My Thoughts on the Nintendo Switch 2

A recap and discussion of important details from the Nintendo Direct and information about the new console.

Initial Post Date: April 2nd, 2025

This morning, Nintendo broadcasted a Nintendo Direct going into more detail about the Nintendo Switch 2 and its games and features. My friends and I enjoyed watching it together and we chatted excitedly about the upcoming games and features. I was in a pretty good mood after that, but later in the day I began to do more research, and I was concerned with some things I’ve learned.

The Console

Some of the most important things to note about the Switch 2 are:

  • 1080p screen handheld and 4K resolution support using the dock
    • Also note that 120 fps is possible
    • I’m not a big specs guy but that is a nice upgrade
  • Joy-Con 2 are magnetic instead of the previous rail system
    • Can also be used as a mouse in specific games
      • Super Mario Party Jamboree and Drag x Drive are the two titles demonstrated to use this feature so far
  • GameChat
    • Discord voice chat on switch basically
    • Allows you to voice chat, share screen, or videochat with other players.
    • You can be playing different games which is sweet!
  • Camera accessory
    • Camera can be used in some games
  • Significantly improved flexible console stand
  • Charging on top and bottom of console
  • 256gb built in
  • GameShare
    • Pretty much a revival of the 3DS line’s Download Play
    • Any Switch 2 console can share compatible games locally even if the other player doesn’t own the game

All these things are what I’m primarily excited about for the Switch 2. However, despite all these new features I will not be buying a console on launch. Frequent visitors of my site may remember my January 17th diary entry where I discussed conditions that would need to be met before I purchased a Switch 2.

Immediate purchase conditions:

  • Tomodachi Life 2
  • Splatoon 4
  • Animal Crossing

Combination purchase conditions:

  • StreetPass returns
  • Home menu themes return
  • Miis make a large return
  • Splatoon themed console

As you are probably aware, Tomodachi Life 2 is a thing and will be released in 2026. Luckily, that game is not Switch 2 exclusive. Consequently, I have no real reason to go buy a Switch 2 on launch. My current Switch works fine, and Splatoon is my only “have to have” game series. My wallet remains safe for now…

Announced Games

Here are some that I am personally excited about:

  • Kirby Air Riders
  • Mario Kart World
  • Donkey Kong Bananza
  • Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4
  • Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut
  • DELTARUNE 3 + 4

Really excited for Hollow Knight fans as well, considering Silksong was confirmed for a 2025 release on the new console. None of these are games I need to get immediately - especially considering some aren’t switch exclusive - but I will surely be looking forward to adding them to my collection at some point.

Minor Gripes

My main desire for the Switch 2 in terms of the actual console was a revival of home menu themes and the StreetPass system. We are not getting any of those things (yet…?) but I feel like their presence in the 3DS really gave the system personality. While the Wii and Wii U didn’t have themes built in, their home menus had a specific theme, personality, and music. The Switch has a gray background with no music and a bunch of game tiles which is just super boring. After Nintendo’s release of the Wii in 2006, they returned to the handheld market with the 3DS in 2010. Features like StreetPass and Play Coins were introduced that took advantage of the portability of the console. Following the 3DS, the Wii U’s release returned to the home console focus. The Switch line is in a unique position where it fits the requirements to be a home and portable console. I feel there is a lot of wasted potential with creative features on the Switch. Ideally, there could be a combination of portable features and docked features that make the most of the console’s versatility. I would love to see a Switch with achievements and StreetPass, the best of both worlds… Unfortunately, we are seemingly stuck with an uninspired system that tries to fit in with the rest. Nintendo’s past quirky creations truly drew me in. It seems to me that a larger focus is being put on the specs of a console which is damaging creativity. I hope to see that creativity make a return…

Major Gripes

Hey so why is the physical copy of Mario Kart World projected to be $80 USD? Holy FUCK, $500 USD for the Switch 2/MKW bundle. What’s with this staggered pre-order thing? Why are we continuing to paywall emulation of older consoles and attacking all alternatives? Last but not least, a special “what the fuck do you mean???” for the “Game Key Card” system.

Pre-Order Invitations

As I mentioned before I’m not planning on purchasing a Switch 2 anytime soon, so this doesn’t really apply to me. I can understand supply and demand, creating interest, various marketing tactics of the sort. However, it really strikes me as odd that you must register for a chance to preorder the console. Additionally, its not really first-coms first-serve because there are “priority criteria" requirements. To be considered a priority customer, you must meet three requirements as of today (4/2/25).

  1. Your account must have purchased an NSO membership
  2. You must have had the subscription for at least 1 year
  3. You need to share gameplay data with Nintendo and have 50hrs total of gameplay

Again, I can sort of understand this process, but my main concern is people who don’t meet these requirements. Maybe they only want to send out preorders to diehard fans? It seems counterintuitive to me to limit the number of preorders unless there is some manufacturing issue. Maybe some people haven’t bought a console since the Wii and want to get something new right away but now they have to wait until they are regularly in stock. I feel like scalpers will cause a big issue as usual.

Cost Rise

Nintendo is an incredibly large company in the gaming industry. I think this increase in prices can cause a ripple across the entire industry which will make gaming so much more expensive as a hobby. Also, tariffs. Ugh…

I do believe it’s important to support game developers and their work. Recently, purchases from Nintendo feel less and less like a show of support for the team behind the game for me. Nintendo’s attacks on their community over things like emulation and tournaments have really come to my attention in recent years. I just feel as if this is a concerning direction to take.

This article-ish thing is more formal than something I would usually write but I want to mention I really just don’t want to pay $90 dollars for one game. Especially considering the current climate with DLC and online subscription services often causing games to total much more than their initial cost. I also really don’t want to pay $450 for a new console right now, but that’s a personal issue.

NSO Expansion Pass

I’m going to preface this by saying I do have the expansion pass, though I do not pay for it. Despite this I am still going to criticize it, because I think it sucks. I do not like paying for online services and I especially don’t like that Nintendo has locked older games behind this system. Not only do they not allow any official avenues for purchasing older games, they require you to pay a reoccurring additional cost on top of the base online system for access. I would love if we could return to a “purchase once own forever” type system like Virtual Console games on the Wii and Wii U but alas, money talks. Which leads us to the last topic:

Game Key Cards

I have a lot of digital copies of games. I would rather buy a physical copy in most cases, though circumstances make it more reasonable for me to make digital purchases. Despite this, I expect to have the entire game when making a physical purchase. I should be able to insert the disk, cartridge, or whatever format, and everything loads and works. It is my current understanding that with the new Game Key Cards, you have to install the game through Wi-Fi after purchasing a physical copy. I am not too fond of that, but my real concern is long term availability. Eventually the servers that contain these games will be shut down which would render the cards useless. Not to mention the people who may not have internet access at all. They could purchase the game expecting to be able to play offline at home and be denied that opportunity. Also, assuming you can resell these cards and they would function like normal ones, this could create a reselling issue after the console’s lifespan. Considering Nintendo makes it really hard to legally obtain old games, we could be looking at a future of a resell market full of non-working key cards. That scenario also implies that games have two different card versions which wouldn’t make sense, so its entirely possible I’m just making up issues. Either way, I think these are important things to take into account. I’ll be keeping an eye on news around these game cards.

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