OPINION: Nintendo has finally confirmed that the successor to the Switch will launch before April 2025, which means it’s only a matter of months away from release.
The Nintendo Switch has been a huge success, currently ranking as the third best selling console of all time. This means that the Switch 2 has a lot to live up to, especially now that there’s far more competition in the handheld market following the release of the Steam Deck.
With that in mind, I’ve created this list of the 6 features that the Nintendo Switch 2 must have in order to guarantee my purchase and become another success story. Check them out below:
Improved graphics performance
I love the Nintendo Switch and still use it regularly, but there’s no denying that its Nvidia Tegra chip is starting to show its age. There have been performance issues for first-party games such as Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, while the third-party offering has dried up in recent years due to the Switch’s inability to keep up with the PS5 and Xbox Series X hardware.
For example, Assassin’s Creed Mirage failed to materialise on the Switch, despite being playable on an iPhone 15 Pro smartphone. There’s also a growing number of third-party games on Switch that are only playable through the cloud, including Resident Evil Village, Hitman 3, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy and Kingdom Hearts 3.
I’m hoping that this cloud workaround will be a thing of the past, and the increased firepower of the Switch 2 should enable it to run more complex games. It should also open the door for first-party developers to be even more ambitious.
While a handheld system is always going to be more restricted than a home console, I believe that making use of AI features such as DLSS should allow it to push up performance as high as a 1080p resolution while still maintaining a healthy battery life.
4K output to TV in docked mode
I’ve heard some Switch fans say they’re hoping for a 4K upgrade for handheld mode, but I’d disagree on that point. You don’t really need that high of a resolution for a small 7-inch screen to make a noticeable difference, and upping the pixel count this high would have a detrimental effect on battery life. However, there’s no reason why Nintendo couldn’t enable a 4K performance when the Switch 2 is connected to the TV.
Right now, the Switch’s dock is essentially just a plastic docking station that makes it easy to hook up the portable to a TV. I think Nintendo should upgrade the dock to feature a powerful chip which could upscale the performance of the Switch when connected to the TV. This would theoretically enable the Switch to reach a 4K resolution on a TV without compromising on the battery life in handheld mode.
Now that 4K TVs are steadily becoming the norm, especially following the release of the PS5 and Xbox Series X, it’s a good time for Nintendo to finally make the jump. I personally think the 1080p output to a TV can look a little pixelated at times, especially since I own a 55-inch television. Enabling 4K mode on the Switch’s dock would immediately solve this issue, and make the succeeding console feel like a substantial upgrade.
Hall-effect joysticks
If you asked every Switch fan what is their most hated feature of the portable gaming system, it’s likely that Joy-Con Drift will rank very high. This is the term given to Joy-Con controller issue that will trigger unwanted inputs for the analogue sticks, potentially causing your in-game character to spin around in a circle or move in the wrong direction.
Joy-Con Drift can be caused by excessive use of the analogue stick, to such an extent that the mechanical parts begin to erode away. Nintendo sadly hasn’t been able to fix this issue, even with the release of the Switch OLED edition, but this should hopefully be rectified with the Switch 2.
The emergence of hall-effect joysticks has been revolutionary for controllers, as it uses magnet technology rather than physical contact to register your inputs, therefore greatly reducing the risk of wear and tear. If Nintendo were to implement the hall-effect technology into its next-gen Joy-Con, then it would immediately eliminate Joy-Con Drift for good.
Backwards compatibility
The Nintendo Switch has now been around for over seven years, and in that time, it has amassed a huge collection of games. It would be a huge shame if it wasn’t possible to play these games on the Switch 2, and so I have my fingers crossed that there will be support for backwards compatibility.
Having backwards compatibility on the Switch 2 would also ease the pressure on the new device to deliver a compelling line-up of launch games in the first year, allowing access to your existing Switch games.
I’m also hopeful that the Switch 2 could offer a performance or visual boost to older games. For example, if the Switch 2 supported 4K resolution in docked mode, I’d love to revisit games such as Tears of the Kingdom and Super Mario Odyssey in the enhanced resolution.
I’m also hopeful that the Nintendo Switch Online service continues to offer all of the NES, SNES, N64 and Game Boy classics, as I’ve loved being able to dip into these retro games on the portable.
Speedier loading times
One of my favourite PS5 upgrades is the transition to M.2 SSDs. This cutting-edge storage solution offers significantly speedier loading times, which has all but eradicated loading screens for modern games.
I’d love to see this upgrade arrive on the Nintendo Switch 2, as loading screens can still be pretty lengthy, especially for open-world games such as Tears of the Kingdom.
The PS5’s new SSD has also allowed for improved gameplay features, such as near-instant fast travel, and the ability to hop between game worlds in an instant, demonstrated best by Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart.
Sony has arguably underutilised the breakneck speed of the PS5’s SSD, but I can’t imagine Nintendo doing so, as it loves to eke every drop of potential out of every new innovation, whether it’s the motion control of the Wii or the 3D effects of the 3DS.
Customisable UI
I’m a big fan of the user interface of the Nintendo Switch, as it’s simplistic and easy to navigate, especially since all of the games are organised in a row, organised by the most recently played.
That said, I do wish that the Switch offered a tad more customisation. For example, I loved being able to set my own background on the PS4, offering more personalisation to differentiate your Switch from one owned by a sibling or friend.
It’s an obvious win for Nintendo in my eyes, as it could not only sell fun wallpapers on its digital store, but also provide special edition variations through Amiibo as an extra incentive.
