We finally know what the Nintendo Switch 2 looks likeand cor, is a looker. Instantly recognizable as a successor to the Switch, but slimmer. More precisely. More mature. Still a splash of color on both sides to say, 'yes, I'm more powerful now, but I can have fun with the kids when I want to'. Like a law firm executive who still sees the kids on the weekends.
While the Switch is a vibrant burst of joy in the console space, the Switch 2 is that same happy guy, but with real work, now. Maybe a mortgage. This is everything I wanted to see in the Switch 2 release.
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Now, many will look at this and think I'm completely missing the point of the Switch, aesthetically. This black piece of Air Force One is not intended for adults. Kids are supposed to see a mile of it and go, “yeah I love Mario, I'm literally five.” These people do not live in the real world. The average five-year-old is more likely to run towards a bottle of blue WKD and a mobile phone in today's Britain than a colorful console. The Switch 2 fits the real world we live in, ready to enjoy New mario kart or an old game of Splatoon among players like a bear trap.
Those people would also be ignoring, well, the Switch 2 Yes still colorful! Yeah, it's not completely red or blue like the original Switch. However, compare it to the plain white PS5 or the Xbox Series X | S is mostly mono-colored. Pull up images of both very quickly (but keep this tab open and come back quickly, yes?) You can see that the Switch 2 is still much more interesting to look at than the other modern consoles. You don't have to go wild to add some pop to your console. This is true of clothes, cars, houses, tattoos… Anything you can think of.
This color scheme also helps to differentiate it from other handsets out there. There are some out there, I won't name who, who said the Switch 2 looks a little too near the Steam Deck. These are people who see traces of Gabe Newell everywhere, playing 20-year-old RPGs alone at airports. The same type of person who is still upset that the Source engine has not been adopted by every developer in the world. They are the ultimate victims, and they deserve pity rather than anger.
Instead, I'll say this: why pit our two First Ladies of handheld hardware against each other? Yeah, they're both portable consoles but the Switch 2 has a D-pad below the left analog stick. There aren't those weird square panels on either side. As previously established, it has a more colorful feel. And anyway, the units are aimed at two different markets, innit. If you want to aim worse than the rest of your team while playing Legends of Apex and your team to be deceived, the Steam Deck is for you. If you want to have fun with the family you still talk to, the Switch 2 is over here. See, completely different.
Is it too far for Nintendo? Maybe. Some would argue that while it retains a lot of that fun from the Switch 1 in this new design, it loses some of that Nintendo magic. You could imagine another manufacturer making this thing. But I think, visually, it represents what the Switch 2 will be in the end: a home for party games and more casual experiences, but also a home for more adult games and that 300-hour. Stardew Valley save you can't let go.
It hits both worlds, and has to establish itself as a console for both mature people who still play games, and a younger audience who want to pick up their first console. I think Nintendo has done that with its clever, fun design.
A bigger screen, a little Joy Cons mouse, a little stand for you to put it down, more ports, and magnets (how do they work?). This is pretty much everything I wanted from the release of the Switch 2. Now, all that's left is to find out when we'll get a price on the thing.
If it's over £600, throw this all out the window, and I'll keep my old console instead.
