Nintendo Switch 2 May Have Dropped The Ball in One Key Area

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home April 5, 2025 43 Views 6 Min Read
Nintendo Switch 2 May Have Dropped The Ball in One Key Area



Nintendo’s Switch 2 Direct was packed with tons of exciting new game announcements, from the ambitious-looking Mario Kart World to the delightfully creative Donkey Kong Bananza, but it also featured some important new information about the console itself. Nintendo confirmed that the Switch 2 will launch with some notable new features, such as GameChat, which lets players talk with their friends while playing a game, and GameShare, which allows users to share games with others in order to play multiplayer together. The company also revealed that the system will come with built-in 4K support, 256 GB of storage, and Joy-Con 2 controllers that can be used as mice.

One of the major features that Nintendo barely even covered during the Switch 2 Direct, however, was the console’s user interface (UI). Aside from a couple of screenshots and clips on Nintendo’s official website, footage of the Switch 2’s operating system is fairly scarce. Judging from what Nintendo has shown so far, though, the console’s UI looks almost identical to the one from the original Switch. There are a few new bells and whistles here and there, but the changes don’t appear to be very exciting, to say the least.

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The Switch 2’s UI isn’t Different Enough from its Predecesor

The taskbar on the Nintendo Switch 2’s home menu includes a couple of new buttons, like a C Button which can be used to access Switch 2’s GameChat. In addition, the Nintendo eShop runs far better than it did on the original Switch. On top of all that, there are some minor cosmetic changes that are worth noting. The color of the eShop symbol on the Switch 2’s taskbar has been changed from orange to red, and the game library menu has rounded corners rather than sharp edges, making the system look more sleek. There’s even a Themes tab in the settings menu for the Switch 2, suggesting that players will finally be able to customize the home screen of their console. However, since no concrete information about this feature has been confirmed, it’s best to keep expectations in check.

The Switch 2’s UI is Indicative of Nintendo’s Vision for the Console

The UI design for the Nintendo Switch 2 is reflective of the iterative approach that Nintendo took with the design of the overall system. Rather than a complete evolution of the concept, the company’s upcoming console seems to be more of an enhanced version of the original Nintendo Switch. It doesn’t feature any game-changing new gimmicks that some previous Nintendo consoles had, and it retains the key components of the base Switch. As a result, the biggest benefit of the Switch 2’s hardware is not its unique capabilities, but instead its capacity to support higher-fidelity video games.

The UI For the Switch 2 Feels Like It’s Missing the Soul of Prior Nintendo Consoles

Although the Switch 2’s UI looks okay, its lack of innovation is a big disappointment, especially considering that Nintendo consoles used to have a lot more charm and creativity packed into their operating systems. Many of the company’s earlier platforms, like the Wii, the Nintendo DSi, the Nintendo 3DS, and even the disastrous Wii U, had charming UI designs and pre-installed apps that made use of the consoles’ capabilities, like their touch screens and/or cameras. They even had their own menu music; the Wii Shop Channel music, in particular, became so popular that it turned into a meme.

Unfortunately, it seems the Switch 2’s UI will have none of the interesting features that made Nintendo’s legacy systems stand out from the crowd. Instead, it will prioritize ease-of-use and simplicity over innovation and charm, just like the original Switch. Although this is understandable, since the Switch 2 is being treated as an upgraded version of the Switch 1 rather than a completely new type of console, it’s a bit disheartening nonetheless. At this point, the Switch 2‘s release will probably be the final nail in the coffin of unique UI designs for Nintendo consoles.

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