During my 8 to 5 grind, I cover a lot of handhelds, from the Steam Deck to the ROG Ally X and beyond. That’s why I felt like I was watching a spoof when Nintendo finally took the wrapper off the Switch 2. I thought I was looking at a Lenovo Legion Go 2 with a slap of accent colors around the thumbsticks instead of RGB. I love my Steam Deck. I love my Switch. I fear Nintendo is doing too much to make their handheld interchangeable with the rest.
Don’t get me wrong, I wanted a more powerful Switch that could play Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom without rampant framerate drops. Still, the dark aesthetic of the Switch 2 is incongruent with Nintendo’s usual design ethos. The sequel handheld is, in every way, the same basic design as the first Switch, just with a bigger screen and more ports. Nintendo had an innovative design with the Switch 1. Every handheld PC OEM copied Nintendo. Then Nintendo turned around and copied Nintendo.
I didn’t need them to completely redesign the console. I merely wanted to show me something truly novel that would reward fans who have loved Nintendo’s willingness to try—even if those things don’t work out. Nintendo is likely saving its more zany JoyCon color options for the device’s full release—likely set for a date after its next Nintendo Direct on April 2. I also hope the company shows us something—anything—that makes the next device something special. Nintendo only has to look back 15 years when it shared its first images of the 3DS back in 2010; they remembered to include some pretty aquamarine color options.
We haven’t seen everything the console has to offer. Nintendo only gave info-hungry customers a rough outline of what to expect with new magnetically attached JoyCons, better speakers, and an additional USB-C port. I would have liked to see some extra JoyCon capabilities, like Lenovo Legion Go’s mouse-like FPS mode. In the company’s video reveal, the JoyCons ran across the table like mice. Perhaps each controller includes some kind of infrared sensor to track movement. There could be some interesting use cases for that. I would love to know more, but Nintendo isn’t telling.
The initial images of the Switch 2 lack Nintendo’s “je ne sais quoi” of past products. Nintendo is associated with both fun and weirdness. Remember, this company brought us the Gamecube, a purple console with a handle. It also came out with the WiiU, a strange console with a controller that confused more than it enthused.
Nintendo is the kind of company that can take risks. The Switch 2 is safe, even if it’s simply more of what players have already enjoyed. That doesn’t have to be bad but looks help tell customers who a device is meant for. The original Switch looked like a toy. The default bright red and bright blue JoyCon colors marked it as an easy-to-use device for children and adults.
It doesn’t help that we may have to wait another four months for more direct info on its full specs or launch titles. Until then, more rampant speculation, rumors, and leaks will inevitably mar the surprise of a full release. We still have not seen if Switch 2 will achieve 4K in some games. We’d love to see it push original Switch games to a higher resolution, but that may be asking for too much.
The waiting is always the worst part. April is a long way away. In the meantime, I’ll flood my desk with bright lights and action figures. I don’t need another black device to get me in the gaming mood.