Nintendo Switch 2: It doesn't take much to be successful

It is not yet known when exactly the Nintendo Switch 2 will be released: According to reports, the announcement will be made soon and the console will then be released in spring 2025. Whenever it happens, the successor to the hybrid console is likely to be a success. It doesn't take much for that to happen - on the contrary.

Reports have long been circulating on the Internet about a "Nintendo curse". According to them, a successful console is followed by a flop. However, fans don't have to worry too much, especially with regard to the Nintendo Switch 2: The thing will be successful, because Nintendo doesn't have to do much to make it so.

The time for a new Nintendo console has long come: The Nintendo Switch has sold around 140 million units, but sales have since collapsed, not least due to a lack of revenue drivers, as games such as Princess Peach: Showtime! or Luigi's Mansion 2 HD have performed mixed. Expectations for software sales, especially for the house brands, are often high, but are not always met. Things are now going much better for The Legend of Zelda - Echoes of Wisdom, but Nintendo still needs new impulses – the Nintendo Switch 2 is a must. Apparently, the new console will be announced soon and will go on sale in spring 2025. There is no official information, fans are waiting with bated breath.

Nintendo Switch 2: Expect detailed improvements

When you think of new consoles, you often automatically think big: There has to be an enormous leap in performance, a particularly crazy design, a bunch of new features, hardware for bombastic graphics, awesome sound - and then there's Nintendo. Instead of judging the relevance of a new console in teraflops like the competition from Sony and Microsoft, it's simply about good entertainment. The Japanese company knows like no other company how to make a lot out of relatively little. That was also the case with the Nintendo Switch This is already the case. There were innovations, but they were limited to a few details: switching between TV and handheld mode. Innovative controllers. End.

For Nintendo, console releases are essentially about the games. Zelda, Mario, Metroid, Mario Kart, Animal Crossing or Pokémon - these names alone can boost sales from the moment they are released. So the release of the Nintendo Switch 2 only needs a little push to get the numbers through the roof. All Nintendo has to do is not to completely ruin the console successor in terms of hardware.

The Japanese electronics company had already demonstrated how well this could work with the OLED version The original console was only improved at the lowest level, but it sold extremely well and, as a matter of course, in the millions. Quite a few Nintendo Switch owners even went on to purchase the OLED model.

Nintendo Switch 2: Focus on the Joy-Cons

In this sense, the Nintendo Switch (or the OLED) is the perfect basis for a successful successor. Nintendo doesn't have to do anything new, but rather consistently eliminate sources of error. The company has probably learned from the problems with the Nintendo Switch. The innovative Joy-Cons in particular were criticized.

The removable mini controllers have long struggled with drift problems. Wear and tear is therefore a major issue. Although the purchase of replacement controllers brings additional money into Nintendo's coffers, it is not good for the image when the innovation of a new console has to deal with technical deficiencies. Nintendo would therefore do well to rework the Joy-Cons for the Nintendo Switch 2 and move away from purely mechanical components. Competing handhelds are already showing how it can be done better: with electromagnetic joystick modules. The probable loss of haptic feedback would probably be accepted as a shortcoming if the controls were improved overall.

Other decisions regarding the technology or Nintendo Switch 2 would be much more revolutionary compared to its predecessor. Rumor has it that Nintendo is using a chip from Nvidia for the successor. This would not be unlikely given the enormous market power and technological ambitions of the chip company. According to previous rumors, a "Tegra T239 ARM" would be used in the new Nintendo console. The chipset would have the performance power of about a Geforce RTX 2050. In this specific case, however, the output power would be much more relevant: the computing unit could be powered with just five watts - by comparison: the AMD chip in the Steam Deck needs three times as much. In combination with a powerful battery - the Nintendo Switch 2 could have a 20 watt-hour battery - the playing time could be increased to over four hours, of course depending on the games and their power requirements.

The screen of the Nintendo Switch 2 is supposed to be at least the size of the OLED model and have a resolution of 1080p. That would be progress and more of an improvement in detail than a major evolution. Because: It remains doubtful whether the Nintendo Switch 2 will have enough power for 4K data. Nintendo's new console could use DLSS, but the step from WQHD to UHD would still be a pretty big one. But we remember: At Nintendo, it's not just about power.

It would be more important to display games like Mario Kart 9 or Metroid Prime 4 smoothly and attractively on the screen, rather than breathtakingly beautifully. The combination of an Nvidia chip and the DLSS feature could therefore still be a real plus point. Perhaps the upscaling will work so well in the end that you will also be able to play on the TV in 4K resolution. Here, Nintendo even has the potential to surprise with a real technological leap - and that wouldn't hurt sales.

An improvement in RAM is also expected. This should be significantly more generous on the Nintendo Switch 2 - more and faster must be the motto. This would have enormous advantages for players and developers alike.

There will ultimately be enough games in the pipeline, even as a draw for a new console generation: A new Zelda, Mario Kart 9, Metroid Prime 4, Super Mario Odyssey 2, Animal Crossing, Pokémon, Fire Emblem – there are many potential guaranteed hits. Basically, the Nintendo Switch 2 these AAA games only serve as a good basis for hours of fun.

The promised backwards compatibility also plays into Nintendo's hands this time, as it makes it easy to bridge the waiting times for the big titles. All the Nintendo Switch 2 would have to do at this point would be to conjure up the hype games of the previous console in smooth 60 fps on the screen, perhaps with even more details thanks to the Upcaling.

What not to expect from the Nintendo Switch 2

There will be no major design changes with the Nintendo Switch, and a dual-screen model also seems unlikely, would result in significantly higher production costs and ultimately offer little significant added value. Nintendo has already failed with this experiment with the Wii U. It is therefore very unlikely that they will try another experiment with the successor to a successful Nintendo Switch and its well-known advantages.

This would also pose challenges for developers, as games would have to be able to use the second screen effectively. The effort would be high, the rewards would be modest. For gamers, more screens usually just mean stress anyway.

Big changes to the control units are also not to be expected, as the Jon-Cons are conceptually excellent, if not a little small. And even when it comes to the design of the console itself, Nintendo doesn't have to do much, as the Switch in its original version works wonderfully.

What you also shouldn't expect is a really competitive price. In addition to the increased technology costs overall, there is the use of more modern hardware components. If we had to estimate, the Nintendo Switch 2 would cost around 400 to 450 euros in terms of purchase costs. Ultimately, a lot of the price depends on the display used. It is quite possible that Nintendo will once again take a two-pronged approach with the Nintendo Switch 2: First there will be a cheap entry-level model, and the version with a screen upgrade could follow later.

You shouldn't expect any drastic improvements in online services at first. Nintendo has so much catching up to do compared to the competition that it will take the Japanese company many years to do so. "Nintendo Switch Online" will therefore probably continue to be a well-intentioned but not particularly attractive service. Nintendo is still welcome to improve the shop and its interface - that alone would be real and important progress.

* = Affiliate link/advertisementAs an Amazon Associate, we earn money from qualifying purchases. If you make a purchase through one of the links, we receive a portion of the purchase price as commission. This doesn't cost you anything extra, but it helps support our website. Last updated on September 14.06.2025, XNUMX / Affiliate links / Images from the Amazon Product Advertising API. Images from Amazon PA API.