Nintendo Switch 2 plays it safe. This is the smart choice

We also see an additional button on the face of the right Joy-Con, below the home button. Although this wasn’t mentioned in the teaser, it could see some form of the “C button” function, which Nintendo has used in various forms on the N64 and GameCube in the past. Also worth noting is a particularly pointed shot that focused on the left Joy-Con’s rotating stick – could this be meant to highlight the new generation’s improved joystick, and perhaps integrate it Hall effect technique? Given to Drift issues Which plagued the original Switch, it would be a smart move on Nintendo’s part.

Image: Nintendo

The biggest changes to the main console itself, other than the increased physical size, are the addition of an additional USB-C port on top and a new U-shaped kickstand. While the former is an excellent addition, opening up the possibility of supporting more accessories, the latter does feel a bit flimsy The thing is – better than the original key support part but less durable than the first part. Swap the solid back panel kickstand for OLED.

Speaking of the OLED Switch, based on the chunky bezel shown in the Switch 2 reveal, the new console may revert to an LCD panel. Again, this was it Rumored for a whilebut it would be difficult not to see this as a step backwards.

However, the best thing to take away from the reveal is Nintendo immediately confirming backwards compatibility with existing Switch games, both physically and digitally (albeit with some as-yet-unspecified exceptions). This is great news for gamers who have spent the better part of a decade building up their libraries, and another example of Nintendo’s quiet confidence and sense of continuity. When I finished 1.3 one billion Software sales for your incredibly successful platform, why risk alienating these customers?

And that seems to be Nintendo’s strategy for the Switch 2, in short: If it’s not broken, why fix it? Gamers love the Switch as it is, the company’s major competitors are all imitating it to greater or lesser degrees, and all signs point to “more but better” being a compelling selling point. It’s a safe method, but you don’t need to do anything else.