I don’t think it’s time to Switch 2 the new era yet

In early April, Nintendo announced the successor to its Switch console: the Nintendo Switch 2.

During the reveal presentation of the new console, alongside the handful of titles being released on it, some features of the Switch 2 were showcased to viewers. One of them was the ability to voice call with other people playing the same game. While the Nintendo DS handheld systems had a similar feature, this is the first time communication by voice call is present on a Nintendo system. 

Another feature from the Switch 2 is when detached from the console itself, the Joy-Cons seem to be able to function like a computer mouse. This came up during a showcase for a new exclusive game called Drag x Drive, which is like a wheelchair basketball simulator. During the segment, the Joy-Cons were used to move the player character around. 

Speaking of the Joy-Cons, alongside the console, there are magnets to keep the Joy-Cons in place when attached to the console. This is a notable difference compared to the original family of Switch consoles, where the Joy-Cons had to be slid down to be intact.

Also, there’s two USB-C ports on the Switch 2, one located on top of the console and the other at the bottom. Both sides can be used to charge the console battery, but the bottom port is also used to connect to the Switch 2 dock while the top port can be used to connect other accessories. 

On that topic, there were a few accessories shown, including an accessory similar to the Kinect for the XBox One years ago, meaning motion control games will still be around for this era of Nintendo games. 

Despite all the new features, though, if I could choose, I’d rather just stick to the original Switch console family. This is mainly due to the console being more expensive than originally thought and not many exclusives being out for it right now. I do have to get the console later on, though, since I play the Pokémon video games competitively and will likely need to get the Switch 2 to keep competing in person.

While I did talk about the games in a previous piece, I want to state again there aren’t many games out exclusive to the Switch 2 as of writing. There’s only Mario Kart World, which in my opinion, doesn’t seem as enjoyable as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. It’s still enjoyable, of course, especially since I played the demo a few times, but if I had to choose, I’d play Mario Kart 8 Deluxe over the most recent installment. 

Other than Donkey Kong Bananza coming out last month, there aren’t any other exclusives catching my interest at the moment. At least other than Drag x Drive, which I mentioned earlier. 

Not the fault of the console itself, but Nintendo recently announcing price changes (i.e., price increases) for the original Switch family is souring my thoughts on the new console. 

While I plan to get the Nintendo Switch 2 console at some point, it’s more out of convenience and part of something I’ll need for my future. Otherwise, unless you’re planning to also play competitively at a Nintendo game, I’d just stick to the original generation of Switch consoles — assuming prices don’t get higher for any of them.