A few days ago, it was six years since the launch of Nintendo Switch. After the failure of the Wii U, Nintendo hit the mark with a hybrid gaming system, which brought together the innovative concept of previous home consoles with the company’s successful portable capabilities.
We have already seen the result. nintendoswitch accumulates more than 122 million units sold, and it is the third most successful console of all time. It is only behind PS2 and Nintendo DS.
Will he be able to reach them? It’s difficult, but we still have an exciting year ahead of us. In a few months, exclusives as powerful as Bayonetta Origins, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom or Pikmin 4 will arrive.
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However, it is no secret that Nintendo has been working on the successor to the hybrid console for years. Shuntaro Furukawa, president of the Japanese companyhas dropped it on several occasions.
We all wonder what Nintendo Switch 2 will be like. Will it be as powerful as PS5 and Xbox Series X? Will it be backward compatible with Switch games? Will it have major improvements at the hardware and software level?
For now nothing is confirmed. In this report we analyze the sections that Nintendo Switch 2 should improve from its predecessorto become the ultimate hybrid console.
10 skins, functions and features we want to see in Nintendo Switch 2:
Backwards compatibility with Switch… and something else
One of the most criticized aspects of Nintendo Switch, which on the one hand is “solved” thanks to the camouflaged compatibility with NES, SNES, Game Boy, GBA, Mega Drive and Nintendo 64 that is the Nintendo Switch Online service.
Nobody doubts that it is a hoot to be able to play Sonic 2, Ninja Gaiden, Metroid Fusion or Zelda Ocarina of Time on Switch. However, We are very sad that so many Wii U and 3DS classics are disappearing due to the closure of their digital stores.
It would be a great hoot if Nintendo Switch 2 rescued many of these titles, thanks to a ”Virtual Console” style platform, as happened on Wii, 3DS and Wii U.
Beyond this factor, let’s remember the statements by Shuntaro Furukawa (President of Nintendo) and Shigeru Miyamoto, about backwards compatibility between Switch 2 and Switch.
How to Unlock New Games on the Nintendo Switch eShop
Apparently, the successor to Nintendo Switch will be backward compatible with the hybrid console, since both will share the same format (cartridges). At the moment it is not 100% insured.
There is no doubt that it would be a great step forward, especially considering that PS5 is backwards compatible with PS4, and Xbox Series X | S is backwards compatible with Xbox, Xbox 360 and Xbox One (with exceptions, of course).
A more powerful Switch
In the last year real crazy things have been released on Nintendo Switch. We are not forgetting jewels like Bayonetta 3, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 or the ports of Nier Automata or Doom Eternal, which show that the Switch hardware is capable of more than we thought.
However, we do get the feeling that certain AAA games (such as the upcoming Zelda Tears of the Kingdom) may be too big and ambitious for the Nintendo Switch.
We know 99.9% that Nintendo doesn’t place that much importance on raw power (since the Wii days), but a leap at the technical level would undoubtedly be important with a view to sales, and above all to the development of new AAA first party.
From the illusion we imagine a Nintendo Switch 2 that supports 4K gameplay in Dock mode, while in portable mode it ensures a solid 1080p. Steam Deck is a good example that Nintendo should follow.
In relation to this matter, it is important to talk about the partnership between Nintendo and Nvidia. What can we expect from the American firm with Switch 2? We will see…
File to the Joy-Con Drift
A vitally important aspect. The Nintendo Switch controls (Joy-Con) turned out to be two little gems back in March 2017. It was incredible that two such small devices contained so many technological surprises.
The gyroscope and haptic vibration are two aspects that Nintendo Switch 2 should keep and update, of course. Maybe the first one (motion control) needs a little tweaking.
However, what you really need one solution is drift issues (known as Joy-Con Drift). Nintendo is aware of the problem, and it should be one of the points to polish in the successor.
Therefore, we expect Nintendo Switch 2 to offer an improved Joy-Con and promise drift-free operation. End to Joy-Con Drift? Let’s hope so.
more innovation
If Nintendo has been characterized by something in all these years, it is by the innovation in its hardware. With Nintendo DS, our heads were blown away, due to its tactile commitment and the use of the stylus, while the Wii was the authentic movement revolution, and 3DS the great commitment to this technology.
In the case of the Wii U, Nintendo adopted the use of a ”tablet” controller, which was a good but late idea. The opposite happened with Switch, whose hybrid concept conquered the world.
With Nintendo Switch 2, we’re sure the most revolutionary Nintendo will return. Not so much for the concept itself (it will continue to be a hybrid system), but we expect surprises in other areas.
It’s possible an approach to virtual or augmented reality? It seems like a long shot, but we can never rule out any move when it comes to Nintendo.
SSD storage?
Sony and Microsoft opted for SSD storage two years ago, copying the formula that was already taken as a reference in the world of PC Gaming. In this sense, Nintendo Switch was much more conservative in this regard.
Yes, it is true that Nintendo Switch OLED (the most advanced model) ensures 64GB of internal storage, but it is the same capacity that incorporates the basic model of Steam Deckand that in both cases it may seem somewhat limited for the growing size of the games.
Let’s remember that Tears of the Kingdom is the Nintendo game that occupies the most gigabytes at launch, a fact that highlights the storage problem. The idea of expanding storage with microSD cards sounds like a thing of the past. What if Nintendo Switch 2 finally adopted SSD storage?
Nintendo could follow in the footsteps of Sony and Microsoft, giving the opportunity to expand the space through external SSD drives (both official and third-party).
Changes in Nintendo eShop
Nintendo will remain true to its physical release policy. It is something that we do not doubt one iota with Nintendo Switch 2, but it is also true that the industry is heading towards a future marked by the digital format.
Already in recent years we have seen great improvements to Nintendo eShop (an example is the coupon system). However, maybe Nintendo should review the title screening system.
As in other digital stores, it gives us the feeling that there are too many titles available on Nintendo eShop, which is increasingly looking more like an iOS or Android mobile store than the PS Store or Xbox Store. There are also curious cases, such as the calculator app or the toilet paper game.
More platforms for the Mii
In relation to the innovative concept that always accompanies Nintendo, we cannot forget about social platforms such as at Plaza Mii. New Nintendo Switch users may not know it, but the hybrid console incorporates classic Nintendo avatars.
However, we think Nintendo Switch 2 could be put to wider use… and bring back the beloved Mii Plaza. This social platform was much healthier than current social networks.
On both 3DS and Wii U, Mii Plaza allowed you to interact with your friends and other players online. Besides, the laptop included Street Passwhich took the interaction to the same streets (as in Pokémon GO).
Hopefully Nintendo comes up with something new for enhance social functions of your new console. Time to time.
New features and interface improvements
Nintendo Switch has taken too long to receive features such as Bluetooth connectivity, game rewards (the mission system) or the option to create folders with our games. Of course, better late than never.
If there is something we want in Nintendo Switch 2 it is that these improvements are applied as standard, or at least not take so long.
It wouldn’t hurt to review them either. screen capture and video clip functions. Hybrid capabilities fit social media and streaming platforms like YouTube and Twitch like a glove, and it should grow in that regard too.
Nintendo Switch Online 2.0.
In the same way, since the launch of Nintendo Switch Online there have always been late (or missing) features, as well as an irregular online game structure.
Fortunately, we can say that Nintendo has been taking note to improve its online platform. An example are missions and rewardswhich provide avatars, icons, and cosmetics to decorate user profiles.
In recent weeks it has been rumored that Nintendo Switch 2 will use the same platform (Switch Online) as its predecessor. And this does not have to be something negative, far from it.
The great claim of Nintendo Switch Online (and its Expansion Pack modality) is backward compatibility with classic systems. The Game Boy and Game Boy Advance have recently been added to the party.
Is it possible that on Switch 2 we can play Gamecube titles? ¿The inclusion of Wii? Dreaming is free, and of course the Big N is on the right track in this regard.
¿Es posible Call of Duty?
We quote the recent statement of the CMA for this section. Nintendo and Microsoft have agreed that Xbox (and Activision Blizzard) games coming to Big N platforms in the next 10 years.
This means that Call of Duty, the quintessential war franchise, will make the leap to Nintendo Switch in the coming months and years. Is it possible to offer an experience to match on Switch?
We certainly think so. And even more so when we talk about a successor that will be more powerful, versatile and complete. Regarding this, we want to highlight that more and more multiplatforms are making the leap to Nintendo consoles.
There is still work to be done. What if someday AAA games like A Plague Tale: Requiem can be native? It has become clear that operating in the cloud does not pay off.
It is undoubtedly a technological factor, since Nintendo’s relationship with third parties is better than ever. More and more third-party games will make the leap to Switch, Switch 2 and future consoles Of the brand. And surely each time in better technical and playable conditions.
All the Switch games that Nintendo and its main studios are developing in 2023
Of course, this is a letter from the Magi, which we would like to see, and not “true truth”. We have done it before, in this report on the aspects that Steam Deck 2 should improve compared to its predecessor.
And Nintendo apply all these improvements, without a doubt we would be facing the definitive console for every gamer, so we “settled” with a few.
What will Nintendo Switch 2 be like? It is something we often dream of. But one thing is crystal clear: it will surely be a more polished, efficient and full of surprises system than Nintendo Switchso we can rest easy.
