I am as excited as anyone else about the release of the Nintendo Switch 2 later this year, but I have to admit that the hardware’s initial reveal is arguably the worst ever for a new video game console. When starting any new console generation, the first glimpse of the next platform you’ll be using frequently in the years ahead is arguably the most exciting moment of all. I still remember where I was in 2013 when Sony first showed off the PS4. Or in 2011 at E3 when Nintendo held a captivating, yet confusing, presentation for the Wii U. Console reveals are supposed to be a big deal and are meant to capture your imagination. But for some reason, Nintendo seems to have treated the unveiling of the Switch 2 as a borderline afterthought.
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To be fair to Nintendo, a lot of the reasons why the Switch 2’s announcement didn’t pack a punch this week was because, well, we basically already knew everything about the hardware. Over the better part of the past year, there have been numerous leaks that have detailed everything about the Switch 2 from its magnetic Joy-Con, to its new logo, to even its updated color scheme. The leaks all being accurate meant that when Nintendo chose to unveil the Switch 2 for the first time, it simply matched up with what we had already known about thanks to various mockups.
Still, I have to fault Nintendo to some degree for not revealing the Switch 2 on its own terms. As time has continued to drag on, it always seemed likely that leaks of the Switch 2 would happen as the platform would enter production. As such, a reveal trailer for the Switch 2 in the final months of 2024 would have been ideal and would have beat these leaks to the punch. Instead, Nintendo chose to sit on the announcement of the Switch 2 until January for no other reason than to make the Switch, Switch Lite, and Switch OLED the focus of one final holiday push and not dissuade would-be buyers.
Outside of being essentially beaten to the punch with its own reveal, the manner in which Nintendo opted to build up anticipation to the trailer of the Switch 2 was essentially nonexistent. This time around, there was no teaser image of Mario peeking behind a curtain telling fans when to tune in for the announcement of its Switch successor. Rather than build anything up, Nintendo chose to drop a random post on social media without any prior warning at 8:09am linking to the Switch 2 trailer that said nothing more than, “Here’s an update from Nintendo. Please take a look.” For a company that has historically had charm in spades, this announcement was about as devoid of emotion as you can get.
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Even when it comes to the content within the “First-Look Trailer” for the Nintendo Switch 2, it’s hard to be all that thrilled about what Nintendo opted to show. The reveal of a new Mario Kart game stands out as the central piece of the trailer, but otherwise, there’s not a lot to latch onto at the moment. Nintendo fans are still left wondering just how large the Switch 2 is in comparison to the original Switch, whether or not its screen will be LCD or OLED, and what its internal specs are. You can’t expect all of these questions to be answered in the first trailer for the Switch 2, but what Nintendo chose to spotlight in this video is about as barebones as you can get.
The cherry on top of all of this is that we’re now left to wait over two months until the Nintendo Switch 2 is shown again. Nintendo is set to hold a Direct on April 2nd that will seemingly center around nothing but the Switch 2 and its games. Between now and then, though, fans are going to keep asking the same questions over and over again. Answers might come in the form of new leaks, but this will only perpetuate the cycle of Nintendo being unable to be the first to break its own news.
I don’t want to come across as a negative Nancy because, again, I’m stoked about the Switch 2. I will be there on day one and I will be thrilled to play the new Mario Kart and whatever else might be on the system at launch. Still, I can’t help but feel like an older version of Nintendo would have gone a bit more over-the-top with its initial showing for the Switch 2 and in the process made its fanbase that much more ecstatic about what’s to come. By comparison, today’s debut felt more like Nintendo’s way of saying, “Here’s the Switch 2, now please quit asking about it.”
