My Nintendo Switch 2 Direct Reaction
A New Era for the Big N
Admitted Nintendo super fan here, and I obviously am excited about the launch of a new Nintendo console. After years of hope and wait, the Nintendo Switch 2 is finally a thing. Unfortunately, unlike past new system reveals, I was stuck at a very busy day at work and had to mostly listen to the direct instead of watching it. Well, I saw all the social media discussions and debates after the event and watched it for myself after work to get a sense of how I felt.
The System
I am pleasantly surprised by how much of an upgrade this system is over its predecessor. While it’s hard to fully understand the graphical power of the system at this moment, taking into account the Nvidia and AMD differences and the difference in graphical architectures compared to PS4 and Xbox One, it seems to me that the system is best described as a PS4 on steroids, coming close to PS4 Pro power. This aligns with what I expected the system to be. However, there are some features the system revealed that genuinely blew me away.
The main feature that shocked me was the 120 Hz display with HDR support that they put on the display. Yes, most smartphones have these, but I figured Nintendo would go cheap and stick to the same display as the original Switch, just larger and slightly more vivid. Instead, the Switch 2 will come with a solid screen that should make gaming on the go easy on the eyes. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond in a 120fps mode is nuts. If anything, I think this will be the underrated feature people learn to appreciate, similar to the Quick Resume on Xbox Series consoles.
Other features include a voice chat system and proper online features. Yes, I saw the jokes and snipping about how long it took Nintendo to get here, but I’m just happy they finally gave it to us. Of course, I’m a single-player guy, so it doesn’t affect me, but I’m happy for the gamers who have wanted it for many years. The mouse feature was confirmed, and while I think it is possible to become gimmicky, it could prove more of a success than we think. Last but not least, there are the Switch games with upgrades. I didn’t expect Nintendo to have updates that cleaned up the original Switch game’s images and gave them better performance. The price upgrade sucks, but since Sony got away with it, I see why Nintendo did it. To my surprise, this is what Nintendo relies on when it comes to Metroid Prime 4: Beyond instead of a native Switch 2 port, but I’m okay with it because that game already looks pretty good.
The Games
The third-party announcements dominated the event much more than I thought they would. We got a slew of games rumored to come to the system, but now they are official. Titles like Elden Ring, Final Fantasy VII Remake Integrade, Street Fighter 6, Cyberpunk 2077, and more showed that Switch 2 could handle some big-name ports. Even after the event, more games like Star Wars Outlaws were confirmed. The Switch 2 will get a good chunk of major AAA third-party ports, and you can see the industry does not want to come to the system late as it did with its predecessor. One surprise was announcing a collaboration between From Software and Nintendo on a new IP called The Duskbloods. I wasn’t too happy to later find out it’s a multiplayer game, but it’s still a huge deal for these two Japanese software juggernauts to be teaming up like this.
Of course, what we buy Nintendo systems for is their games. However, Nintendo didn’t blow out a lot of new ones. They did show a reasonable amount, but not to the level many expected. We did get GameCube games coming to the Switch 2’s NSO service, which alone is pretty exciting. We also got a better look at Mario Kart World, a mix of Diddy Kong Racing and Forza Horizon. As expected, it's a launch title and a system bundle with the game included. We also got Kirby Air Riders, the long-awaited sequel to the cult hit Kirby Air Ride. Nintendo also showed a tech demo game you must pay for, which is a mindboggling decision as it screams pack-in title. Last but not least, the show ended with a full sandbox-style Donkey Kong game! Donkey Kong Bananaza looks incredible, with a new design for the character and destructible environments. It’s been too long since we got a proper new Donkey Kong game, and while Mario not getting a Switch 2 adventure first is a little weird, the big ape should tie people over until then.
As for why we got more third-party over first-party announcements, my theory is that the system launching on June 1st came too close to the planned summer direct, so Nintendo decided to hold off on some announcements until then. I highly recommend you tune into that one, as there will surely be some megatons.
The Price Debate and Discussion
As fun as the event was, the discourse after the show primarily focused on the pricing. This led to people threatening boycotts, showing disinterest, defending the system, and debating where pricing in the industry is headed. I plan to release a more thorough article about this subject as it’s a much more complex issue than the typical social media bubble is making it out to be, but I will tell you how I feel about it in the context of today. The system’s $450 price hurts but is not necessarily shocking. Anyone following the news knows that companies are preparing to deal with the tariffs the current American administration is about to put on countries worldwide. And while I know people hate hearing this, it’s just facts; when you adjust for inflation, the $450 price is around the average console launch price. The real surprise for me is that Nintendo historically aims to be the lowest possible price. As I said, I do have plans for a more detailed article about the subject, but I’m going to say that this price is for one main reason: geopolitics and the reality of doing business in today’s world. That being said, in yet another personal surprise, people online didn’t seem to mind the system's price - the games are a different story.
As expected, many of the Switch 2 games will be sold at the new standard $70 price point. However, the revelation that Mario Kart World would be sold at $80 triggered a series of debates. There’s a chance Nintendo aims for $60-$70 for their games, but the big boys like mainline Mario, mainline Zelda, and so on get the $80 price. I will say that I don’t think Nintendo does this without some inclination to some upcoming price increases. There’s also talk that digital games may end up $10 cheaper as the norm compared to physical, again a product of the tariff war. I want to clarify that I am not “defending” these Switch 2 prices; I’m simply pointing out the very real geopolitical realities, and that’s before we get to the rising costs of making a game. Plus, to show you I’m not doing “fanboy” stuff when discussing this, I will be the first to point out that the prices for the Switch 2 edition upgrades are ridiculous and shouldn’t be that high for older games, upgrade or not.
In the end, there’s a much bigger discussion to be had here regarding these prices and what that means for the industry, but again, I will write an article that better tackles it.
Overall, I’m excited to get a Switch 2. Will I get one in the launch period? Unfortunately, that’s a no because of finances and the fact that it may be tough to find. Will I get one by the end of the year? I hope so, and at worst, I’ll have one by early next year. A new Nintendo system - hell, any new system - is always exciting. I’ve loved the Nintendo Switch; in my opinion, it's the best overall NINTENDO focused console, but I’m ready for this new era.
Be Nice to All
A new Nintendo launch is always an exciting time. The price debate isn't going away but if they can keep the focus on their games they might be able to negate it somewhat. Be interesting to see how everything has shaken out in a year from now.