The rumor had been circulating for a long time, to the point of making this Arlesian the star (but absent) of the CES show in Las Vegas. It was finally confirmed on Thursday. Nintendo will launch a new console that will succeed its successful Switch.
The Switch 2 is now official. The Japanese manufacturer revealed its general lines in a video that lasted just over two minutes. Little news compared to the multiple leaks that have marked recent months and the impression of seeing the famous Switch Pro that has been rumored for years in real life. But it will be a new larger model, normally more powerful, but returning to the successful concept of the console sold more than 146 million units.
To find out what it will be capable of, we will still have to wait until April 2 and the meeting set by Nintendo to say much more about its possibilities, its functions, its interface and, above all, its future catalog of games.
Aged, but still effective
It must be said that the renovation was long overdue. Released in the spring of 2017, the Switch will celebrate its eighth birthday, more than the seven we usually attribute to a console generation. However, good foot, good eye, he always handles his ship fluidly. It must be said that the games released at the beginning (The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey in mind) haven’t aged a bit and are still as effective as ever. This is the strong point of the Big N and its titles that graphically go against the grain of the technical skill competition of other manufacturers.
Nintendo has its (familiar) recipe and applies it again and again, with its touch and the permanent success that derives from it. You don’t buy a Nintendo console for the same purpose as a PS5 or even a PS4. Hybrid console, capable of rotating in the living room to occupy the children, in a portable version to spend time in transport, or separating the controls to play with several people in all situations, has demonstrated its versatility and its different uses.
Its portable format ended up being emulated and gave rise to the market for portable consoles for PCs that understood the potential of being able to expand your gaming experience on the move, with the same games that you started on your computer, or even on your game console. living room (Playstation Portal, Xbox console streaming or even cloud gaming). A competition that could leave Nintendo indifferent if it didn’t tickle some of the Switch players. Those who may have started playing video games with it in 2017 and are now teenagers eager to tackle more ambitious games that the technical limitations of the Switch do not allow.
Growing with your players
Because at almost eight years old, the Switch has seen the growth of many players who may want to exchange Mario Kart For Forza Motorsport, Gran Turismo or any other racing simulation game, the adventures of Mario and Luigi for the ultimate Assassin’s Creed, Baldur’s Gate 3 or even Final Fantasy. “More mature” games that are easy for them on PS5 or Xbox Series, because they cannot be compatible with the Nintendo console.
To avoid losing them, possibly reaching the parent players who until then had been determined to give in to the family Switch and indulge in independent games instead of blockbusters, the Kyoto company needed to offer new blood that could be accompanied in particular by a capacity increase. If multiple rumors are to be believed, the Switch 2 could offer performance close to that of a PS4 Pro or Xbox One in terms of value.
The Switch 2 will not compete with the most powerful consoles. This is probably not your ambition and even less your interest. But she was forced to move up a category to compete. First by correcting the flaws of its predecessor, although the Switch Oled version had improved some of them (unreliable Joy-Con sticks, restricted screen, too small rear leg, a single USB-C port, etc.). It now gives the impression of having a more acceptable and refined v2, probably at the cost of a price increase.
Even if it doesn’t play in the same league, in an era of high-end graphics, power and increasingly beautiful and ambitious games, there was a need for the Switch 2 to be a credible and solid alternative. It probably won’t be a revolution compared to its predecessor, but rather a welcome bubble of fresh air and renewal. The optimized idea that younger gamers have the right to their “home console”, maintaining the concept of a console for gamers of all ages and all desires, certainly more than before. The catalog will now have to follow.
Play more together
Nintendo has hinted at a new installment of the franchise Mario Kart during his first presentation that does not contrast drastically with Mario Kart 8 Deluxea successful Switch game inherited from WiiU. Better (Donkey Kong revamped), more efficient (apparently up to 24 players, new gameplay options), but nothing that will blow you away. But that was undoubtedly what gamers wanted: to have peace of mind about their future at Nintendo, but to be able to see the future of video games taking shape for them too, without changing a proven recipe.
Now we will have to wait until April 2 to find out everything about this new Switch 2. And Nintendo may have kept its best assets up its sleeve for this presentation, in which we may understand that the Switch 2 comes with its true novelty. , as is the case with all Nintendo consoles. This time, perhaps it’s all about the player experience.
For months, the brand has focused on multiplayer gaming, collaboration, multiplayer gaming, sharing and communication. A change we hadn’t seen since Mii StreetPass, this Nintendo 3DS option that allowed you to see the Miis of players you had encountered during the day appear and try to start a community effect. What if it was the interface and the way of playing that Nintendo was betting this time on to change the face of video games? Response before the end of the year.
Source: BFM TV
