Nintendo's realm is now a multiplayer battle
People are eagerly awaiting the Switch 2, but gamers have way more handheld options than they did in 2017.
Nintendo gave the first detailed look at the Switch 2, it’s long-awaited follow-up to the Switch, it’s best-selling home console of all time. Among the features:
A slightly bigger 1080p screen and 4K resolution when playing on a TV.
Controllers that can also be used like a mouse, which may make bringing PC games to the Switch 2 a bit easier.
A button that automatically opens up a Discord-like game chat, along with a camera attachment that can be used for video chat and streaming.
A custom Nvidia-made processor that is presumably more powerful than the Switch’s aging hardware, though no technical specs have been released.
Previously announced “Virtual Game Cards” that will not only let players bring Switch games to the new console, but let them lend out digital games like they would physical ones.
Big picture: When the Switch launched, it was the first to offer home console-level gaming in a portable format. Now, the handheld market is much more crowded with more capable competitors. The Steam Deck was an attempt to get PC gaming power in a handheld for people intimidated by the cost and technical knowledge needed to build a computer themselves. Since most games are available on PC, that offers a level of versatility Nintendo can’t match.
The Steam Deck’s success has gotten several computer makers to make their own effort at a gaming handheld, including Asus and Lenovo.
Both Sony and Microsoft are reportedly actively developing new handheld consoles to get in on the market.
It’s in the game: The first Switch’s hardware is not as powerful as competitors, so games requiring robust processing were not released on the console. But this became an inadvertent experiment that proved something many have long thought about the company — a Nintendo console could be successful on the strength of its owned franchises (and, to a lesser extent, indie games and re-releases that don’t need expensive hardware).
The Switch’s 50 top-selling games have sold over 624 million copies. All but six of them were published by Nintendo.
At launch, the Switch 2 will have new games in the Mario Kart, Metroid, Donkey Kong, and Pokémon franchises, as well as revamped versions from series like Legend of Zelda and Kirby.
On the third-party front, Nintendo landed Hollow Knight: Silksong — a sequel that has become a bit of a running joke for how long fans have been waiting for it — and The Duskbloods, a Switch 2 exclusive made by FromSoftware (FromSoftware’s Elden Ring, one of those hit games that wasn’t available for Switch, will get a Switch 2 version).
Money talks: The Switch 2 will cost US$450 when it’s released on June 5 (Canadian pricing has yet to be announced). The company has made a habit of pricing its consoles below competitors, but U.S. tariffs and inflation likely pushed the price up.
By comparison, the PlayStation 5 base model was US$499 at launch in 2020.
Possibly a more comparable device is the Steam Deck, which runs US$350 to $649, depending on the model, though its dock for playing on a monitor is sold separately.
Unrelated, but still neat: To hinder scalpers, Nintnedo is only making Switch 2 preorders available to people who played the first Switch for at least 50 hours as of today.