I have to admit: I already feel the Nintendo Switch 2 is a let-down – Reader’s Feature
A reader is concerned at the Nintendo Switch 2 leaks so far and worries that Nintendo will be forced to play things safe in the new generation.
There have been so many Switch 2 leaks this week that I don’t think anyone can be in any doubt that we already know what the console looks like. It’s got so bad that even Nintendo has talked about it, although without saying whether the leaks are real or not. I think it’s pretty clear that, even if there are a few inaccuracies, due to them not being the final models, the Switch 2 looks like the leaks show. That is, it looks almost exactly the same as the original Switch.
I can absolutely see the logic in this. The Switch has been a massive hit and the games industry is a lot more volatile than it was eight years ago, so from a business perspective it makes no sense to start getting wacky. But I wish they would.
I would hate to think that the days of Nintendo going out on a limb and making something crazy like the DS or Wii are over. Sure, that means that sometimes you get a Wii U but for me, as a fan, that’s well worth the risk. Even if I have to accept that bean counters aren’t going to see it that way.
I remember only a few years ago, when Shigeru Miyamoto was hinting that the next console would be very different to the Switch, but unless there is a secret feature of the Switch 2, that is very well hidden, I think it’s clear that’s not going to be case.
I’m sure Nintendo will do some clever things with a mouse and an in-built camera, if that’s what the mystery button is for, but there seems little chance that they can be as game-changing as the Wii or even the Wii U.
We all know the problems with games becoming more expensive to make, and taking longer to develop, and the fear is that all games will become more conservative and predictable, which is worrying given how bad things already are. But I fear that this is going to happen to Nintendo too.
They may not be as cutthroat as other publishers but they’re still in the business to make money and if the Switch 2 is as powerful as a PlayStation 4 then that means its games are going to be as expensive to make as PlayStation 4 titles, which is when the current problems started to become unavoidable.
I wait with bated breath to see what the launch games will be, not just out of excitement but worry. There’s been a lot of predictions of Mario Kart 9 being the main launch title, which is fine, but it’s also very safe. If everything else turns out to be just Splatoon 3, a Smash Bros. refresh, and a new Animal Crossing I’m going to worry even more.
These are the sensible business decisions but it’s hard for me to imagine that any of them will be amongst Nintendo’s most ambitious games. It’ll be at least five years before we get another major Zelda, so my main hope is that the next 3D Mario manages to push the envelope; that and hopefully some kind of new IP.
I’m not saying that won’t happen, or that the Switch 2 hardware won’t have some neat tricks up its sleeve, but I’m saying that the leaks so far have done nothing to calm my worries. Knowing that, so far, everything looks a little too familiar can’t help but be disappointing and I just hope that isn’t true of the games as well.
By reader Onibee