You may have noticed thatthe internet has been rifewith articlesabout the Nintendo Switch 2ever since its reveal a few days ago. That’s how these things go. It’s a big deal. We talk about it. You may have also noticed that a couple of key narratives have emerged: “I’m ecstatic that they’re playing it safe because we don’t need another Wii U moment” versus “my disappointment is immeasurable and my faith in Nintendo is sundered”.
I can appreciate why many fans have found the trailer to be distinctly underwhelming. It’s almost Apple-esque in presentation - ‘look at this sleek and sexy electronic device, twirling around, captivating you; you want this’. There’s no rooftop partylike the Switch’s reveal trailer(and it’s worth remembering that plenty of people lambasted that scene as too goofy), and there’s nothing splashy to showcase, because lo and behold, at least from what we’ve seen thus far, the Switch 2 is… well, the second Switch.
Nintendo Indirect
The only game we’ve seen thus far is the new Mario Kart, and while it was immediately apparent to me that it’s a new entry, I understand that more casual onlookers might not have noticed. That’s fine; I couldn’t tell you the difference between two recent Call of Duty games even if my life depended on it. We all have our fortes, so it wouldn’t have killed them to slap ‘Mario Kart 9’ nearby to clear things up. The fact is, there was a lot of ‘wow’ factor on that rooftop that’s missing here.
Everyone caught that part at the end, right? You know, where we’re told that there’s a Nintendo Direct en route for April 2nd? That’s a long time from now, and I am not looking forward to the intervening discourse. But it’s coming. I’m not a betting Quinton, but I’d still put money down on the Big N nailing the upcoming presentation like nobody’s business. Bringing the fire, showing the games, and probably being a bit quirky along the way.
Gaming The System
I guess my point here is that we should all chill out for the next ten weeks, which doesn’t sound so long when you write it like that. I won’t begrudge anyone for feeling disappointed with an underwhelming two-minute glance, but that’s what this was: a glance. A sneak peek at the shape of things to come. They didn’t bust out a man in a Mario suit surrounded by a CG representation of Hyrule and toss the Switch 2 into the air like a pepperoni pizza, and the console didn’t transform into a horse when it landed on an open field.
That won’t happen even on April 2nd, because yes, they’ve taken a conservative path. But whatwillhappen is that we’ll all get a far deeper dive intowhat matters most: the games. And, as soon as we do, discourse will tilt sharply in that direction. If there’s mouse-like functionality, or amiibo 2: amiibo in space, cool. If there isn’t, but there’s a snazzy-looking Super Mario game on the horizon,cool,because that’s why I’m buying this thing.
The Switch’s hybrid form factor was a huge plus, too, and it’ll continue to be for however long its successor is supported, but I would not have given it so much as a second look if there was nothing attractive to boot up and get lost within, either from the comfort of my couch or on a train to New York City. So, frankly, on April 2nd, 2025, I’ll start to give a damn.
Nintendo Switch 2
The Nintendo Switch 2 is the successor to Nintendo Switch, scheduled for release on July 03, 2025. Confirmed as backwards compatible, it will play both physical and digital Nintendo Switch games.
