In this emergency issue of the Icebox, I must bring up the big event that happened last week. At long last, Nintendo has announced the successor to its groundbreaking Nintendo Switch, labeled with a “2” to mark the very first time that an ordinal number was used to describe a Nintendo console.
For several months, fans have been speculating the appearance and features of the console and whether or not Nintendo was even pursuing the development of another console for the next generation of video games. While many people assumed it would be designed in a similar fashion of the Switch due to its known success, some theorized that a completely new console might have been on its way.
I will not get into the details of the leaks and rumors, but let’s just say the entire console was successfully leaked ahead of time and that Nintendo only put the reveal trailer out spontaneously so that they could confirm or deny the leaks.
If you didn’t watch the trailer, you can check it out on Nintendo’s official YouTube channel. The trailer presents the console in a very intimate, ASMR-esque way just like when its predecessor was first revealed.
What is new with the Switch 2? That is a great question.
First of all, the console is slightly bigger. Unfortunately, the bezels on the screen are still horrendous. Unless an OLED Switch 2 is in the works, I doubt Nintendo plans to address the full-screen of the handheld console. The rest of the console seems to be pretty standard, though it appears there are now two USB-C ports and the kickstand is way neater.
The Joy-Cons are also slightly bigger and appear to have a few new features. The face of the controllers has a mysterious “C” button which was speculated to be a separate and improved capture feature. The sides of the Joy-Cons are now much larger and colorful as well. In today’s Joy-Cons, a common issue is that the side bumpers are very tiny and uncomfortable to use. The Switch 2 addresses this by making the buttons larger in width and more protruded. There also appears to be an optical sensor on the side of the controllers, indicating a possible mouse-like feature of the Joy-Cons which I find to be very intriguing.
The first time the Nintendo Switch was advertised, there was a large emphasis on the ability to “switch” between different modes such as tabletop, handheld and docked. The infamous click sound of the Joy-Cons became one of its defining features. Similarly, the Switch 2 has a new sound. The controllers now latch directly to the side without having to slide in and out. The mechanism appears to be like that of a computer driver in a motherboard. While there are some concerns as to whether this is even a good design, there are speculations that the mechanism is assisted by magnetism. If that’s the case, I am sure the Switch 2 will have greater structural integrity.
Another thing that was revealed in the trailer was that some games from the Nintendo Switch would be playable on the Switch 2. However, there was no indication of backwards compatibility and the trailer even mentioned that only select games would work from one generation to the next. Everyone hopes that the Switch 2 game cartridges are the same shape and that their software is available on the Switch 1.
Finally, Nintendo pulled a fast one by displaying footage from the next Mario Kart game in the trailer. They have yet to announce the new Mario Kart officially, but so far we’ve seen that some characters look different, the vehicles appear to be way less clunky and you can now race with 24 players in total.
Recently, there have been discussions about the pricing for Nintendo’s new console. It may cost up to $400, which isn’t ideal. Many people are not sure whether it’s worth purchasing in the first place. I think I am going to give it a chance since I already own a Switch that is seven years old and an OLED that is about to turn three years old.