You can always count on Nintendo for a surprise. This is the company that followed the Game Boy with a strange dual-screened handheld and broke out of its GameCube slump with a console focused on motion controls. It’s the company that lost its lead with the Wii U and then gambled on another innovation — the portable hybrid known as the Switch — to ultimately get back on top. All of those were big, risky swings that seemingly exemplified the company’s playful, experimental ethos.
The Switch 2, on the other hand, is… a bigger, better Switch. It’s kind of boring. But it’s also exactly the right move from Nintendo. At a time when people expect their games and experiences to carry over between devices, the old console paradigm of starting over with a new generation doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. And since Nintendo hit a home run with the original Switch, it has the runway to be a little bit boring this time.
Today’s reveal video didn’t detail a whole lot about the Switch 2 in terms of specs, but there are still some clear improvements over the original, like the bigger display (though we don’t know the exact screen size) and redesigned Joy-Con controllers. More details are coming at an event in April.
It seems like a series of notable upgrades, potentially worthy of being a long-awaited follow-up to one of the bestselling consoles of all time. At the same time, these changes don’t fundamentally alter the Switch experience. The Switch 2 is still a tablet with detachable controllers, one you can either play as a portable or connect to your TV for a more console-like experience. It still plays (most of) your old Switch games, and your Switch Online subscription will carry over between devices.
Really, the form factor of the Switch didn’t need changing. It’s clear consumers loved it; Nintendo has sold more than 146 million of them, as the Switch inches closer to toppling the DS as the company’s bestselling piece of hardware. It’s flexible in a way that made sense for a large group of people, and it helped spearhead a renewed interest in portable gaming, one that is now taking the PC world by storm. Even Microsoft and Sony are tentatively getting into the space. And by merging its portable and console development teams, Nintendo was able to focus on a single device and greatly improve the cadence of new releases. Over its eight years of existence, the Switch had surprisingly few lulls between major new games.
Instead of being surprising, Nintendo decided to be sensible
So instead of being surprising, Nintendo decided to be sensible. The Switch is what many people have been asking for for years: the same form factor, but more adept technically. No weird gimmicks, no sense of starting over with a new system. It’s a continuation of a thing that’s already working well.
It’s important to note that this doesn’t mean Nintendo is done being weird. Just because its main device is a straightforward follow-up to the Switch doesn’t eliminate the possibility of experimentation. You only need to look at initiatives like Labo and Alarmo to see that Nintendo’s playful streak is still going strong. What’s crucial about those projects is that Nintendo’s business doesn’t hinge on them. A weird collection of cardboard accessories has the potential to be a hit, but if it isn’t, it’s not a huge loss. The same can’t be said for a major twist on a home console Nintendo hopes to sell for the next decade.
The safeness of the Switch 2 points to where Nintendo is at as a company right now. As it attempts to grow into an entertainment empire that extends beyond just gaming, it has had to find a balance between reaching that wider audience and maintaining its inventive side. The original Super Mario Bros. movie from 1993 was a live-action fever dream, whereas the billion-dollar animated film was a safe bet made with the proven team at Minions studio Illumination. It’s still Nintendo, but nowhere near as risky.
On paper, it’s the right move
The name itself is another sign of the overall maturing of Nintendo. Unlike the confusion of the Wii U, or the ongoing debate over what an Xbox is, the Switch 2 is immediately easy to understand. It’s that thing you like, only better. Nintendo may have given up competing with the other console makers on a technical level, but it has taken a page from Sony’s playbook. It’s not always a smooth transition between PlayStations, but at least you always know what you’re in for. Now the same is true for Nintendo.
Maintaining that balance between risk and safety will be the key for Nintendo in this next generation. We already know that the Switch is a good device, and soon we’ll have a better version. On paper, it’s the right move. The trick is keeping that sense of continuity without losing what makes Nintendo so special in the first place. If it doesn’t keep being weird and surprising and idiosyncratic, all you’re left with is just another tablet.
