It’s high time for a successor to the Nintendo Switch. The console’s launch dates back to March 2017, so it’s about six years old now. But what features should the Switch 2 really get? WANT editor Jeroen Kraak has his thoughts on it.
The successor to the Nintendo Switch is a hot topic these days, partly due to a shareholder meeting of the company. In it, CEO Shuntaro Furukawa made some striking statements.
5 features we’d like to see back on the Nintendo Switch
But what would really be five big improvements for the Nintendo Switch 2? No, by that I’m not talking about a new Zelda or Mario. I’m going over with you what improvements are really needed.
#1 Backwards compatibility
Let me start with the point Furukawa himself hints at: backwards compatibility. That means you can play games from the previous console on the new console as well. That means you can simply bring The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom to the Nintendo Switch 2.
Furukawa said, “As we transition the Nintendo Switch to the next generation of consoles, we want to do everything we can to ensure that customers can transition smoothly while using their Nintendo account.” So that could be ideal with backwards compatibility.
#2 Better image quality
While on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, 4K is the standard and even 8K is supported, the Nintendo Switch still has to make do with 1080p. So if you’re gaming on a new 55-inch 4K television or better, it won’t look very good.
Zelda in top quality. (Image: Nintendo)
So Nintendo is really doing well to address this issue. I can hardly imagine that they would not do this, because there are very good techniques by which simple upscaling can be done. Microsoft already applies this to older games on Game Pass, for example.
#3 Nintendo Game Pass
Speaking of Game Pass, how cool would it be if Nintendo came up with its own version with all the classics from the past to the present? By that, we mean a much more comprehensive and recent offering than Nintendo Switch Online.
This is unlikely to happen, considering recent Nintendo games never drop in price much, as is the case with PlayStation exclusives, for example. Still, a good subscription service for older games would already be a very nice update.
#4 Better battery life
Nintendo would be crazy not to make the successor to the Switch a hybrid. That is precisely the strong point of the current Nintendo Switch. Still, battery life really needs a lot of tinkering.
Longer gaming. (Image: Erik Mclean / Unsplash)
Although it has improved considerably over the years with the new versions, it seems that the company can still get much more out of it. Of course, this also has great benefits for Nintendo itself. The longer people play, the more games the company can sell, so let’s go!
#5 Better online functionality for the Nintendo Switch 2
Nintendo still has a lot of steps to take when it comes to online features. For example, it would be nice if you could also download apps from other developers, such as HBO Max or Netflix.
But the Nintendo Switch app itself also desperately needs a major update. This one still seems to be from the days of Mario 64, because you can’t do much with it. Especially if you compare it to Xbox and PlayStation. It would be nice if, for example, you could easily communicate with friends or buy new games.
