The Nintendo Switch was originally released in 2017 and continued to be a huge success ever since. It’s well on its way to becoming the most sold console of all time and still manages to sell millions of units each year. The Switch still isn’t past its momentum but from a gamer’s perspective, I think it’s time to introduce its successor. I think it’s time to reveal the Nintendo Switch 2.
Nintendo Switch U?
If we take look at previous Nintendo console cycles, it’s about time for a Switch successor. Nintendo has a rather difficult job to do here since they’ve gained a lot of new fans thanks to the Switch. We all remember the disaster of the Wii U, Nintendo’s successor to the powerhouse of the Nintendo Wii. The Wii managed to gather millions of fans worldwide while the Wii U was left on the shelves. The reason? Bad marketing and an unhealthy desire to innovate just for the sake of innovation. The Nintendo Wii U never managed to reach its true potential since it was a console that was simply a bit too complex. The extra screen on its gamepad rarely made an impact on the way you played the games and it was clear that most developers never really understood this innovation. During the first Wii U year, Nintendo could still count on third-party support due to the Wii’s success but most third-party games easily bombed. Besides that, people were confused about what the Wii U actually was. I overheard a lot of parents explaining the system to their kids in stores, most parents thought the Wii U was just an overpriced accessory for the Wii. It’s safe to say that the transition from Wii to Wii U was a disaster for Nintendo and if it wasn’t for the Nintendo Switch’s success, the company could have been in real trouble. So how will they approach a successor to the Nintendo Switch?
In a recent interview, Nintendo confirmed that creating a successful Switch successor is one of the company’s main focuses. In this interview, we see some reassuring statements about what a Switch successor could be. Nintendo wants to make sure they’re not losing the Switch userbase, instead, they are looking into ways of welcoming that userbase on a new system. Backward compatibility could play a huge role here. One thing’s for sure, I do hope that Nintendo doesn’t want to innovate simply because they can. In my opinion, a Nintendo Switch U wouldn’t make any sense, instead, I think they should go for a safer route and create a classic successor in the form of the Nintendo Switch 2.
Nintendo Switch 2
If we take a look at Nintendo’s track record, a console successor can go two ways. There’s the SNES, which was basically a more powerful NES but there was also the Virtual Boy, which was an extreme successor to the Game Boy. Nintendo needs to find the right balance between power and innovation. The last time they went for a more powerful console was the transition of the Nintendo 64 to the powerful Nintendo GameCube. The Cube was a genius console and one of the most powerful compared to its direct competitors of that time. Sadly it wasn’t a big success. This forced the company to think outside of the box with the innovative Wii system, which was a tremendous success. I’m a bit worried about what a Nintendo Switch 2 might look like. The home console lines rarely follow a set path but since the Switch is the company’s first hybrid console, I think the handheld life cycles might give us the answer we’re looking for.
The evolution of the Game Boy line always followed a more straightforward path, focussing on powerful upgrades with small innovations to keep things interesting. I think this should be the way for the Nintendo Switch 2. Instead of forcing a new hardware mechanic into the system, it would make sense to just upgrade its power and add some smaller innovations to the system to keep it interesting. Think about the leap from the Game Boy Color to the Game Boy Advance. Both systems follow the same idea while the Advance was clearly the better model, even with its futuristic design. A Nintendo Switch Advance would make a lot more sense than a Nintendo Switch U. Of course, it has to be more than just a Pro model, the Switch 2 has to be significantly more powerful to make it worth buying. It would result in one of Nintendo’s most direct hardware successors but if they want to keep the Switch user base hooked, I think it’s the only way to go. Since I’m having a blast with my Steam Deck recently, I do think Nintendo should reveal the Nintendo Switch 2 as soon as possible, with a release next year being the perfect scenario.
It’s time
So why now? Well, the more the other systems advance, the more the Nintendo Switch will be left outside in the cold. With the recent releases of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, it’s harder for third-party developers to bring their projects over to the Nintendo Switch, and even when they do, it’s painfully obvious you’re playing the lesser version on Nintendo’s console. Even the first-party Nintendo games are running against the wall of technical limitations. I would love a more powerful Switch successor that’s able to showcase a multitude of third-party games combined with the best-looking Nintendo games to date. From my own perspective, I’m a bit tired of the Switch’s graphical limitations and I’m ready to meet the next evolution in Nintendo gaming. What about you? Do you want a Switch successor?
