Despite a shortage of official announcements from Nintendo, there have been countless leaks and rumors regarding the highly-anticipated Switch 2 console. While fans may have to wait for an official reveal to determine the Nintendo Switch 2’s true power, among some of the latest Nintendo Switch 2 rumors are conflicting estimates of the console’s power, and how it might compare to current-gen Xbox and PlayStation consoles.
Originally, rumors were circulating that the Nintendo Switch 2 could match the power of current-gen Xbox and PlayStation consoles, with the potential for the Switch 2 to run some of the latest AAA games. However, since then, another popular rumor claims that the Nintendo Switch 2 may be much closer to the power of last-gen consoles, specifically the PlayStation 4 Pro. Ultimately, regardless of these conflicting rumors, the power of the Switch 2 likely won’t be the sole factor of its success, so the Switch 2’s power, or lack thereof, may not matter in the long run compared to its other redeeming qualities.
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Why the Nintendo Switch 2’s Power May Not Matter in the Long Run
The Nintendo Switch 2’s Game Library Matters More Than the Console’s Power
For now, it remains to be seen whether the Nintendo Switch 2 will be closer to the power of the current or last-gen Xbox and PlayStation consoles. However, the minor differences between these two outcomes are arguably negligible considering that the original Nintendo Switch’s power wasn’t its biggest strength to begin with. Instead, the Nintendo Switch 2’s game library will likely be a much more pressing issue than the console’s power.
The Nintendo Switch 2 is expected to be officially revealed by March 2025.
Depending on how powerful the console is, this could determine the potential for some of the latest AAA games releasing on the Nintendo Switch 2. However, it’s generally safe to assume that platform exclusives and first-party Nintendo Switch 2 games will be optimized for the console anyway, and while having a large library of AAA games would sweeten the deal, console exclusives, indie, and retro games are arguably where the console truly shines.
The Nintendo Switch 2’s Portable Convenience Is a Fair Trade-off
Another reason why the Nintendo Switch 2’s power, or lack thereof, likely won’t be a dealbreaker for the console’s success is that the Nintendo Switch 2 still has one major advantage compared to most other consoles: its portability. So, even if the Nintendo Switch 2 may not be as strong as the best of the current-gen Xbox and PlayStation consoles, the tradeoff of being a portable console arguably redeems the rumors of the Switch 2’s otherwise limited hardware.
The Nintendo Switch 2’s Biggest Competition Is Its Predecessor
Ultimately, while current-gen Xbox and PlayStation consoles provide a useful benchmark for the industry, the Switch 2’s biggest competition is the original Switch. So, considering all of the Switch 2’s rumored QoL features and improvements over the original Switch, not matching the power of current-gen consoles likely won’t be a dealbreaker for the Switch 2, considering that it’s well on track to outperform its predecessor.
The rumors of the Nintendo Switch 2’s estimated power likely refer to the model(s) of the Switch 2 that will be available at launch. Consequently, while it remains to be announced, there’s the possibility that there could be switch 2 models released in the future that have improved hardware capabilities.
Players will have to wait for an official reveal to see the exact console specs for the Nintendo Switch 2. Even if recent rumors of the Switch 2 not being as powerful as expected turn out to be true, it will surely still be a successful console regardless, given its platform exclusives, portability, and improvements over the original Switch.
Nintendo Switch
- Brand
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Nintendo
- Weight
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.88 lbs
- Storage
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32 GB
- Display
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6.2-inch LCD Screen / 1280 x 720
- Battery
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Approximately 4.5 – 9 hours