Nintendo Switch 2 reveal has left me asking one big question

Well, it’s finally here. After months of speculation, weeks of leaks that turned out to be pretty spot on, and what we can only assume was the hand of Nintendo being forced, the Switch 2 has been announced.

With a brief, but very Nintendo-styled, two minute trailer, the Switch 2 is exactly what we all thought it would be. It’s a more powerful handheld, with a U-shaped stand, extra USB-C ports and full backward compatibility for both physical and digital Switch games. With a cheeky look at Mario Kart 9, it’s very much Nintendo playing safe which, after the debacle with the WiiU, makes a lot of sense.

It's here! It's here! Get a look at the Switch 2.

I can’t help but be slightly disappointed. I’ll make no bones about it, it’s exactly what I want from a Nintendo Switch follow-up. The Switch is almost the perfect console with its hybrid function and wealth of Nintendo titles exclusive to the platform, but I’m sad there isn’t a little Nintendo whimsy here. While the black unit with tiny colour accents is nice, even the style is muted compared to the company’s previous outings.

There’s a moment in the trailer, where a Joy-Con is positioned on it’s side and social media is already abuzz wondering if this is mouse support that has long been a rumour. If it is, there could be something there for the Nintendo boffins to use as a quirk in games, plus there will be options to use the system on a desk, akin to a laptop, running certain genres. I can imagine RTS and Point and Click adventures would get a new lease of life on the system if this turns out to be true.

While I would have loved a bit of Nintendo silliness, I can’t really find fault with what I saw in the trailer. There will be concerns that arise over time. We’re already seeing some say that the connection for the Joy-Cons, which uses magnets and a USB-C style adapter, could break. There are concerns that using flash cartridges still will open up security issues we’re already seeing on the Switch. And there’s the small print that says, “Certain Nintendo Switch games may not be supported or fully compatible,” which will worry some.

Nintendo

Circling back to the issues with the WiiU where consumers seemingly missed that it was a new console, playing it safe is likely on the menu here to avoid further disappointment. Many regard the Switch to be ideal for the market, and it only needed refining. With magnetic connections for the Joy-Cons, plus small quality of life improvements, it’s certain to sell millions of units, and folks will be willing to upgrade quickly.

There’s an implication that games will play with better framerates and more detail. Some have spotted that the Mario Kart trailer shows 24 racing places on the start line, which would be a huge boon for the series and showcase the power of the console. We’ll still have to wait until April for the Nintendo Direct to get all the details, which makes me think that the recent leaks at CES forced the hand of Nintendo. I’d assume that it was originally scheduled to be shown in April, perhaps with a release in October or November, ready for Christmas, but the flood of leaks caused them to move early.

This console has me speculating, and please follow me down this path. The world of consoles is running on fumes. The leaps between generations are becoming smaller, graphics are only incrementally improving, and aside from those quality of life tweaks, there’s not a lot left in the tank to keep churning out hardware over the next 20 years.

Nintendo

Could this be Nintendo’s last console?

I don’t say this to scaremonger or for a gotcha of some kind, but if we look at the history of the company and their attitude to game design, what would be left? They’re not a company to chase photorealism, nor do they insist on keeping up with hardware acceleration. Their games will, quite likely, always be delivered with a cartoon aesthetic which already shines on the original Switch.

Even their hardware has become more refined over the generations, adding in new quirks and Nintendo ingenuity, but becoming more understated. The Switch 2 will keep the hybrid functions, it has a touch screen, it features motion controls, and it could even have mouse support. As long as the hardware works without issue, could it be a console for the ages? Would the company retire from hardware only to support it for a decade or two with software?

I am, of course, completely spitballing, but I get the feeling from the short reveal that this is what Nintendo has been working towards since the NES in the early 1980s. It will encompass all demographics, cover all bases, and with a focus on more backward compatibility, it could prove to be a timeless system.