21 hours ago
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👏 The Nintendo Switch 2 launches on June 5 with an established online ecosystem, including retro games, GameChat, and online party features
👍 The eShop will be fully functional from day one, offering thousands of games for download and a smoother shopping experience
🙏 Unlike its predecessor, the Switch 2 avoids relying on Wii U ports, focusing on fresh titles and enhanced editions
💪 The Switch 2 features upgraded hardware, including 4K resolution, HDR support, and VRR, making it far more future-proof
In January 2017, I packed my bags for Frankfurt, Germany, and joined Nintendo of Europe's content marketing team. Just a few months later, I had the privilege of helping launch the Nintendo Switch and covering the system's first year on sale.
If you read a game page, watched a trailer, saw a social media post, received a promotional email, or even scanned through a Nintendo Switch eShop description during that time, it's likely that I had some hand in it. (And yes, that includes everything related to Flip Wars. What do you mean you never played it?)
It's fair to say that working at Nintendo gives me a rather unique perspective on the Switch 2's upcoming launch. And despite my initial skepticism, I think Nintendo Switch 2 is better placed to succeed than its predecessor.
That's not to say I expect Nintendo's next console to sell over 150 million units. But as the release date of June 5 approaches, I've been growing more excited about the Switch 2 for the following reasons.
It's easy to forget that the Nintendo Switch launched without a meaningful online ecosystem. Not only did Nintendo ask consumers to pay for online play almost two years after the console launched, but there wasn't any real incentive to sign up for Nintendo Switch Online.
That's thankfully not the case today, as Nintendo Switch Online has become the best subscription service in my opinion. It offers terrific value alongside meaningful perks for fans to enjoy. We have a huge library of retro games to play, including GameCube titles on Switch 2, and Nintendo Music has become an essential app for me.
Add in GameChat, Nintendo's online party system that lets you chat, stream gameplay as well as view the live reaction of your friends, and this is the first Nintendo system with a proper online ecosystem from day one.
The early days of the Nintendo Switch eShop weren't the most appealing, with barely any games worth downloading other than Snipperclips. I can recall having to edit the eShop descriptions of all the new games that were added, and there wasn’t much to get excited about for a long while.
However, with the Switch 2 being backwards compatible, there will be thousands of games available to download on June 5. Furthermore, the Nintendo Switch 2 eShop should function properly this time around.
As the Nintendo Switch eShop grew with every passing year, it became slower and more frustrating to use. It's a slog to visit these days, and often more trouble than it's worth. With Nintendo moving increasingly towards an all-digital future, Switch 2 should deliver a smoother and more pleasant shopping experience.
The best Switch games started life on the Wii U. That's a fact. However, if you were one of the 12 million people who picked up Nintendo's much maligned console, there was a high chance you'd played at least one of them.
As a huge Wii U fan, I quickly grew tired of Nintendo relying on its past releases to fill in gaps in its content calendar. This is affected me particularly as I'd already sunk countless hours into these games and stumped up the cash. Yes, they were all slightly improved for Switch, often including previously released DLC. But fundamentally, they weren't brand-new games and Nintendo still wanted $60.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe may be fantastic, but Mario Kart World is a far more tantalizing proposition as it will be genuinely fresh for every Nintendo fan, not just for those who didn't buy a Wii U. The same is true of Donkey Kong Bananza and other Switch 2 exclusives we’ll see in the future.
On the flip side of Wii U ports, Nintendo is releasing Switch 2 editions of its previous titles. Not only do some of these games include original content like Kirby and the Forgotten Land, but they offer a far more meaningful improvement over Nintendo's previous porting efforts.
Games enhanced for the Switch 2 will include higher resolutions and frame rates, dramatically transforming the experience. Some titles will even take advantage of the best Switch 2 accessories and upgraded hardware, like the Switch 2 Camera in Super Mario Party Jamboree or mouse mode in Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.
Plus, you can upgrade to the Switch 2 Edition for $10 or $20 if you already own a game, instead of having to pay full price. Some games will also enhanced for free, making them a more attractive proposition than some of the previous Wii U ports.
It's easy to forget that the Nintendo Switch launched while Nintendo was still creating games for the 3DS. I know this first hand – I worked on Hey! Pikmin, Kirby's Blowout Blast, Metroid: Samus Returns, Fire Emblem Warriors, and many more 3DS games during my time at Nintendo.
Even though those games were great for 3DS owners, they ultimately took development resources away from the Switch during the console's first few years on sale. Thankfully, the Switch 2 will have Nintendo's full attention from the outset.
It may seem trivial to criticize the Switch when it's been such a runaway success. However, it's difficult to argue that it wasn't already relying on dated technology when it was released in 2017.
That's not the case with Nintendo Switch 2, which includes the latest tech we expect from a modern-day console. You can play in 4K resolution when docked. The screen is 1080p. There is HDR support. Some titles will run at 120fps. And there's even VRR (variable refresh rate) support on the Switch 2's display.
That might sound like something that should be a given in 2025. However, the Steam Deck OLED only has a resolution of 800p and the Asus ROG Ally X, an $800 system, doesn't have HDR. It's not often that Nintendo systems offer better specs than the competition, but it should stop the Switch 2 from feeling dated so quickly.
Unlike the Switch, Nintendo has already proven its hybrid console formula is a success, which means it doesn't need to sell people on the concept again. Yes, some were initially disappointed that Nintendo had played it safe with the Switch 2 – myself included – but if there was ever a case for "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" then the Nintendo Switch 2 is it.
Instead, Nintendo chose to refine and improve almost every aspect of its previous console, adding features it couldn't implement before. For example, something as simple as the Joy-Con 2 controllers magnetically attaching to the console is a huge quality of life improvement.
People wanted a better Switch, and the Switch 2 is exactly that.
Despite the backlash to the Switch 2's price and the sticker shock of $80 games like Mario Kart World, the fact that millions are now searching for a Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order restock shows that the console is shaping up to be another huge success.
Nintendo also revealed it had received over 2.2 million lottery applications to pre-order a Switch 2 at its My Nintendo Store in Japan – an astonishing figure, and one that puts the console on course to smash Sony's long-standing PS2 sales record.
While it's the games that will ultimately spur more people to pick up a Switch 2 when it launches on June 5 and in the years to come, there's no doubt the console is starting off in a far stronger position than the Switch 1 did back when I worked at Nintendo in 2017.
Adam Vjestica is The Shortcut’s Senior Editor. Formerly TechRadar’s Gaming Hardware Editor, Adam has also worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor, where he helped launch the Nintendo Switch. Follow him on X @ItsMrProducts.
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