Author: Nitchigamer

Yes, in some games, even those without paid and full ‘Switch 2 Edition’ upgrades, there will be noticeable improvements.

What do these improvements look like? In short, better resolutions, faster loading times and more stable game performance in the form of higher frame rates.

Example: a Switch 1 game you own is locked to 30fps (frames per second) but regularly drops to 20fps. Playing that same game on Switch 2 will result in it hitting 30fps most of the time (if not all). Of course, this will vary on a game-by-game basis.

Developers will be able to patch games if they choose. These patches are expected to be free. Nintendo will be patching select Switch 1 games for free, including Link’s Awakening.

GameChat will also be available for Switch games played on Switch 2. Even for previously released games.

Bottom line:

If you have a large Switch 1 library, you’re in for a good time!

Why did Nintendo decide to go with the name ‘Nintendo Switch 2’ instead of something more flavourful?

Kouichi Kawamoto, the group manager of Nintendo EPD Production Group No. 4, states:

‘There were a lot of ideas for the name, and we really struggled to find the right one. We even considered ideas like “Super Nintendo Switch”. However, Super NES, which came out after the NES, couldn’t play NES games. Since Switch 2 can play Switch games, it didn’t feel right to use the same naming convention as Super NES.

‘Switch 2 is a new console with improved performance, but we’d like players who get their hands on it not to focus on the specs, but rather to think of it as the latest console developed by Nintendo. So in the hope that it becomes the new standard for Nintendo Switch, we named it Nintendo Switch 2’.

There you have it.

Let’s be honest. By the time people figured out what the Wii U was, it was already discontinued. The console died how it lived: misunderstood and underappreciated!

This time around, they’ve given it some KISS.

Not really. The Switch 2 comes with 256GB of internal storage, which is more than enough unless you plan on adding a considerable number of games to the system right away (more backlog guilt?).

The Switch 2 uses a new standard of expandable storage called microSD Express, essentially allowing for faster data reading and writing speeds and bringing it close to those found in SSDs (as witnessed in Switch 2 games loading in a few seconds).

You can get a 256GB microSD Express top-up in the UK for around £50, but we don’t see the need for it, cutting off a day one cost straight away.

In fact, with your old Switch 1 controllers working on Switch 2 (and the GameCube adapter as well), the only accessory you really need to add, unless you want to use the camera features and play old games, is a protective case, which can be found for around £20.

In short, there are very few reasons to spend more than £450 on day one: that’s the Mario Kart World bundle with a case included.

While that’s not absolutely stunning value for money (subjective in itself), it’s not quite as drastic as some headlines would have you believe, especially when the Switch 2’s power is brought into play. All reports on that front indicate, for better or worse, that it’s the most potent console Nintendo has launched out of the gate since the GameCube.

Of course, whether you think that philosophy is right or not is another story…

It’s time for the second quote, folks, again taken from Ask Iwata: Words of Wisdom. On the importance of Nintendo innovating, Iwata says:

‘If you maintain the status quo, you wind up fighting for survival, and gradually your fan base disappears’.

Separately, Iwata also said:

‘I am not saying that technology is unimportant. I understand that technology is important. But if we are just focusing on technology and investing in an IT manufacturing plant to come up with higher performance processing [chips], we will not succeed’.

And to show he was serious about what he believed in:

‘At Nintendo, we do not run from risk. We run to it’.

Now, of course, this is perhaps one of the hottest topics for Nintendo ‘purists’ such as this writer. Just this week, the admirable Shuhei Yoshida, formerly with Sony and a self-proclaimed Nintendo superfan himself, said he believes that ‘In a sense I think they are losing their identity’.

So, what’s the counterpoint to all this?

Well, for a start, it’s not unheard of for the company to do simple iterations with their consoles. Think NES to SNES (graphical upgrade), and N64 to GameCube (graphical upgrade, small discs). They usually follow a pattern in which the true innovation happens the following console along.

Further to that thinking (and hidden away on their own site), Nintendo all but acknowledges that the Switch 2 is a safe console, with Tetsuya Sasaki, a member of the Technology Development Division, stating:

‘Just to be clear, we’re not saying that Nintendo will never develop gaming consoles with new and unique hardware features in the future. We made that choice this time because, rather than equipping the new console with new hardware features, we thought we’d have the option to offer new gameplay experiences by packaging additional accessories together with games, just as we bundled the Ring-Con with Ring Fit Adventure’.

The truth of the matter is that we won’t really know if they’ve permanently changed until their next console, likely in 2031/32, onwards. It’ll also depend on how the Switch 2 itself sells (if it does another 150 million, they may be tempted).

Bottom line? If their next console is called the ‘Nintendo Switch 3’ and offers more power with little else, then there’s a good chance the innovation game is over, the opposite of Iwata’s prescient philosophy.

Time will tell us.

If you woke up today with your Alarmo’s screen flashing at you, good news: a new Mario alarm is available, this time in distinct 8-bit goodness.

The new alarm comes as part of the wider Mario Day celebrations, but what’s particularly interesting here is that it all but confirms Alarmo will be getting new alarms (for those hesitant of a buy, this was a concern!).

The new alarm celebrates with the iconic fireworks from Super Mario Bros. once you persuade yourself up and, while in bed, features the coins, jumping sounds and more from the game. Presumably, it’s to remind you of the coins you might lose if you sleep in…

In the future, could we see new alarms for other special days? Or to mark releases of new games on Switch 2, perhaps? It seems highly likely. The differentiated marketing potential is huge, after all.

The only other alarm we know of, for now, at least, is the Animal Crossing edition mentioned at launch.

After that, can we get a Xenoblade X or Star Fox variant? Please and thanks.