While there\’s no official information about the Switch 2 yet, I\’m not as excited about the announcement as many other gamers. Rather, I\’m still happy with the original Switch.
What we know about the Switch 2 so far
To be honest, we know almost nothing about the Switch 2, as it hasn\’t been announced yet. Thanks to Nintendo\’s financial reports, we know that the new Switch console will be announced before the end of the current fiscal year, which is March 31, 2025. So we\’ll likely get some official information in the next six months, leaving plenty of time for a holiday 2025 release.
Everything else you\’re hearing is just rumors. Last year, Nintendo reportedly showed tech demos of the new system to some developers, with specs similar to the current PlayStation and Xbox offerings. And online detectives have been paying close attention to what parts Nintendo has ordered, speculating that these are for the new system.
But none of this has been confirmed and, again, without an announcement, we don\’t know what exactly we\’ll see on store shelves when the system arrives.
The game announcements aren\’t very helpful either. While you may see some upcoming titles (like the new Pokémon game) talked about as being on the \”Switch console,\” that doesn\’t indicate a release date for the Switch 2, because the Switch OLED and Switch Lite exist. They may not be the new generation of the system, but they\’re still the \”Switch console.\”
Why I\’ll keep playing my Switch in 2024
When you\’re a busy adult like me, hearing all these unfounded rumors about a new system isn\’t that exciting when there are already so many games to play on the original Nintendo Switch, and new titles keep coming out every day.
My most anticipated title of 2024 was Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, which released in May, and I haven\’t even finished it yet. Even if I did, I\’d still have plenty of options to choose from this year, as we\’ve also seen releases like Ace Attorney Investigations Collection, Amio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club, and Luigi\’s Mansion: Dark Moon.
And these are just the games I\’d personally love to play. I\’m sure some of you are excited about titles like The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, Super Mario Party Jamboree, Sonic X Shadow Generation, and Mario & Luigi: Brothership.
Seven years later, the release schedule for the original Switch hasn\’t slowed down in the slightest. In the past, one of the major reasons for buying a new video game console was that they stopped releasing games for your current console, making an upgrade a must if you wanted to keep up with the latest and greatest titles.
But even rivals like PlayStation and Xbox haven\’t stopped releasing games for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Indeed, that\’s why I haven\’t stopped playing my PS4, because with the exception of a few exclusives like Spider-Man 2 and Final Fantasy XVI, every game I\’m interested in is still being released for the older system.
What it takes for me to get excited about the Switch 2
I\’m not saying I\’ll never buy a Nintendo Switch 2. The original Switch is, after all, an eight-year-old system using hardware just as old as Nintendo itself. I play games on my phone that look just as good, if not better, than the Nintendo Switch. A new system could provide the spec boost that will get me off my Pixel 7.
Even the Nintendo Switch OLED, released in late 2021, made some changes that really enhance the Switch experience, showing that the system has a lot of room to grow. The new screen was fantastic, and I even liked little touches like the wide kickstand. An entirely new generation of Switch consoles could make even more design changes that might encourage me to carry a Nintendo system again.
Of course, we\’re all interested in what the Switch has to offer on the inside. Nintendo has never been a leader in terms of graphics, preferring instead to focus on better gameplay. But that doesn\’t mean it can\’t make Zelda and Mario better.
Right now, when I want realistic graphics, I always gravitate towards my PlayStation, but it would be nice if I could rely on my Switch instead.