We finally know what the Nintendo Switch 2 looks like, and cor, it’s a looker. Immediately recognisable as a successor to the Switch, but sleeker. More refined. More mature. Still a splash of colour on each side to say, ‘yeah I’m more powerful now, but I can still have fun with the kids when I want to’. Like an executive of a law firm that still sees the kids on the weekends.
While the Switch is a vibrant splash of joy in the console space, the Switch 2 is that same joyful guy, but with a real job, now. Maybe a mortgage. It’s everything I wanted to see in the Switch 2 reveal.
Now, many will look at this and think I’m totally missing the point of the Switch, aesthetically speaking. It’s not meant to be this Air Force One black bit of kit for adults. Children are meant to see it a mile off and go, “yay I love Mario, I’m literally five.” These people are not living in the real world. The average five-year-old is more likely to run towards a bottle of blue WKD and a mobile phone in modern Britain than a colourful console. The Switch 2 fits inside the real world we live in, ready to spring the joy of a new Mario Kart or an old Splatoon game among players like a bear trap.
These people would also be neglecting the fact that, well, the Switch 2 is still colourful! Yeah, it’s not entirely red or blue like the original Switch. But, compare it to the plain white PS5 or the largely mono-coloured Xbox Series X|S. Pull up images of both real quick (but keep this tab open and come back real quick, yeah?) You’ll see that the Switch 2 is still a lot more exciting to look at than other modern consoles. You don’t need to go wild to add some pop to your console. This is true of clothes, cars, houses, tattoos… Anything you can think of.
This splash of colour also helps differentiate it from other handhelds out there. Some out there, I won’t name who, have stated the Switch 2 looks a little too close to the Steam Deck. These are folks who see traces of Gabe Newell everywhere, playing 20-year-old RPGs on their own at airports. The same sort of person that is still upset that the Source engine wasn’t adopted by every developer on the globe. They’re victims ultimately, and deserve pity rather than anger.
Instead, I’ll say this: why put our two First Ladies of Handheld Hardware against each other? Yeah, they’re both portable consoles but the Switch 2 has a D-pad below the left analogue stick. It doesn’t have those weird square panels on either side. As established before, it’s got a more colourful demeanour. And anyway, the units are aimed at two separate markets, innit. If you want to aim worse than the rest of your team whilst playing Apex Legends and get yelled at by your team, the Steam Deck is for you. If you wanna have fun with the family you still talk to, the Switch 2 is over here. See, totally different.
Is it too far a departure for Nintendo? Maybe. Some would argue that while it does retain a lot of that fun from the Switch 1 in this new design, it does lose a bit of that Nintendo magic. You could imagine another manufacturer making this thing. But I think, visually, it represents what the Switch 2 ultimately will be: a home for party games and more casual experiences, but also a home for more adult games and that 300-hour Stardew Valley save you can’t let go of.
It’s hitting both worlds, and needs to establish itself as a console for both full-grown humans who still play games, and younger audiences keen to pick up their first console. I think Nintendo has nailed that with it’s subtle, playful design.
A bigger screen, little mouse Joy Cons, a little stand for you to put it down on, more ports, and magnets (how do they work?). It’s pretty much everything I wanted from the Switch 2 reveal. Now, all that’s left is to find out what when we will get a price on the thing.
If it’s above £600, then throw all this out the window, and I’ll just keep my old console instead.