With the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct now behind us, we finally know that the console will be launching in June, just a couple of months away. The Switch was one of my favourite console launches ever, so why can’t I be bothered to think about launch day for its follow-up?
The easy answer is scalpers. Since the pandemic, these rotten scoundrels have become a regularly occurring problem during hardware launches, with many companies aiming to combat this but ultimately failing. It’s a tricky situation because of greedy people, and it’s impossible for scalpers not to impact my excitement for new consoles like the Switch 2.
But I think there’s more to it than that.
A Console Launch Is Supposed To Be More Than Just The Hardware
For me, I just don’t want to go through all of the extra hassle of trying to buy something when it’s going to be another console that plays everything I can already play somewhere else, apart from Mario Kart World, which at $79.99… yeah, I’ll be good to wait on that one.
Consoles are expensive, the world is expensive, and when we have the promise of buying an upgrade for Tears of the Kingdom just to play it without lag this time, or to see Kirby in 4K, I struggle to justify the cost or effort of being excited.
Okay, 4K Kirby is pretty enticing, but not enough for a whole console. Sorry, Kirby.
The leading announcement was, without a doubt, FromSoftware’s The Duskbloods. A new game from the creators of Elden Ring that sees Bloodborne’s aesthetics brought into FromSoft’s modern formula for Nintendo Switch 2 is an incredible point of sale. The only thing is, that’s 2026, so it doesn’t really sell me on the Switch 2 right now.
With Scalpers On The Horizon, The Effort Isn’t Worth It
Outside of that, there are bits and pieces – ports of recently popular games, the Joy-Con working like a PC mouse, and an in-built chat function. It’s all really cool stuff, and I love the Switch, so I’m glad to see that we’re getting one that can stand on the same level as other modern platforms. But that’s just it – I’m already on that platform, so while I’ll welcome the Switch 2 with open arms, I’m just not too bothered about having one yet, and I don’t think that anticipation will build in two months.
Who knows, maybe I’ll get early FOMO as we approach June, or maybe I’ll see everyone driving around the open map of Mario Kart World and want to join in, but as it stands, I feel like we just got a lot of new information, confirmations, and some cool things, but nothing that quite feels like a build up to a new console. And it’s not just Nintendo; the PS5 and Xbox Series X felt a similar way five years ago, with little reason to actually dive in aside from having a ‘better thing than the thing you already have.’
Maybe the world just moves at a different pace to console releases now, and it’s harder to hit the same point of excitement. Or maybe it’s just me. I get that consoles are hardware, but they’re defined by their games. If the games aren’t ready yet, then neither am I.
- Brand
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Nintendo
- Operating System
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Proprietary
- Storage
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256GB internal / MicroSD
- Resolution
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1080p (handheld) / 4K (docked)