Nintendo Switch 2: A Cautious Evolution That Could Redefine Gaming

We also observe an additional button on the front of the right Joy-Con, situated beneath the Home button. Although this is unmarked in the teaser, it may offer some kind of “C-button” capability, which Nintendo has utilized in various iterations on the N64 and GameCube previously. It’s also significant to highlight one particularly sharp shot focusing on the left Joy-Con thumbstick rotating—could this be meant to indicate enhanced thumbsticks for the new era, possibly utilizing Hall effect technology? Considering the drift problems that affected the original Switch, it would be a wise choice on Nintendo’s part.

Photograph: Nintendo

The most significant alterations to the main console itself, aside from the enlarged physical dimensions, include the inclusion of an extra USB-C port on the top and a new U-shaped kickstand. While the former is a fantastic improvement, offering the potential to accommodate additional accessories, the latter appears somewhat fragile—superior to the stub that supported the original Switch but less robust than the Switch OLED’s sturdy back-panel kickstand.

Referring to the OLED Switch, and judging solely from the thick bezel displayed in the Switch 2 reveal, the new console might be reverting back to an LCD panel. Once more, this has been speculated for some time, but it will be challenging not to view it as somewhat of a regression.

The most encouraging aspect from the revelation, however, is Nintendo’s immediate assurance of backward compatibility with current Switch games, both in physical and digital formats (though a few as-yet unspecified exclusions may apply). This is excellent news for gamers who have invested a significant amount of time over the past decade building their collections, and serves as another example of Nintendo’s understated confidence and continuity. When you’ve accumulated 1.3 billion software sales for your tremendously successful platform, why jeopardize losing those customers?

And that appears to be Nintendo’s approach for Switch 2, in essence: If it ain’t broken, why repair it? Players cherish the Switch as it currently stands, the company’s main rivals are all mimicking it to varying degrees, and all indications suggest that “more yet better” is a persuasive selling proposition. It’s a cautious approach—but it doesn’t necessitate doing anything beyond that.