Think about your favourite Nintendo Switch game. Now think of your favourite five. I’ll give you a second. I’m not actually writing this live, so I won’t, but I will add a filler sentence to let you think of some. Done? Good. Okay now, let me guess. Either both or neither of the mainline Zelda games are in there, while Mario (either in the form of Odyssey or Kart, though likely not Party or Strikers) would likely feature too. If you’re very cool, Fire Emblem: Three Houses makes the cut.
But there are a lot of great Switch games. Maybe you didn’t go for the obvious ones, or maybe I overlooked some shoe-ins. Animal Crossing, right? It’s always Animal Crossing. Anyway, the point is it’s less about which games you picked and more about which ones you didn’t. The Witcher 3, Skyrim, and BioShock are all great, and all available on the Switch. Very few people would have picked them. That’s a teaching moment.
The Switch 2 Is More Powerful, But Is That Enough?
We know very little about the Switch 2 at the moment, including its name. However, it is expected to be a better, more powerful version of the Switch, rather than a more bold successor like the original Wii. This is the path Xbox and PlayStation have constantly walked, though Nintendo’s strategy is a bit more scattershot. We’re getting ahead of ourselves, but I don’t expect there to be a Switch 3. However, given the near unprecedented success of the Switch and its obvious lack of power, it’s a smart move to go back to that well.
The lack of power is the obvious issue to fix, since (aside from some build issues like Joy-Con drift) there’s really not much wrong with the Switch. The upgrade is expected to put it on a level playing field with the PS4 and Xbox One, which is also sensible. It’s a significant improvement on current power levels while not being overly ambitious and chasing the expensive technical perfection of the current gen.
By keeping its ambitions in check, this gives us some idea of what Nintendo aims to do with the Switch 2. Its primary purpose is to loose the chains around developers so they can continue to create new experiences – you got the sense that Tears of the Kingdom was swimming against the current to pull off all the tricks it managed. Though not all games (cough cough Pokemon cough) have pushed the Switch to its limit, most of Nintendo’s heavy hitters need more breathing room these days.
Ports Will Not Be The Switch 2’s Headline Games
This is why I’m surprised so much talk around the Switch 2 has been about ports. Yes, the increase in power does mean it will be able to support many, maybe even all, PS4/Xbox One games. But I’m not sure how that’s interesting. If you’re excited for a specific game, you’ve probably already played it on its original console, and likely now own the upgraded version on PS5 or Xbox Series X. The Switch is one of the most inventive consoles ever – its selling point shouldn’t be that it will let you play games you already played six years ago.
Obviously there will be some people who have only had a Switch, and who also don’t play PC games, for whom ports might be their only way to play, say, Ghost of Tsushima. But that’s an edge case, and not the sort of thing the Switch 2 should be about. However, until we get some real news, the excitement is just about understandable.
I expect the reveal will have one technical powerhouse port to show off what the Switch 2 can do, but they won’t be the console’s lifeblood.
We don’t know what a PS4-level Zelda or Mario looks like. We can’t even begin to imagine all of the technical power Pokemon will fail to take advantage of. The Switch offered best-ever entries for so many classic Nintendo series, and the console’s specs were not the sole (or even the main) reason for that. It’s hard to be excited for a more powerful Mario because we don’t know what that means. ‘Ghost of Tsushima on Switch’ is tangible, and it implies the possibility of a Zelda game that resembles the beauty of Tsushima.
As we continue to wait for Switch 2 news, we struggle to fill the hole of expectations in our hearts. Right now, we’re packing it with something we can easily picture, like a PS4 port. But it goes against the Switch’s legacy to be propped up games from elsewhere like this. It is a machine of invention, and I’m far more excited for the games I haven’t played than the games I already have.
Nintendo Switch
Launched in 2017, the Nintendo Switch allows you to switch between console and handheld gaming easily.
- Screen
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Touch screen / 6.2-inch LCD Screen / 1280 x 720
- Storage
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32 GB (Additional storage sold separately.)
- Battery
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4.5 – 9 hours
- Dimensions
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4″ x 9.4″ x 0.55″ (With Joy-Con)
- Charging Time
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3 hours (in Sleep Mode)