Switch 2: More of the Best or Simply Catching Up?

Let’s get this out of the way, the Switch 2 is underwhelming. On paper, it's just a Nintendo Switch with a significant spec bump.

Nintendo is playing it safe with this release, and I don't think that's a bad thing, mostly because the Nintendo Switch 2 is really good actually. To me, this is reminiscent of going from the NES to the SNES. It's more of the same, just better in every way.

Super Nintendo Switch

Why isn't this thing called the Super Nintendo Switch? I mean, it would have been the perfect name right? Surely, internally it was discussed, because in my eyes that's what this is. It takes what the Nintendo Switch did, and elevates it to a new level. It makes the Stock Nintendo Switch, including the OLED feel like a toy. It just feels so much better in the hand, built so much better, runs so much better. It is an excellent upgrade. Honestly, I have very little bad to say about it, in fact, outside of the software problem it has right now, it's a no brainer to me that it is going to be my most used gaming device. I think the reason they went with the Switch 2 is to avoid the "Wii U" confusion, which I understand. I still think the Super Nintendo Switch would have been a better name.

There is an elephant in this room though. The price. I have a lot to say about the price of this thing, but before I do, I think I need to get into a little bit of context about me, my habits, and where I am coming from with this.

Handheld First

I have some pretty severe ADHD. Sitting still and gaming for a long time is something I can rarely do, and when I do, it's not particularly healthy. It becomes all consuming. Therefore, my entire life I have been drawn to handheld gaming. Something about being able to sit down with a sitcom on, play for 20 minutes, put it down, and pick it up resuming right away is one of the few ways I can relax.

So the idea of "console games on handhelds" has been what I have been chasing pretty much my entire life. I remember when the Playstation Vita promised console graphics in a handheld, and more importantly to me, the ability to stream PS3 games flawlessly right to the device. I was hooked. I was in the 10th grade when the Vita game out, working as a stock boy at a grocery store. I saved up ALL of my money for ages, and went to the midnight launch of the PS Vita.

The less said about the experience of using the Vita as console quality games in handheld form the better. The dream melted away pretty fast. This idea of being able to play Skyrim between classes, while in bed, while watching Friends re-runs though, kept true.

I found ways to make certain things work. I remember jailbreaking iPads to get emulators on them. I tried Steam Link when it came out, but the technology just wasn't there yet. I loved my 3DS, but I longed for more. The Wii U blew my mind. Being able to play Call of Duty and Mass Effect 3 in bed was a taste of what I wanted, but it wasn't quite there. Something was always missing. Another letdown.

Cut to a few years later. I move to the other side of the planet, in Sydney Australia. And I start hearing rumours of the Nintendo NX, their new console, basically delivering on the promises the Wii U made initially. I followed the rumours, I watched the livestreams. I remember launch day so vividly. I felt SO sick, but went to the midnight launch anyway. I remember getting home, and dropping in that Breath of the Wild cartridge in, and having my mind blown.

This was it. This was what I had been waiting for.

I played that launch day Switch until my fingers bled. I had moved out of gaming really, having moved to Australia, I simply couldn't afford it. I had my 3DS and old Vita and that was it. The Switch was a massive purchase for me at the time, and it woke something in me. For the first time in my life, I was properly finishing games. The ability to sleep and resume just meant I could grind through games 10-40 minutes at a time. Switch was king. It was the best.

Years have gone by since then. Nearly 9. I have a great job, disposable income. We have had a retro handheld boom. We have had a PC Handheld boom. Nintendo tried to keep up. The Switch Lite was wonderful. The Switch Oled was a worthy upgrade. The software they released was outstanding, but it was clear the switch was dethroned. It couldn't keep up anymore. Tears of the Kingdom was just a dogs breakfast in handheld. Or at least it felt that way to me, because I had gotten so used to other handhelds. It's wild, the AYN Odin, the AYA Neo Pocket, these cheaper android handhelds had so much more power than the Nintendo Switch ever could dream of. It felt OLD. I have acquired 30+ handhelds in my time, and I just stopped playing the switch. There's been no reason to.

The ROG Ally X, Lenovo Legion GO, AYANEO Pocket S, it's made the Switch obsolete. Now, though I shipped a SteamDeck in from Canada to Australia on launch, my SteamDeck had dozens of issues, that value refused to fix because I lived in Australia. (The power button didn't work for one.) So though I modded it and got it to a working state, I don't think highly of the SteamDeck. It's WAY too big.

And since SteamOS has launched on the higher end PC handhelds, it's been the nail in the coffin for the Switch for me. Having that quick resume work, cemented the Switch to the bottom of my handheld drawer. I almost started ignoring the big software releases of Nintendo since Tears of the Kingdom.

Catch Up

That's where I was coming into the Switch 2 launch. A bittersweet nostalgia of seeing this device be such a game changer, total catalyst of change in the handheld space, fall completely by the wayside. Let's not pretend the Switch 2 is something new. This is Nintendo catching up to the rest of the industry, and that's it. Not innovating, not even really surpassing, just catching up. The thing is it's all Nintendo needed to do. Nintendo makes GREAT games, so just having more headroom for performance and resolution is all they needed. The 120hz 1080p HDR screen is beautiful.

The Switch 2 replaces most of my PC Handhelds. It plays something like Cyberpunk 2077 better than them. It has no fuss. Its resume is better. Its screen looks better. (Than basically everything except the Legion GO). It's lighter, smaller footprint, but bigger screen. It has my entire switch library of, according to my Nintendo Account, 367 games.

It is disappointing that they run at like 720p, unless developers update them. However, I find myself getting further and further into Octopath 2, Star Ocean: Second Story R than I ever did on my PC Handhelds, despite them looking better on those devices. I am playing Monster Hunter Sunbreak again, despite putting 400 hours into the PC version on other handhelds. There is something magic about the Nintendo Switch 2. Its simplicity keeps brining me back for more. I blink, and I am back in the game. It's crazy how the small mental blocks keep me from playing. 9 years later, the Switch has still solved this in a way other devices haven't quite yet.

I know the next version of the ROG Ally or Steam Deck is going to blow this Switch 2 out of the water performance wise. I will get it. However, this spec bump will keep Nintendo trekking along for years doing what it does best. Making excellent games.

The Elephant

So the Switch 2 is super expensive for a Nintendo product. A brand new Switch Lite will set you back $250-$300 Australian Kangaroos. $440 for a Nintendo Switch, $500 for an OLED.

It's $700 DOLLARYDOOS for a Switch 2! Without any games! Which range from $99-$150 each here! (Yes, PS5 Games have been $120 dollars in Australia for years).

Now I just compared the Nintendo Switch 2, to PC Handhelds that cost an eye watering > $1500 AUD in some cases, (eg. the ROG Ally X is $1600 though often on sale to $1300.) So for someone like me, the Switch 2 is a no-brainer. It's cheaper than its contemporaries, and better than them in a lot of ways too. The thing is, I am 1% of 1% of gamers that is so into this stuff.

I have a hard time believing families are picking this up. To me, the Switch was never a "primary console" in a household. I reckon you'd have a PS5 or a Xbox as well. Right now on JBHifi, A PS5 Slim is $550. Nintendo has always priced their products very competitively, to gain this foothold in families. It's always been a no-brainer to have one in a house with kids. For the first time, Switch 2 feels like it was made for adults. For me. For people to have something to do between breaks, on the bus to work. I just have a hard time seeing a single mother buy one of these for their kids over a PS5 now. This is impressive tech, done really well. It's "worth" the money. That doesn't mean you should buy it.

I love it. I love what Nintendo is doing. But I worry it's either not enough to stay on top, or too much to stay relevant with families. I guess time will tell. Until then, I am going to keep playing more games that I ever could before.