Nintendo Switch 2 First Thoughts
There have been rumours of a Switch 2 since there was a Switch, it seemed inevitable that Nintendo would eventually release a successor to their hit console and despite being incredibly tight lipped over the 8 year life span of their flagship handheld console now in 2025 the rumours are true and we’ve now we’ve recently been plagued by memes, leaks and images of Nintendo’s new baby. But what does a cursory look at the console reveal? What can Nintendo fans expect? and is it worth our time in an ever increasing PC market to reinvest into a consol exclusive marketing strategy yet again?
(source: https://www.nintendo.com/en-ca/store/products/super-smash-bros-ultimate-switch/)
Since the initial release of the Switch back in March 2017 it was met with hot anticipation and there’s no denying that Nintendo’s catalog of bangers (Mario odyssey, Breath of the wild, Mario kart 8, Smash bros and finally Tears of the Kingdom) were going to do numbers, and undoubtedly they will probably do numbers again. But we can’t forget that after the honeymoon phase Nintendo struggled to stay afloat in the console market, while the issue has never been the games themselve the switch faded into obscurity, Why? Well because the number of good games I couldn’t play on the switch finally outnumbered the number of good games I could play on it, not to mention the litany of hardware issues the console faced.
While Nintendo’s ability to reinvision its timeless classics for a new generation is second to none and we were all amazed by daring new takes on beloved I.Ps like Zelda breath of the wild back at the very start of the switch’s inception and franchise favourites like Mario Kart and Smash Bros are enough to appeal to even the most casual of gamers Nintendo’s biggest strength is also a fatal flaw as the console exclusive aspect of their marketing strategy protects their I.Ps its a bit like looking at your subscriptions and asking yourself “Do I really need this?” The inconvenience of having to juggle Disney+, Netflix, Hulu, HBO subscriptions is an experience that has actually caused me personally to miss out on more media than I care to mention. AND THE SWITCH IS THE SAME THING! The media landscape is now far too diverse and large to buy a console that will have AN amazing tentpole game but nothing to do on it for the remaining 11 months of the year, especially considering that most of gaming nowadays is online multiplayer something that despite their best efforts nintendo has failed to crack accordingly.
The other issue had always been with hardware: Joycon drift, caped frame rates and massively reduced graphical power when compared to everything else on the market. Lets not forget that pokemon sword and shield (despite its financial success) was A) buggy and B) had done very little to improve the formula in any respect. And while the incredibly impressive specs compared to its older brother guarantee I won’t suffer through the same vaseline screen effects despite what the fan leaks suggest I’ll wait to see it with my own eyes first.
Nintendo Switch 2 – First-look trailer
But I can’t deny, there is a strong likelihood I will cave at the sight of a new zelda, I have a Love hate relationship with Nintendo. They’re a flawed company with a flawed product line that will find it increasingly more difficult to keep a foothold in today’s gaming market. But classics like Zelda will have fans coming back for more.
(source:https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-switch/)
Ultimately my biggest issue, my most pressing concern is this thing. (Image below)
This is going to break.