The Nintendo Switch 2 Was Always Going To Be Boring

Nintendo Switch 2 is exactly what we expected it to be. After spending countless generations taking risks and trying to innovate in the video game space, the company has opted for what is a pretty traditional successor. It looks the same, plays the same games, is likely to feel the same and launch at a similar price point. It isn’t the Wii, the Wii U, or even the Nintendo GameCube. This is a console that no longer has a reason to justify its existence.

The original Switch emerged into a world where Nintendo was on the backfoot, and many of us expected the company to crash and burn if this new console couldn’t correct the myriad mistakes that hampered the Wii U. It tried to present the potential of hybrid gaming between home console and handheld, but was held back by poor technology, poor marketing, and poor hardware. It didn’t capture the casual market that fell in love with the Wii or the hardcore crowd ready for PS4 or Xbox One.

There were even points towards the end of the Wii U’s lifespan where people were curious whether Nintendo would follow in the footsteps of Sega and become a third-party developer and publisher rather than a console giant.

And then, after Nintendo had spent years in limbo, the Switch brought it back to life.

Switch 2 Is The Exact Console It Needs To Be

For generations, we have grown to expect Nintendo to change the game. Each new console surprises us with a new design, never-before-seen games, and a unique approach to the medium that nobody has thought of before. We also used to live in a world where leaks and speculation weren’t as commonplace, where every single spec and feature wasn’t shared by an insider months ahead of time to ruin the surprise.

The Switch followed this pattern, with many people wondering if the form factor would be as experimental as previous consoles and whether this could at all be parsed through patents and leaks. We wanted to hope for something extraordinary, even if the end product was something unusually tame. The Switch was a revolution, but now that it’s standing on top of the world once more, Nintendo isn’t going to take any risks it doesn’t need to.

It learned the cost of that experimentation the hard way with the Wii U, and even though the Switch was an immense gamble that paid off, it now sits on a foundation so solid that only a fool would dare tear down the supports.

The Nintendo Switch 2 is every bit as iterative as it needed to be, featuring an updated design that turns the console into something that sort of resembles a Steam Deck with its black aesthetic, grey accents, and brief bursts of colour, while backward compatibility is already confirmed to ensure a smooth transition for players.

But That Doesn’t Mean It Isn’t Capable Of Surprise

While the Switch 2 reveal has been celebrated, people are rightfully surprised how weirdly traditional its reveal trailer seemed to be. It had more in common with PS5 Pro than Switch, opting to showcase the hardware, a miniscule glimpse at Mario Kart 9, followed by a couple of small details of when to expect more information. It’s not the most majestic way to usher in a new generation, but there’s more to come with the official Nintendo Direct.

Joy-Con potentially acting as impromptu mouses is incredibly exciting, pointing towards a user interface that goes beyond grey and black backgrounds populated by repetitive icons with an immense focus on customisation, not to mention the potential application this could have for games if it rings true. Speaking of, these games were exactly what turned the Switch from a very un-Nintendo piece of hardware into one of the greatest consoles of all time.

It’s important to remember some of the unorthodox accessories that were released during the Switch life cycle like Nintendo Labo and Ring Fit Adventure.

Experiences like Super Mario Odyssey and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild easily superseded the relative banality of the hardware with games so ripe with innovation and so many magical moments that you didn’t care what console they were played on. They looked and felt wondrous, and that’s the sort of signature Nintendo brilliance that has long defined it.

Calling its successor pointless after a two-minute reveal feels unwarranted - a refusal to admit that the Nintendo Direct to come is going to provide a better idea of what we can expect from Switch 2 than a brief glimpse at its hardware ever will. We all know the original Switch worked wonders, so would a more powerful model be any different?

To call the Nintendo Switch 2 boring this early in the process reeks of impatience, or a stark unwillingness to give the console a chance to show its hand in the coming months. It would have been amazing to see a piece of hardware as experimental as the original Wii, but with even an ounce of understanding, it’s easy to see why that direction wasn’t possible.

Nintendo Switch 2

The Nintendo Switch 2 is the successor to Nintendo Switch, scheduled for release on June 5, 2025. Confirmed as backwards compatible, it will play both physical and digital Nintendo Switch games.