After much ado, renowned video game company Nintendo finally unveiled its latest console last month. After much hype, hopes, and expectations, (as well as leaks of almost every feature before the announcement) the beloved company finally has something new to show us: the Switch 2.
This new console is almost exactly the same as the previous edition, only better. People got mad at the Wii U for being the same as the Wii. Clearly this new attempt, which does not even have so much as the addition of the Game Pad, will fare much better.
What’s more, the Switch 2 is priced at a very reasonable $450, a mere 50% increase on the original Switch’s $300 launch price. Unfortunately, games also took a hit in the form of a small price hike, but it’s nothing to be too concerned about. Games have been teased at between the $80 and $90 price points, which is only a 33-50% price hike, so not too shabby. All of this was before the announcement of President Trump’s tariffs, which unfortunately means they could end up being a tad bit more expensive, but no biggie.
The Switch 2 features an integrated voice chat system, something that was released on Xbox only 23 years ago, so this new console is clearly filled with cutting edge technology. What’s more, we will see the continuation of the Nintendo Online service, which will be required to use the voice chat system. There is a button that is directly built into the new Joy-Con specifically for the voice chat. It will not function unless the user has a Nintendo Online subscription. This service, for one thing, will be the same price (right?), as it does not have any reason to feature an increased price (probably). $20 a year for features that used to be free was a great price already anyway.
Another new and exciting feature is the ability to use the new Joy-Cons as a mouse, because everybody really wanted to do that with the old ones. Suffice to say, there is definitely no reason to use any other device, especially a PC, which already has a mouse anyway.
The Switch 2 does not have a built in camera, like the Wii U’s GamePad, but instead comes with the option to separately purchase a camera for almost $60, which you can use to your heart’s content to…let Nintendo surveil your home? I’m honestly not sure what you would use a camera for. You can plug the camera into the new USB-C port on the top of the console, which will allow basic functionality, even while set down on a table in handheld mode. Quite frankly, Apple could take a hint here.
The new custom NVIDIA chip allows the Switch 2 to feature 120 fps (frames per second), up from the original Switch’s 60 fps, which means it is now on par with a low end PC, or even the Xbox series S, which came out five years ago.
Nintendo has had eight years to perfect this console, and it really shows. Everybody should go out and pre-order it now, which will not be delayed by tariffs…again.
In all seriousness, though, the Nintendo Direct announcement did finally include a new teaser of Hollow Knight: Silksong, which is now slated to release some time in 2025. I have been waiting many years for this game, so that, for one thing, is actually exciting. I will definitely be playing it on PC, though.
