It’s bigger and the Joy-Cons now attach magnetically, but the form factor, function, and usability remain largely unchanged from the first Switch.
As a sequel to Nintendo’s most popular console of all time, the company opted to offer a bigger, more powerful version of the system millions of people already own.
And this, I think, is for the best. It might not have a gimmick, but maybe, for the first time in a long while, there doesn’t need to be one.
The increase in power alone allows Nintendo to lean even deeper into what made the Switch such a success: games.
Nintendo’s first party output during the Switch era — between Super Mario Odyssey, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom — has been some of the best in the company’s history.
And between the Super Mario Bros. Movie and attractions at Universal Studios, the Nintendo brand is perhaps bigger than it’s ever been. So releasing a system that will help the games shine even brighter is perhaps the best thing Nintendo can do right now.
In the past, Nintendo’s hardware updates were defined by some kind of new, usually quirky feature or hook.
The Wii’s motion controls, the DS’s double screen, the 3DS’ glasses-free 3D, the Wii U’s tablet, and the Switch’s hybrid nature. Even unpopular consoles like the Virtual Boy still offered a unique spin on hardware.
The whimsy and fun of each new piece of Nintendo hardware usually makes up for the lack of power compared to PlayStation or Xbox; well, that and the Nintendo first-party exclusives.
And for the Nintendo Switch, the big hook of the system — the ability to play console games on the go, or on the TV — combined with some of the best Zelda and Mario games ever released on a Nintendo console were enough to propel the Nintendo Switch to record sales, becoming the second-best selling console of all time behind the Nintendo DS. As the saying goes, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.
But here’s the thing. There was something about the Switch that needed a fix.
One glaring issue seemingly fixed by the Switch 2: The horsepower.
