The Nintendo Switch 2 gets a big blowout this week. Wednesday, 2pm, we’re going to find out everything about Nintendo’s latest machine. Before, then, I thought it’d be an idea to have a bit of a run down of what the new console should have and be. Here’s what we want from the Nintendo Switch 2.

Power Up

It feels pretty obvious that the Switch itself has been an issue for developers for a good 2 or 3 years now. Like, it’s always had a few struggles (Breath of the Wild’s framerate noticeably dipped in long grass areas, I recall), but I think Pokemon Scarlet & Violet was something of a tipping point for how viable it could be moving forward.

Like, don’t get me wrong, it’s still churned out some seriously impressive experiences in that time. Being able to seamlessly travel from the sky, through the land, and into the underground in Tears of the Kingdom isn’t something I ever expected to see on any console, let alone one using last-last-gen tech. But it does feel like scope and ambition has outgrown the Switch’s closing. Switch 2 needs to be a reasonable leap, in that sense.

To be fair, it certainly sounds like that’s what we’re going to be getting. Depending on where you look, Nintendo’s next machine is going to land somewhere between a base PS4 and a PS4 Pro in the power stakes. Yes, we’re looking at 10ish year old tech again. But, when you consider new games are being released for the PS4 right now, we’re not going to be in a position where the Switch 2 is massively handicapped in the same way the current Switch so obviously was.

Put the “fun” back into “fundamentally a Nintendo experience”

I think the most frequent complaint I hear about the original Switch is how “un-Nintendo” it feels. If it weren’t for each Joy-Con, you’d be forgiven for mistaking it for a generic android tablet. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, of course; after the bulky, plastic-y, toy-like Wii U, going for something a bit more contemporary and sleek makes sense. I still look at it and admire the aesthetic.

Rather, it’s what’s under the hood that’s been most disappointing. The Switch’s menus are just, well, menus.

Image Credit: Time.com

The dashboard is made up of simple square tiles. Each sub-menu is basically just a list. Like, yeah, that’s what they’re supposed to be. To be fair, that’s what it’s always been. But where’s the magic, Nintendo? Where’s the joy?

Think about the Wii. It’s 20 years old (disgusting) next year. What’s the first thing you think of? Guarantee at least 90% of you have now got the Wii Shop theme song circling in your head. All the Switch has got is a click of a finger. 

Just a bit of character and personality would be nice, I think. A couple of little tunes. A fun dashboard. Hell, I’d take just a third theme option.

Joy for Mii and You

I thought Miiverse was mint. A social media site built into the Wii U, that told who what everyone was playing at that moment, and broke each game into its own community that sparked discussion and creativity in a way no other console has really managed to do. Streetpass on the 3DS, too. Going to expos, playing a bunch of amazing new games for 8 hours, and checking the 3DS on the coach home to see how many new Miis you’ve picked up. It was great. Emblematic of that last point, I think. Fun Nintendo, doing weird things because they could. 

Bring back Mii-based social activities, basically. I’m not suggesting letting you walk around with the Switch 2 on all the time. That feels unsafe. But I’m sure something on the Nintendo Switch Online app could replicate that Streetpass feeling. Get in, your phone connects to your Switch 2, and all the Mii’s you’ve picked up during the day do something on the console. I mean, with Tomadatchi Life getting a new installment, maybe it coul relate to that somehow? There’s something there, right?

It doesn’t have to be a whole social network (though bringing Miiverse back would be quite fun). I get the moderation required for that, on a platform that is 100% going to have more than 13 million users, would be absurd. But something Mii-based. Something social. FUN. Please be fun.

Drift Away

The most widely reported issue with the Switch is, undeniably, the Joy-Cons. They’re fine, for sure. Bit fiddle. From day one, I noted the control sticks themselves are a bit small for my tastes. The moment I got a pro controller, the Joy-Con’s fell to the wayside. Outside of Skyward Sword, and handheld play (obviously), I’ve not really had any reason to use them. 

The Switch 2 announcement video showed its Joy-Con’s increase in size. Will that lead to bigger control sticks? Hopefully. Will that result in soft press buttons rather than the clicky ones on the Switch? Please. Will it resolve the consoles most documented issue? Well, that’s the question.

Image Credit: Nintendo

Within months of the Switch’s release, owners began to report that the control sticks on their Joy-Con’s had stopped responding properly. “Stick drift” became a widespread issue, dominating the conversation surrounding the system basically from then on. For the Switch 2, how it goes about that particular issue could dictate the consoles reception early on. How do you even fix it though? Dunno mate, I’m not a hardware designer. Something with magnets, maybe?

A comfortable, durable Joy-Con set up is a must.

By Recommendation

Sometimes, less is more. In the Switch’s early days, it became something of a king-maker for Indie titles. Hits were made on a near-weekly basis for a good few months. Nintendo had cracked the code, and everyone on the train was profiting from it.

And then everyone got on the train. 

The Nintendo Switch eShop has become something of a disaster. The fact that Nintendo Life felt it necessary to put together a “Better eShop” should tell you everything. Nintendo opened the floodgates to encourage developers onto the system, and that resulted in a storefront littered with the worst kind of cash-grabs.

Asset flips, shovelware, IP rip offs- you name it, the eShop has it. I feel like hentai games shouldn’t be on the front page. I don’t think that’s controversial. The Switch 2’s eShop will need to carry all this over, of course. Such is the nature of backwards compatibility. That doesn’t mean it needs to be copy and pasted, however.

A little bit of curation, please. That’s all I ask for. Make the games people want easier to find. Make the games that are good easier to find. Find a way to hide the crap that’s littering the eShop away in a corner that no one can find, and return the platform to its rightful role as hit-maker.

Featured Image Credit: Nintendo