joy Cons, so it doesn’t feel like holding a slippery slab of plastic. I can buy a grip case, and likely will, but I can’t help but think the core design should have factored in comfort, especially with the increased size of the console.

It feels awkward to use the shoulder buttons currently, because I’m somewhat balancing the console in order to shift my grip. Maybe I’ve got little tiny baby hands, but looking at the opinions of others, I’m not the only player struggling.

I could gripe about the screen, too. While larger, which is welcome, it appears to be an older LCD panel which creates quite a lot of blurring. In some games, it’s less of an issue, but with something like Cyberpunk 2077, it creates a more muddy visual when the action gets frantic. I can overlook this to a degree, after all, it’s a top-tier AAA game running at a clip on a handheld, and I know that an OLED screen would have pushed up production costs.

This is where I freely admit that I’m not a tech connoisseur. I watch Digital Foundry like the rest of us, but when it comes to all the goings-on inside these consoles, you might as well be talking in Esperanto. So, this muddy factor may very well come from the upscaling technology under the hood, rather than the screen, but it still conjures the same feeling in me. I’m eager to see what the next wave of releases looks like, and how these launch games feel once more updates come.