Let's talk about the Switch 2...

So I'm sitting here in my hot-ass house, the afternoon after the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct because I've been talking with a bunch of my friends about today's news. There's lots of discussion to be had, about the hardware, the launch lineup, the pricing, etc.– and I wanted to put my thoughts down somewhere central. Beyond that, no real introduction. Let's get into it.

Hardware

The original Nintendo switch is the greater part of a decade old now, having launched over 8 years ago on March 3rd, 2017. For context: That's the same year that AMD's Ryzen 1000 series launched, and the strongest GPU at the time was the 1080 Ti. The comparison between now and then isn't even fair, with a mid-tier 7800X3D/4070 PC build outperforming a formerly high-end 1700x/1080Ti build by over 100%. (Source.) That's not to mention other advancements since then, including ray tracing, ML-enhanced upscaling, graphics pipeline enhancements, and more.

So to say that people were expecting a big swing from Nintendo here to bring it to at least the same level as its slightly older competitors was an understatement. And delivered they did.

According to the website, the Switch 2 now supports 4k@60hz and 1440p/1080p@120hz. The internal screen was also updated to contain a 7.9" display that runs at 1080p@120hz with VRR enabled. Alongside the new Nvidia SoC powering this thing, it absolutely earns Nintendo a seat at the big boy table, now able to support many modern AAA titles. (More on this later.)

But Nintendo hasn't been known for following the norm. They blaze their own trail, with quirky features and gimmicks than you won't find anywhere else. So what novel technology have they included this time?

Well, alongside the general spec bump, the console's controllers now have optical sensors on the connector, allowing them to be placed on a table and be used as mice in supported games. There's also a special new C button on the right joycon, which is used to toggle Nintendo's new built-in voice and video chat. That's right, The console itself now has a microphone built in, which can be used to pick up your voice without having to use a freaky headset in conjunction with your phone. They're also releasing a new camera accessory to be used for video chats and select Kinect-style mini-games.

The Switch 2 also comes with faster Wi-Fi and a larger internal storage drive by default (256GB).

Software

You all remember DS download play? Well guess what, they're bringing it back! Kinda. Certain games now support Gameshare, a new feature that allows you to lend copies of games you own to friends, so you can play with them. So long are the days of telling everyone to purchase Clubhouse Games so you can play poker together. Now only one of you has to buy it, and you can share it with everyone else. Fortunately, this feature will work with Switch 1 systems.

On the topic of game sharing, the operating system will also support Nintendo's new virtual game card system, which allows you to share copies of games with friends when you're not playing them. You can also use this to transfer licenses for games you own between consoles you own, in case you own multiple Switch systems.

But let's chat about what we all came here for: the games. Surprisingly, Nintendo Switch 2 is launching with a large amount of launch titles, learning from what I consider to be the biggest failure of the original Switch's launch.

First and foremost, backwards compatibility is included, albeit with some hitches. From my understanding it is hardware compatibility, and not emulation or a translation layer. Most games are compatible, but certain ones have bugs that prevent them from launching or performing properly; Nintendo has stated they're working with publishers to push out updates to fix them.

In addition, certain major games are getting re-released as Nintendo Switch 2 enhanced titles, which support the console's new resolutions and frame rates. A few examples are: Mario Party Jamboree, Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom, and Kirby and the Forgotten Land. New titles such as Metroid Prime 4 and Pokemon Legends Z-A will also launch with NS2 versions. Current owners of Switch 1 versions can purchase an Upgrade Pack to unlock the enhanced version.

At launch, the Switch 2 will not only support the four enhanced titles, but will launch with a new first-party title, Mario Kart World, which I can only describe as Nintendo's Forza Horizon, with an open-world and higher player count.

In addition, third-party partner launches during (or soon after) launch are really strong, including: Elden Ring, Hades 2, Street Fighter 6, Split Fiction, Madden, Hitman, Yakuza 0, Deltarune Chs. 1-4, Borderlands 4, Civilization VII, WWE 2K, NBA 2K, Enter the Dungeon 2, Cyberpunk 2077, FF7 Remake, Hollow Knight: Silksong, Star Wars: Outlaws, Raidou Remastered, Fortnite, a New Prof. Layton, Human Fall Flat 2, amongst many others.

Whereas Nintendo used to require publishers to develop trimmed-down versions or cloud versions of their games to run on the console, now the Switch 2 can run AAA games directly, and this lineup is them flexing their newfound graphical muscles. It's a really strong lineup.

Pricing

However, it's not all rainbows and Super Mario Sunshine. Where the value proposition begins to fall apart is the pricing. In fact, I'd even go so far as to consider it a slap to the face.

The Nintendo Switch 2's current MSRP is $449.99. Yikes. To put this into context, that's $50 more expensive than a PS5 digital version and the same price as an Xbox Series X digital edition. For a handheld.

Now, I'm not going to hammer this point home too much as we haven't seen any benchmarks or performance reviews yet, but I will say one thing: Even though the console can now play AAA games, I wouldn't expect 9th gen performance. The Switch 2 is going up against two consoles that suck down much more power and have much larger cooling solutions and still struggle to deliver the performance they promise from time to time.

Having a much lower TDP and a handheld form factor, there's basically no way the Switch 2 can go blow for blow on every title, unless Nvidia cooked up a godlike mobile graphics platform and saved it just for Nintendo. An extremely optimized first-party title might be able to hit 1440p@120hz, but I doubt most publishers are going to put that much time and effort into optimizing their– let's be real here– bloated games for a minor sector of the AAA games market. We'll see.

So to price the Switch 2 the same as its inherently stronger competitors is just crazy to me. Even just $50 less would have made it more appealing in my opinion, but at this price point, I don't know how much of the general populace is going to bite. And that isn't even the worst part!

Nintendo sheepishly announced on their websites that they are now effectively spearheading another industry-wide game price increase with the launch of this console. Flagship titles (i.e. Mario Kart World) now start at $80 MSRP, and lesser first-party and second-party titles (i.e. Donkey Kong Bananza) start at $70. Both of these categories now have an additional $10 upcharge if you'd prefer a physical edition. Meaning, game archivists (like myself) now have to pay just shy of $100 for a single copy of the base version of the new Mario Kart game.

It's unreal.

I mean, I've been playing the shit out of Monster Hunter Wilds lately, a game with a $70 price tag. Even being a lifelong Monster Hunter fan, I struggled with whether or not I would pre-order due to the cost. I only pulled the trigger once I found a 16% off pre-launch key on GreenManGaming, bringing it down to a much more reasonable $58. That said, there is approximately a zero percent chance you'll catch me spending upwards of $80 on a Mario Kart game that I'll play for maybe 20 hours total while hanging out with friends. I'm fine with MK8D, thank you.

And let's talk about the digital game upgrades as well. For Playstation or Xbox, upgrades for many games are free. Many times have I gone to my local GameStop to use my membership and get a used PS4 game for near free, then gone home to upgrade it to the PS5 version for no additional cost. The fact that Nintendo's charging a (projected) $10-20 fee per-game to upgrade to the higher graphics is insane to me.

"But what about the new features that come with the upgrade?" I hear some of the fanboys yelling from the back, to which I respond: Who cares? Breath of the Wild has been out for eight years. Online map sites have existed for near that entire time, and already tell you where each Korok seed and every other secret is. If you really need Google Maps voice navigation to tell you how to get from point A to point B in a damn video game, we've got a bigger problem on our hands. This sure isn't worth $20.

Finally, locking Gamecube emulation behind the new console is a dick move. I know the original can handle it, it emulated Super Mario Sunshine and Galaxy just fine! But to remind the readers, the new upstart cost to play Windwaker on the go is now $450 for the new console, plus $50 a year for the premium online service that contains the Gamecube emulator. For that same price, you can go down to your FLGS or Ebay and pick up a used copy for ~$85, dump it legally, buy a Steam Deck, configure it with EmuDeck, and play it that way. And you'd still have money left over, with no annual subscription fee.

I also hear some of you saying "But what about the tariffs?" which is a valid concern. I think today is supposed to be the day that more tariffs are put in place by our glorious leader. (Editorial: Yep, it happened. And the markets aren't responding well. Yay!) But I'm disinclined to believe that the higher MSRP is anticipatory pricing for multiple reasons:

First, global pricing seems to match up. (i.e. £395, €469, $629 CAD) People are quick to mention that switches in Japan are cheaper (¥50k/$333) and subsequently blame tariffs, however most of those comments fail to mention that those switches are both subsidized and region-locked. The international version is still ¥70k ($467), which is in line with the rest of the international MSRPs.

Second, all of the Nintendo games announced today have started doing this thing where they put asterisks next to their MSRPs in all of their promo material. Historically, they didn't do this; game pages just listed the prices. (Though, I should be fair here and say that certain games, like Animal Crossing New Horizons did do the asterisk, presumably due to the uncertainty of Covid-19's economic impact.) Point being, whenever economic hardships come into question, the asterisks come out. What's listed tends to be the base price, and the prices might go higher if tariffs or taxes are put in place. (Editorial: And they were. So there's that.)

So a $90 MSRP for a physical Mario Kart World might end up costing $100+ after all. Wonderful! And I won't even touch on Game-Key Cards here, but those are atrocious too.

Thoughts & Conclusion

Maybe my reaction to the pricing is a little bit reactionary, I'll concede. But it's setting a precedent that neither I nor my wallet are enjoying, and it ultimately leaves me... Confused?

For most of my life, I've loved Nintendo and their consoles, being a day-one adopter for many. Throughout this time, I believed that Nintendo succeeded where its competitors failed due to two main factors: being cheaper than the competition and having quality first-party games with exclusive IP. By pricing the Switch 2 and their games in the way that they did today, they totally destroyed one of those pillars. With the original Switch, you could also argue that the portability was part of the appeal, a boon that the Switch 2 lacks now that everyone owns the original and the novelty has gone away.

If you want to play major AAA titles, just buy the cheaper PS5 digital. If you want to emulate old games, buy the Steam deck and dump your games. If you want to play most Switch games, just buy the cheaper OLED edition. So... Why?

The only explanation in my head that makes sense is that this console was primarily aimed at introducing the Japanese market to the rest of AAA gaming. Hear me out.

Let me remind you that in Japan, the Switch outsold its competitors by nearly half an order of magnitude. As of late 2024, only 5.95m PS5 and 622k Xbox Series X/S units have been sold. By comparison, the Switch has sold over 36.8m units. (Source.) This is an insane stranglehold that I'm sure Nintendo wants to keep and third-party developers want to break into. So why not work with them to release a stronger console that can play their games and then subsidize it to increase adoption rate and exposure to new titles? Sound plan, right?

But as for everybody else embroiled in international economic conflict, uh... We hope the spec bump and our first-party titles are enough to lure new people in? I don't know. But I know lots of people (myself included) that didn't like the cost/benefit analysis of upgrading to OLED when that revision came out, and subsequently abstained. I imagine most of them will do that again and wait until Super Smash Bros Forever comes out as a Switch 2 exclusive in a year or two and forces everyone's hand.

I'm out, though. I touch my Switch maybe once every 3 months to play Mario Party or MK8D whenever friends come into town and that's it. And to be honest, I don't think it's worth $500+ to keep that going. I'm fine just playing my dump of MHGU on my Steam Deck.

Any thoughts? Comments? Concerns? "Well actchually"-s? Leave 'em in the comments below. I'd love to hear everyone's take on the matter.