Entertainment
Weekend Hot Topic: What do you want from the Switch 2?-GameCentral-Entertainment – Metro
Readers describe what they hope and expect from Nintendo’s next console, including its games and technical features.
What should the Switch 2 be? (pic: Nintendo)
Readers describe what they hope and expect from Nintendo’s next console, including its games and technical features.
The subject for this week’s Hot Topic was suggested by reader Jericho, who asked what you want the follow-up to the Switch to be, regardless of any rumours of what Nintendo is actually planning.
There was a fairly clear consensus that upgrading the graphics to roughly PlayStation 4 standards, and an improvement in reliability for the Joy-Cons, was all that was necessary, with the games, as ever, being the most important thing.
Price switch
I’m sure I won’t be the only one to say this, but really all I want in a Switch 2 is something that is more powerful featuring more reliable Joy-Cons. I think it’d be nice for all peripherals to be backwards compatible, or is that forward compatible? But I do think the Joy-Cons need a redesign. There’s a few features on them that are barely used as well, so maybe think about swapping them out for something more useful.
Regarding the console, I would expect a new version to take advantage of Nvidia’s DLSS technology, so docked games could be rendered at 1080p and then upscaled to a realistic 4K resolution on my TV.
In a way, I hope they don’t come out with a new gimmick for the Switch 2, but then most of the time their gimmicks are very fun, if short-lived. Perhaps they’ll blow us away with a completely new console design.
Arguably, the most important aspect for me is going to be price. I’m sure I won’t be alone in this, but as everything is increasing in price, I won’t be in a position to splash £350+ on a console that isn’t a massive leap forward. Then again, if it is a leap forward then we’ll be looking at £400+, and I can’t prioritise a new console at that price when the cost of living continues to climb. If Nintendo are smart, I think they continue with the current Switch until everything settles down a bit.
Matt
Nintendo Deck
I imagine I am echoing what many others will say here, but all I want is for the next Switch to be more powerful. The Steam Deck has replaced the Switch now, for my indie games, but I will always be interested in whatever Nintendo puts out due to their exclusives, so all I require is that it plays those Nintendo exclusives really well without any compromises, like we have sometimes seen on Switch; even as early into its lifecycle as Zelda: Breath Of The Wild, where there would be some frame drops and screen tearing. It didn’t happen all the time but it would just be nice to have a silky smooth experience throughout in the next 3D Mario, for example.
So, I fee, l tech-wise, it should be a little more future-proof than the original Switch was. Other features I would like is an OLED screen as standard and better build quality to avoid another Joy-Con drift situation. Finally, would be the ability to display in 4K to the TV and better online options – get rid of friend codes and put a normal system in place like every other console.
Perhaps controversially but personally, I would also like Nintendo to bring in a trophy system. I’m no trophy hunter but I do like to get them in the games I love.
Angry_Kurt (Twitter)
Smooth transition
I think for the Switch 2, Nintendo should look back to the NES to SNES transition and just give us a Super Switch of sorts, simply evolving the current Switch rather than making any massive changes. I would like it to be the same form factor and fully backwards compatible with the current Switch.
Joysticks should use magnets rather than potentiometers to put an end to the drift issue, and the next-gen pro joypad should have a much better D-pad, as that is also a current point of weakness.
Due to the screen size it should remain 720p, since the extra resolution makes little difference at such a close distance and would decrease battery life quite a bit. I am kind of worried about burn-in still, so I’d prefer one of the newer fast IPS panels rather than OLED.
Power-wise, from the leaks the chip seems to be already set in stone. I’d imagine it would sit somewhere between the PlayStation 4 and PS4 Pro, though the important and as yet unknown part will be where Nintendo sets the CPU/GPU clock speeds. They will want to clock them low enough to reach the same battery life as the current Switch I suspect (which really sits at the bare minimum I would want from a portable device anyway), so I would imagine a system slightly more powerful than a vanilla PlayStation 4. But this is before DLSS, which should allow the device to punch a bit above its weight class in terms of resolution when docked and allow better battery life on handheld too. Hopefully Capcom doesn’t have to prod Nintendo to use a decent amount of RAM this time round!
A handheld PlayStation 4+ will do me fine for power. I’m pretty much at the point of diminishing returns when it comes to visuals already, so I’d be happy with something that can handle the best looking Switch games but at a locked 60fps. Anything above that is gravy.
Regarding the other portable consoles, Nintendo doesn’t really need to respond to them as such. As long as their first party output for the Switch successor matches the Switch, then that will be enough.
Lord Darkstorm
E-mail your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk
Day one purchase
Ahh, my beloved Nintendo Switch. I have not felt such an attachment to a device since my Super Nintendo.
There’s something rather special about it, especially the freedom to play games couch co-op with nothing more than your console. I want that to continue. Slightly larger Joy-Cons, with a more robust attachment to the console itself.
Please can we have greater resilience to stick drift? My Joy-Cons, and my son’s, have been back to Nintendo three times over.
Just a few more:
Lots more games please.Better battery life.A 1080p, OLED screen.A custom GPU that uses a hardwired upscale such as DLSS by Nvidia.
If they do release a new Switch for Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom, I will pre-order both. I have a countdown timer for the new Legend Of Zelda game. Breath Of The Wild is a work of art. I am so excited to see how they expand upon its foundations.
If there’s one thing you can almost guarantee with Nintendo, it’s their ability to innovate and refine.
Matt
Predictable rotation
I neither want nor expect Nintendo to digress much from the current Switch model for its successor. I’ve said recently I think there’ll be complaints (and wider third party implications) if it’s not as powerful as a standard PlayStation 4 or Xbox One. That makes me think it’ll be a while yet before it shows up, in order to ensure decent processing capabilities, price, battery, and form factor.
Some will insist on 4K, whether native or upscaling, but I’d prefer a focus on the console being able to run modern games smoothly, reliably, and to a generally impressive standard, as far as portable devices go.
I also think they’ll be in a bit of trouble if they don’t make it backwards compatible, at least for digital purchases.
The Joy-Cons have mostly worked well for me so I’d be happy for these to just be refined so they’re less liable to drift. Apart from a higher res screen, I don’t have much more to ask in terms of what’s on the outside.
The big thing for me, though, is Nintendo getting its first party teams properly organised and working on more ambitious, higher effort stuff. It’s hard to tell if the way things have panned out on Switch has been more to do with unanticipated first party setbacks rather than a tendency towards a more – let’s say – ‘commercially efficient’ business model.
But the way they’ve been rewarded with such strong sales for games which have often come across as lower effort projects represents a form of encouragement for Nintendo to settle into that pattern and, if we’re lucky, release just a couple of really special first party games that are exclusive to each generation.
I don’t think it’s too unrealistic for the Switch 2 to launch for £400 or less in late 2024, with at least one exclusive killer app in the launch windows and another big release that will run on the original Switch (just to tap into that huge market). Maybe Metroid Prime 4 and the next main 3D Mario game respectively (or vice versa).
I just hope after that they don’t lead me on for years with one or two exciting titles while they focus on the usual short rotation of 2D platformers, Japanese role-playing games, sports spin-offs, and mini-game compilations. (And now farming sims, apparently.)
I know it’s not often broached in a Hot Topic but I’d be interested in hearing what GC themselves would be interested in for this one.
Panda
GC: In terms of the hardware? We’d go along with the consensus that all that is really needed is more horsepower and refined Joy-Cons. In terms of games, we share your concerns and would like it made plain how much their line-up for the last few years has been affected by the pandemic and how much was the plan all along. We don’t imagine Nintendo will ever comment on that though. (Nintendo has never made a farming sim though, those are all third party.)
New features
With a second Nintendo Switch I would like to see Nintendo give us an impressive price tag as well as also give us some perks to buy a second Nintendo Switch. One thing Nintendo could do is offer exclusive titles to the second Switch, for example, if they begin talks with Konami and see if they can bring some updated ports of its greatest Nintendo games as exclusives. For example, one favourite of mine is Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, which could be upgraded and made exclusive to the new Switch. The new Switch will need to offer new games which will show the power of the Switch 2 and should also include newer titles from popular franchises to ensure a wide selection of new games.
In terms of what the console should do to be different from its predecessor, I think a keyboard included, built into the controller, would be a great so that you wouldn’t constantly be reliant on the control sticks to type text and could offer extra controls allowing some PC games to be ported over to the new Switch that weren’t possible before. It would be a tremendous advantage that Sony and Microsoft don’t currently offer by default on their controllers.
Nintendo could also look into including a built-in video camera on the console, which will be handy to have as new games with the camera could be created as well as being handy as a communication device.
I’m not sure if Nintendo would consider going the next step with the Switch being a portable console, and that is by adding a SIM card slot for people to use it as a mobile phone. However, I think if they can reduce the size of it to the size of the first Switch, this might not be too far off from happening in the near future.
gaz be rotten (gamertag)
Games before hardware
The Switch 2, in my opinion, does not have to be the power house of technology for a console, simply a graphical advancement worthy enough to give new people and current fans something to put their money into without going the PlayStation 5 way. I am also not too interested in flashy controllers or clever uses of it, unless it’s pretty inventive and third party developers can make creative uses out of it. Not just something that’s a gimmick and doomed for an early grave.
One thing I wouldn’t mind is way more memory for storage and also a way to save at least 15 minutes of great gameplay by yourself for playback thrills or uploading to YouTube or something. It’s a bit of a complex way of doing it currently and 30 seconds is a ridiculously small amount of captured gameplay. Maybe different Switch tier models for gamers who want more from the Switch 2 but cheaper versions for others who are satisfied with a less amped up version.
Next generation Mario, Zelda, and third party games are what will be the selling point to me, as opposed to the actual console. Especially with nothing seen of the Switch 2 at present. One thing’s for sure though, and that’s that Nintendo will always surprise you in a way you never imagined! Whether that’s in a good way or a bad way you never know, but I’m already interested.
Alucard
E-mail your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk
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