OPINION: Nintendo has been coy over the Switch 2 with very little fanfare. Is that cause for concern? Or does Nintendo have an ace up its sleeve for the April 2 Nintendo Direct showcase?
There are few, if any, companies in the technology world that can live-up to the excitement and anticipation surrounding a new-generation mainline video game console from Nintendo.
Few can offer the same tantalising prospect of fun and enjoyment than the next set of big ideas from the Japanese gaming giant, or the sense that what happens during a one hour launch will set the scene for years to come. There’ll be new ways to play, new experiences to be had, and fresh takes that breathe life into some of gaming’s oldest characters. Of that we can usually be sure.
Even the new Xbox and PlayStation consoles feel less interesting by comparison, as you pretty much know what you’re going to get. As impressive as the demonstrations feel, it’s usually more of the same, just at greater fidelity with a higher frame rate. Oh, and much larger file sizes.
There’s the infrequency of these Nintendo launches too. They’ve happened just four times in the current century. The GameCube in 2001, the Wii in 2006, the Wii U in 2012 and the Nintendo Switch in 2017. We get a new virtually identical flagship iPhone or Samsung device every year, for example. Meh. So, a new mainline Nintendo console launch is something to savour.
Which is why I’m a little worried about the lack of fanfare from Nintendo itself ahead of its Nintendo Direct showcase on Wednesday April 2 where the Nintendo Switch 2 will be revealed in full.
Why so modest, Nintendo?
The hardware reveal in January was very brief and incredibly understated. It lasted just a couple of minutes and offered hardly any details other than what could be obviously gleaned. The console looks very similar to its predecessor, albeit with a larger display and a new way to attach and detach the Joy Cons that may or may not have a mouse-style mode.
We’ve waited another 10 weeks for Nintendo to follow-up with another live stream – not a launch event – where we’ll hear more.
And now that event almost here I can’t help but wonder – why so modest Nintendo?
We’ve seen what the console looks like, we know it can’t be that revolutionary. We’ve always known the Switch 2 wasn’t going to reinvent the wheel, but is should be something that feels like Nintendo has been working on it for eight years.
Is the company preparing us for a letdown, lacking the same excitement as previous Nintendo launches where we immediately knew were at the dawn of a true new generation of gaming? Even the name of the console suggests it’s a tinker of the proposition rather than an overhaul. Nintendo has never added a ‘2’ to a mainline console before. Even the world-beating NES became “Super” in the second generation.
I hope I’m dead wrong. Nintendo could have an absolute blockbuster up its sleeve by showcasing its initial reveal was little more than a sneak peak and held much more than met the eye – illuminated by new gaming experiences that take what was truly great about the Switch and catapult the format into an exciting new era.
I’m hoping that tomorrow we see a new version of Mario Kart that finds a way to truly bring the series on, especially considering the original version of Mario Kart 8 arrived on the Wii U almost 11 years ago. What’s the ‘anti gravity racing’ feature this time around, for example?
What’s the secret sauce Nintendo is going to delivery during the event? Will there even be a secret sauce? And does the Switch 2 really need it to continue a successful legacy just with newer technology that drives offers more of the same, but better? Is it really a big deal and something to complain about if the best Nintendo Switch games are just even better this time around?
Nintendo hasn’t set up the Switch 2 launch event to blow minds, but can it still fill hearts?
