Happy to see that Nintendo is treating the switch more like how they traditionally handled their mobile platforms instead of their consoles.<p>Iterating instead of throwing out everything with each new version. There is a part of me that is going to miss the, do weird shit and see what works, Nintendo that brought us some really fun ideas. But a stable Nintendo just being able to continue putting out great games has its advantages.<p>I am curious about the specs, but honestly don't care much. The only real issue the Switch had was being able to keep up with some of the games put on it with FPS but it still had beautiful games (like Tears of the Kingdom). So as long as it is actually a decent spec bump I am happy and have zero care to compare it to the other consoles (but I am sure people are going too and scream that it is "underpowered").<p>The biggest thing I am curious about, will it be OLED since that will be disappointing to go back to non OLED from the OLED Switch. And Price.
Let me just say what I'm seeing here... Folks can correct me, or add their own observations<p>* Screen is bigger<p>* Seems like it has a new texture<p>* USB-C port (on the bottom?)<p>* Another USB-C port (on the top?)<p>* Headphone jack<p>* Pull-out stand, supports multiple positions<p>* Bigger controllers<p>* New coloring on the controllers<p>* The built-in top buttons on the hold-it-sideways configuration appear to be nicer<p>* The controllers have a custom port to connect, and a little magnet-looking thing next to it<p>* The controllers seem like they can slide on tables like a mouse<p>* The controllers snap into the screen, rather than sliding down to lock<p>* Dock looks similar to the old one<p>* Controllers can slide into a pro grip, like before<p>* Physical Switch games slide in like they used to<p>Anything else?
I don't like the aesthetic as much as the Switch 1. Looks a little too sleek, too monochrome, not Nintendo-y enough. Other than the splash of color around the thumbsticks it looks like any number of those handheld Steam Deck-alikes that have been coming out.<p>That said I always wait for the special Zelda editions of Nintendo's consoles, so I don't know that I have standing to complain.
I've had a lot of frustration with Switch joy-cons. Not only drift, which has claimed a number of them, but also issues with the console not recognizing when they are attached, and one pair that for some reason the switch won't recognize when trying to use in the horizontal orientation. No doubt my kids have subjected it to hard use and probably a drop or two, but still frustrating.<p>It looks like they've added some reinforcement to the joysticks, and changed the connection with the main body to be magnetic instead of sliding in and out (which causes wear and tear on the connectors over time). I hope the Switch 2 is more robust than the original Switch.<p>Some extra horsepower would also be appreciated. Recently we were trying to play Switch Sports with 4 players, and even my kids who are generally oblivious to graphical fidelity and framerate were complaining that it was basically unplayable in 4-player split screen.
I was pretty skeptical about the original Switch but bought it on a whim after being laid off.<p>It quickly became one of my favorite gaming consoles. The ability to play anywhere didn’t seem like a big deal until I could do it.<p>I have zero interest in being tied to a single spot like the traditional console experience now.
At this point I'd be hard pressed to consider this over my Steam Deck. We will see the specs later but I doubt it will really compete processing-wise or screen-wise.<p>The openness (full arch desktop) of the Steam Deck is also awesome while having a great UI that you never have to leave if you don't want to.<p>EDIT: I mistakenly called it "fedora desktop", my bad
Relevant: <a href="https://www.nintendo.com/successor/en-us/index.html" rel="nofollow">https://www.nintendo.com/successor/en-us/index.html</a><p>Nintendo Direct focused on Switch 2: Apr 2nd.<p>Looks like joy-cons will have 'mouse-like' functionality and there's a 'C' on right joy-con but its functionality is not reveled. New Mario Kart showcased would probably be one of the first exclusives.
I’m glad to see Nintendo found a form factor that’s kind of gimmicky that actually worked. The Wii and Wii U were too gimmicky, but portability was a great choice. I’m also glad to see backwards compatibility.<p>I’m excited to see what kind of hardware improvements have been made. The switch came out in March 2017, just about 8 years ago. Just due to the way Nintendo games have their animated charm, they’re able to make their games look excellent on that hardware still. That said, I’d love to see how good a Zelda game looks on some new hardware.
Arg, they make the screen look absolutely huge with that large front glass panel during most of the video and I was thinking to myself, nice! But then at the end they actually show how large the bezels are underneath the glass and it is quite disappointing. Someday we'll have modern smartphone like mini-bezels (a few mm at most) in our handheld gaming consoles, but I guess not yet.
Relieved that they are just iterating instead of trying to go for something radically different like they did. Everybody is pretty happy with the current feature set, just add some stuff and get a nice power upgrade in there and you're all set for another 6 years.
A little sad about the lack of a rail compatible with charging existing controllers. Hopefully it's compatible with current gen controllers anyway given how expensive they are.<p>One of my favorite parts about the Xbox Series generation of consoles is that it's fully compatible with the previous Xbox One controllers.<p>It would be amazing if they could get their multi-gen multi-console save-sync to work nearly as well as Microsoft's so I could switch back and forth between my existing Switch and Switch 2 seamlessly but I doubt that's in the cards, this is Nintendo were talking about.
I wonder if they have a new control technique up their sleeve. Innovative gameplay and pushing new control ideas is one of Nintendo’s signatures. That said, being the switch 2, not a new console, maybe they kept it the same and just upgraded the processing and graphics hardware.<p>Looking forward to more!
Kinda tells us nothing, but I guess they got fed up with their supply chain leaking absolutely everything about the physical device before they could announce stuff.<p>I guess the direct will be interesting when they show some actually software and we can get a bit of a handle on what the device can actually do (although the MORE POWER type people are going to be disappointed, probably).
I hope I'll be able to pre-order one. I don't even care if they ship it right away. Promise me one within the first 2 or 3 years and I would be happy.<p>I know I'm going to want one and I know they are going to be snapped up by scalpers and be hard to buy at first. Fine. I just don't want to go through the stupid check Amazon, then GameStop, then BestBuy, then Walmart dance. Just let me order one and then not worry about it.
It seems like the days of revolutionary consumer electronics are over.<p>This looks nice, for sure. But it’s really more of the same. Not surprising. It does surprise me that there’s such emphasis on it, though. There’s the name, of course, and then the entire video is based around “it’s the same thing but a little better.”<p>Game console updates used to be big deals. The SNES was a revolution. PS2 was huge. Now… PS5? What’s different from PS4, again? Is there a 6? What’s different about that?<p>I don’t blame Nintendo or the others. I have no idea what they could do here they would be revolutionary. I think the design space has just been thoroughly explored by now and that’s where we are.<p>This pattern repeats all over the place. TVs are maxed out, with better visual quality than people care about, and size limited by wall space. Computers get a little faster every year. This year’s phones are last year’s phones with a minor performance bump and slightly better cameras. And again, I don’t see what they can do better, and that’s probably how it has to be at this point.<p>But it’s still a little shocking to see a company lean so far into the theme of “we made incremental improvements to this thing we released 8 years ago.”
Huh. I guess updated ergonomics / QoL stuff and confirmation of backwards compatibility counts as enough of an update over the last hardware refresh. But zero info on anything that could actually make this worth a buy. Granted, this <i>feels</i> like Nintendo who will do anything to not get dragged into PS/XBOX flops discussions. But without any real upgrade or even games announcements, I suppose most people will keep holding off their purchase decisions for now.
I'm so glad that they named this the "Switch 2" instead of going with something really stupid like "Switch U". It's simple and it immediately explains to the consumer what the product is.
I'll be really curious to see what the gpu specs are like since it'll likely be nvidia again. The original Switch was 720p but lets you bump up to 1080p when in docked mode, so developers had to restrict design to accommodate both modes, but nvidia could possibly do a dlss trick when plugged in so devs just need to worry about 1 render target that will get upscaled automagically.
Will Switch 2 games still use NAND memory that means your games will start failing after as little as 10-20 years of sitting on a shelf? <a href="https://www.nintendolife.com/forums/nintendo-switch/switch_and_ds_carts_dying" rel="nofollow">https://www.nintendolife.com/forums/nintendo-switch/switch_a...</a>
Shame the link isn't to <a href="https://www.nintendo.com/successor/" rel="nofollow">https://www.nintendo.com/successor/</a> so it would attempt to pick a video with the most appropriate date format.
A lot of people here are criticising Nintendo not showing specific details here, seemingly forgetting a few key points:<p><pre><code> A. The announcement is nothing more than a hype video, it obviously isn't intended to be the only marketing tool.
B. On the specifications front, Nintendo never focus on performance, and it's unlikely that will change now; their focus tends to be on games and features.</code></pre>
There was a rumor about an optical sensor on the side of a joycon that would turn it into a mouse. Is this out of the equation? This would have been awesome!
Have there been any leaks of the price yet?<p>We have gotten so much use out of our original switch I can't really imagine not picking it up, even if only to keep playing the games we already have.
My concern with this is that the joycob being larger won't fit the hands of younger kids anymore. The switch 1 joycon was the only one that allowed reaching the controller buttons and the stick (while held horizontally) for my 3 years old. All other controllers that exist are too big, clearly nobody tested with young children.<p>And I wish they had names for their arrow buttons, because when held horizontally it makes things very confusing: "press b" what is b?
The game is afoot.<p>There are many reasons why the portable factor is good, not least you can enjoy it riding the bus or laying in bed Saturday morning; you can play big games in spare minutes side by side with the rest of your life.<p>Sony's Vita was quite successful with titles like <i>Killzone Mercenary</i> which was as fun a shooter as you'll find on any platform, but Sony gave up on the form factor because of the phone fever sweeping the world. Fortunately the culturally Japanese games like <i>Akiba's Trip</i>, <i>Persona</i>, <i>Fate/Extella</i>, <i>Hyperdimension Neptunia</i> and such have jumped to Steam.<p>There's the Steam Deck and countless off-brand competitors, Microsoft is talking about a portable XBOX, Sony is planning a PS5P which sounds overly ambitious -- TV-attached consoles are becoming irrelevant when you can connect an XBOX controller to your PC and have a console experience, but much better, with Steam, GOG, Origin and other PC app stores.
This is a hardware reveal trailer. Nintendo likely released this because of all of the recent leaks, which have put their 3rd party accessory vendors in a weird position. More details will be revealed at the Nintendo Direct on the 2nd.
I don't think I can see myself ever buying a Nintendo console again. My switch collects dust. They are always substantially under powered and likewise their games are simple - aka quite easy to emulate. I would much prefer a mobile device that can "do it all" like a steamdeck which is able to run native games, run emulators, and also remote to a beefy desktop gaming rig for games with higher demands.<p>That being said I realize I am not the target market. Nintendo has always been a pretty safe bet for the "just works" department. They are great for kids or casual gamers.
The joycons seem to attach as easily as a MagSafe connector… but I hope they don't detach as easily! I wonder if the handheld ergonomics were battle-tested to prevent accidental joycon detachment while gaming.
How do Switch users feel about the joycons?<p>I'm not a gamer, but the original Switch joycons always struck me as overly complicated and expensive. It should be cheaper to manufacture and sell Switches with the controllers attached. Indeed, this is what they did with the Switch Lite. For games that take advantage of joycon functionality, Nintendo could have sold something like an updated Switch version of the Wiimote as an optional accessory.<p>Do users who are happy with their Nintendo Switch have a favorable opinion of the joycons, or would you be happy without them?
A mouse with an analog controller will make for a very powerful 3D manipulator, like a 3DConnexion SpaceMouse. Combine with the improved kickstand, it will be interesting to see what devs come up with.
Everyone is going to buy one of these as soon as they can ship them to them, so if the thumb sticks could not be intentionally engineered to fail this time, that would be great, thanks.
I like the image halfway down the announcement page that shows not only will your Switch 2 have larger controllers, but your hands will also be larger. Cool benefit, at the right price.
So I can only guess the reason why they didn't mention how much more powerful NS2 is compared to NS1, is because it is not that much more powerful?<p>I would guess only 30 to 50% more powerful
For those of us with zero interest in playing a console on the go I wish they would release a non-mobile version and put the money saved into beefier specs.
Looks like a new controller attachment system, maybe magnetic, except that doesn't seem robust enough for excited play.<p>I wonder what that means for spare controllers. It's a waste to make people go buy new extra controllers for multiplayer games. Maybe you can use your old Switch as a charger and pair via BT? Not nearly as nice as just sliding it on to pair, but hopefully reduces e-waste.
I've skipped a few Nintendo console generations, but may grab this one. Right off the hop I can catch up with a decent library. The draw is it would be nice for the kids.<p>Part of me was hoping it would be something more visionary, but maybe it's just not the right time. I noticed that competition is similarly betting on handheld devices.
The design changes showcased in the video are definitely a welcome improvement. As someone who owns both a Steam Deck and an OLED Switch, I find the Switch to be a bit too small for my hands, while the Steam Deck feels slightly large and bulky. Could the Switch 2 strike the perfect balance between the two?
Top comment says "There is a part of me that is going to miss the, do weird shit and see what works, Nintendo that brought us some really fun ideas."<p>I bet you that Nintendo will never release a Nintendo Switch 3. They do sequels in consoles (like they did the SNES), but after that they innovate.
Hopefully game saves will sync between Switch 1 and 2. It would not be great to have to restart games with 80+ hours or drag 2 consoles around with you to access your full Switch 1 library. I'm mildly optimistic given Switch 1 has online save backup capability for a lot of its games.
We got a switch a few years ago and it collected dust. The shop is overpriced (and slow) and I guess we aren't really into their first-party titles. I don't see what it offers against a steam deck except the aforementioned first-party titles.<p>edit: except the aforementioned first-party titles
Bright-colored controllers were so much better. Also the way they were attached before is much better.<p>Switch 1 was the work of art. This one looks like the work of A/B testing and “we are losing customers as they choose Steam Deck over us, so let’s make it look like Steam Deck”
I wish we could return to a Wii U like functionality where the switch could be used as a second screen when undocked. That was a really nice feature in games like Zelda where the controller in your hands displayed the inventory or a map.
Has anyone played any games besides Zelda / Mario Kart that actually felt complete and worth the money. I love love love the switch but getting really demoralized by the lack of titles I can play with friends; especially online.
Man, this video is giving me some serious Neverhood vibes.<p><a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Neverhood" rel="nofollow">https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Neverhood</a>
I think people are sleeping on Meta's compounding advantage in VR/AR. The Quest 3 is 15 months old, and it's wild how much it has improved over that time purely due to software and interaction model improvements. Aside from the recent bricking issue, I think the Meta Quest is accelerating at the OS level. I'm looking forward to Mario on Quest 4 or 5, but it will be a bit sad.<p>You can't see the shortcomings until you have the hardware, and once you solve those there is a next set of shortcomings. I think that road is longer and deeper than I had appreciated, Meta is the only company iterating fast enough to be serious about serving "normies".
I really hope my old switch controllers are compatible, at least via wireless. It would be a monetary and environmental shame if my six controllers became useless.
This thing is gonna get swallowed in an ocean of steam decks and other similar clones. Unless you want to play the third installment of Mario Kart 8, I guess.
This doesn't seem to stem out of an innovation cycle, so the biggest advantage for consumers is (IMHO) that prices of the current generation will drop.
can't help but smile watching the video<p>i expected a radical redesign, but this switch 2 is great too<p>can't wait to play old switch games on it, as well as new ones!
Why don't they just make 2 controllers that you can snap to the sides of an iPhone?<p>Edit: like this: <a href="https://www.apple.com/uk/shop/product/HRDG2ZM/A/backbone-one-mobile-gaming-controller-usb-c-2nd-generation" rel="nofollow">https://www.apple.com/uk/shop/product/HRDG2ZM/A/backbone-one...</a><p>Save the planet, reuse hardware.
Instead of commenting on the switch 2 characteristics, i just want to take some time to celebrate Nintendo, and to say how happy i am this company still exists although it went through difficult times.<p>As some comments point out, Nintendo is the only console/video games company that's been trying to do fun things instead of trying to come up with the most powerful console in the universe.<p>This is the gaming i like, i don't care for 3000 fps and 1000Ghz consoles, i just want to have fun :-)<p>So, yeah, thanks Nintendo, i'll be buying this Switch 2.
Honestly, they did exactly what they should have done here. Made a more powerful Switch with better hardware and backwards compatibility, with a clear and easily understandable name.<p>Regardless, the things they need to update/fix are all really just technical and UI design problems; Joy-Cons drifting and rails failing to work, Switch Online being a laggy mess for many games, the eShop being near impossible to filter or find things in, etc. If they can get those things fixed, and get some popular Nintendo franchises out within the first year or so, then this could be a huge success.
I get this is Nintendo, so it'll never be fixed, but I honestly hate having to buy Nintendo hardware just to play the three or four big-name platform exclusives per generation. It would be so much better for consumers if they would just abandon the hardware and be a regular games company
Sad they’re keeping at the same thing, I was personally hoping for a NEW thing like innovation but it seems like theyre just keeping steady at the same pace.<p>Of course looking back at the past this shouldn’t have been a huge surprise with their ds to 3ds to new3ds shenanigans
Honestly i was expecting a little more info. I get this is on purpose, to create hype, but not having a graphical demo, a release date... anything really more than the design, input ports, and joycons, seems too little.<p>And the direct in april seems too far away honestly.<p>All they showed is the things that leaked, i mean, to me (besides the confirmation of something that was obvious) is like nothing happened really. I know the same as yesterday + the plastic texture maybe and i have to wait almost 3 months for the next official info.
After 8 year, all we get an improved version? Do they not have anything else in the pipeline?<p>I'll probably get it, lol! Honestly, I'm a little disappointed. I was hoping for some wacky stuff!<p>Edit: Seems odd to get down voted.
I don't care too much about the hardware spec. That's not why you buy a Nintendo. I hope Nintendo modernizes its software. I am talking about the UI and its multiplayer user experience.<p>Preventing any modern chat/voice feature under the excuse of wanting to protect children from online danger is a laughable as it is solvable by expanding the parental control features.<p>I am optimistic regarding this as Nintendo seem have turned its vision to taking a bit more risks as hinted in games like Super Mario Wonder that try to innovate in the multiplayer space. You'd say that that is not much but very few would have foreseen such a move from Nintendo.
It looks so much like the Retroid Pocket 5 and other chinese android consoles that are all over the emulator space.<p>At least they've finally moved on.
That was a pretty boring annoucement. Yeah its cool how the elements on the device appear, but it gets boring when this is shown for both sides of the attachebles controllers. They have the opportunity to show e.g. exclusive games which would now look and perform super duper on the new hardware, because of a better resolution opr maybe HDR, but nothing like that? Or a comparison of the old one with the new? I think its a bit thin...
Disappointed that it doesn't look to fix the biggest issue I have with the Switch, which is that docking it feels awkward and clumsy. You have to blindly line up a USB-C port/connector, and that seems to be the same approach they're going with here. At least the Joycons look like they'll be a little smoother to attach/remove.
Please tell me the joycons are built with a more robust analog stick… it was hard to tell if they changed at all in this video. That’s about my only gripe with the switch, those sticks drift so badly if you so much as look at them.
The giant 2 is a bit obnoxious. Other than that everything looks good.<p>And for the love of God Nintendo you better be using hall effect joysticks for this one. Can't imagine the amount of e-waste they generated with the Switch joycons.
1. Looks boring. I want my washing machine to look boring, not my fun entertainment device.<p>2. It's literally the same thing they released 8 years ago, except the electronics are new. In 8 years they did zero creative progress. "People don't want cars, they want faster horses".<p>3. Switch was already huge, this thing will be giant, so it will be portable as in "portable fridge".<p>This will probably sell well because Switch sold well and the brand is strong, but honestly, I don't see any reason to buy this thing. They're basically reinventing a gaming laptop, except with Nintendo first-party games.