I didn’t find the Nintendo Switch 2 particularly interesting until the recent Direct. In fact, I was steadfastly convinced that I’d be writing an article titled ‘I Might Want A Switch 2, But I Don’t Need One’ after watching the showcase. Like many, I was expecting a Switch but slightly better, with a slate of Nintendo games on launch or near it, and the novelty of being able to use the Joy-Cons as mice. My expectations were obviously low.
Consider my mind changed. We knew the Switch 2 would be more powerful than the Switch, but I never expected that it would have the technical capabilities to run games like Cyberpunk 2077, let alone for it to have blockbuster triple-A games come to the platform on day one or for its technical specs to have quite so much juice. The Switch 2 has exponentially more potential than its predecessor, which is impressive, considering the Switch was already an incredibly popular console.
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You Weren’t Buying The Switch For Triple-As
The Switch has long been categorised as a console very different to the PlayStation or Xbox – as the headline says, it’s a Nintendo machine. Sure, it has third-party games, but they generally aren’t modern triple-A blockbusters. You’re far more likely to see indies brought to the platform than the big names in gaming (outside of cloud streaming), simply because the console doesn’t have the processing power to run the behemoths that modern big-budget titles tend to be.
NetherRealm tried with Mortal Kombat 1, and it was a disaster.
Sure, you might get modern classics ported to the Switch long after release, like The Witcher 3 and Skyrim, but they’re not going to look amazing. Just because you can play these games on the Switch doesn’t mean you should. If you have another console or a PC, you’re always going to want to default to those instead.
Realistically, if you’re buying a Switch, you’re doing it for the Nintendo games. That’s really the only reason to own a Switch over any other console. It’s the USP – you can’t play those games anywhere else. Mediocre ports of older classics are a bonus, and you certainly wouldn’t be seeing big triple-A games released on the console anywhere near day one. It simply doesn’t have the facilities for that, big man.
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The Switch 2 Is Changing What Switches Are Capable Of
That’s all changed with the Switch 2. Not only is the console now capable of bringing games like Hitman, Cyberpunk 2077, Elden Ring, Split Fiction, and Star Wars Outlaws to Nintendo fans, it’s bringing upcoming heavy hitters too: Borderlands 4 and IO Interactive’s Project 007. It’s even got a massive third-party Switch 2 exclusive in The Duskbloods, which has sent many a FromSoftware fan into a tizzy.
On top of that, those games won’t look quite so bad anymore. While it isn’t that much bigger than the Switch OLED, and the Switch 2 will have an LCD screen with HDR support instead of an OLED display, the Switch 2 does very well while docked. It’s capable of 4K output when connected to your TV, and can even upscale games to 4K if the resolution isn’t natively supported. Finally, the Switch 2 has caught up to every other console.
It’s hard to say what, if any, graphical tradeoffs we can expect from these big games on the Switch 2. They might still look worse than the versions we play on other platforms.
This marks a huge change in how we see the Switch 2. No longer is it a Nintendo machine that runs indies and the occasional old triple-A port, it’s actually a viable console to play big games on day one. It’s still not going to hold up to the technical capabilities of a PlayStation 5 or an Xbox Series X, but it’s a real alternative for people who don’t have those consoles or a high-end gaming PC.
Take into consideration that Xbox is now trying to push its games onto other consoles as part of its pivot into being publisher first, console-maker second, and the Switch 2 could end up being a real contender for best overall console, not just the best (and only) option for Nintendo games. While I likely still won’t be shelling out for a Switch 2, since I already own more powerful consoles and don’t care for Nintendo games, it’s finally going to be a truly great option for people who only want to own one console. I never thought I’d see the day.
- 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)
- App Store
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Nintendo eShop
- Wi-Fi
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Yes