I’m a few yr late to Nintendo Switch 2, which feels acceptable as a result of I’ve all the time been a yr, a era, or typically a whole childhood late to Nintendo. So by the point I made a decision to purchase Switch 2 this month, followers had not solely stopped discussing the launch line-up; they’d moved on to bickering over a brand new Zelda remake and stressing Nintendo is one Direct away from both world domination or collapse.
So right here I’m, late to the celebration once more, partly on account of my impression that Switch 2 was little greater than Switch in new garments replete with the identical rehashed franchise entries. Sure, I personal a Switch and nonetheless have a Wii, however usually I’ve been on the skin of Nintendo fandom, dwelling vicariously by means of my sister’s love of Mario and Zelda. I do know the characters, recognise the music, take up the tradition of Nintendo, however I’ve by no means actually been a part of it – it is by no means actually clicked.
So here’s me, loving the recent Direct and hovering over the ‘buy’ button and then die-hard Nintendo fans are, well… moaning. Spend five minutes online, and you’ll find Nintendo fans debating whether Switch 2 relies too heavily on familiar names; another Zelda, more Mario, and one too many old games remade. I understand that argument, particularly for anyone who’s been playing these series since the SNES era, but coming to Switch 2 from the outside completely changes the perspective, as the Nintendo catalogue still feels fresh to me.
What caught me off guard, though, wasn’t the software but the console itself that dodges the slightly toy-like feel of the first Switch. Nintendo has always understood that games should feel playful and approachable, but there was something about the hardware that never quite convinced me it belonged alongside a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X.
But Switch 2 has a completely different feel to the first Switch. It’s heavier than I expected; the screen feels substantial; the controllers snap into place with a satisfying confidence. It sounds ridiculous, but good design often lives in those tiny details, like the bleed of colour around the sticks and the way it clips and clunks satisfyingly. This is Nintendo, the game console brand, not the toy manufacturer, making a machine that can handle big, glossy games.
There’s also something reassuring about seeing this little handheld comfortably run games like Resident Evil Requiem and then pivot immediately into Nintendo’s own colourful first-party worlds without feeling compromised. For the first time, I look at Nintendo’s hardware and don’t immediately think about limitations but about what upcoming games can deliver, especially the gothic mastery of The Duskbloods.
But whereas Switch 2 can deal with large, meaty AAA video games, resembling Pragmata, and run splendidly, what I discovered was a reminder of why artwork course stays one of the crucial necessary instruments in sport growth, no matter how highly effective the {hardware} turns into. We’ve spent years turning graphics right into a guidelines of options like ray tracing, path tracing, increased resolutions, and quicker refresh charges, but taking part in my ‘day one game’, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, what sticks with me is not a rendering method however the design of the world, the form of a colossal alien construction rising from the desert, an enormous cannon rising from the within of a volcano. It’s the way in which easy, elegant structure appears to circulate naturally from its environment, making a world that feels each historic and futuristic, reminding me of Moebius or Killian Eng.
Metroid Prime 4 is aware of when to indicate off the tech the place it is wanted; working at 120Hz in 1080p or 60Hz in UHD offers all the pieces a fluidity that feels fantastic in movement, however what impressed me most was how little I discovered myself enthusiastic about the tech beneath all of it, and as a substitute, I stored stopping to admire the world and craft on present. There’s a confidence to the visible design that jogs my memory of older Nintendo video games, the place the purpose was by no means to overwhelm you with technical methods however to create locations that linger in your reminiscence lengthy after you have put the controller down.
Nintendo trusts its artists, and maybe that is what lastly made me purchase into the Switch 2. There’s a way that whereas the remainder of the business usually chases expertise, traits, and no matter is trendy in the mean time, Nintendo stays obsessive about craft. Sometimes which means revisiting acquainted sequence or making unusual choices no person else would make, like releasing the brand new Wario-like Pictonico! app, however usually it means constructing a whole sport across the pleasure of exploring a fantastically imagined alien world.
A yr after launch, Switch 2 feels contemporary, particularly for a newcomer like me, and manages to take a seat between different gaming manufacturers in a singular manner. Maybe long-time Nintendo followers are starting to tire of seeing the identical franchises return, and after a long time with Mario, Zelda, and Metroid, it is tougher to really feel that sense of discovery, however I’d urge them to take inventory of what Nintendo does that no different gaming model can do, and that’s to make you’re feeling one thing, all the time.