Nintendo Switch 2 Play Safe. It’s a Smart Choice

On the face of the Joy-Con on the right side, we also see an additional button below the “Home” button. Although not labeled in this teaser, it may see some form of the “C button” functionality that Nintendo has used in various forms on the N64 and GameCube in the past. Also worth noting is a special pointed bump aimed at rotating the left Joy-Con thumbstick – could this be meant to highlight the improved thumbsticks for the next generation? Hall effect technology? considering sliding issues worrying about the original Switch, this would be a smart move on Nintendo’s part.

Photo: Nintendo

Aside from the increased physical size, the biggest changes to the main console itself are the addition of an additional USB-C port on top and new “U-shaped” stands. While the former is a great addition that opens up the potential to support more accessories, the latter seems a bit flimsy – better than the trough that supported the original Switch, but less robust. Replace OLED’s solid back panel mounts.

Speaking of the OLED Switch, and purely based on the thick bezel shown in the Switch 2 reveal, the new console may return to an LCD panel. And yet it happened rumors circulated for a whilebut it will be hard not to see this as a bit of a step backwards.

The best takeaway from the reveal is for Nintendo to immediately confirm backwards compatibility with existing Switch games, both physical and digital (although there are a few yet-to-be-specified exceptions). This is fantastic news for gamers who have spent the better part of a decade building their library, and another example of Nintendo’s quiet confidence and sense of continuity. When you rack up 1.3 billion selling software for your incredibly successful platform, why risk alienating those customers?

And that seems to be Nintendo’s strategy for the Switch 2 in a nutshell – if it ain’t broke, why fix it? Gamers love the Switch as it is, the company’s main rivals are more or less mimicking it, and all signs point to “more, but better” being a compelling selling point. Play it safe – but you don’t need to do anything else.