Lofgren

Switch 2 is the Most Smartphone-esque Console Launch

The Nintendo Switch 2 launched yesterday, and I was lucky enough to be blessed with one. It was totally unexpected, and this is the first device I've ever gotten right at launch. It's such a fun experience. In the couple hours I've used it so far, I've had a constant thought that I wanted to share, so here are my first impressions.

It is so evident that we live in the super refined computing space with smartphones. The Switch 2 feels like a smartphone update. Pretty much everything about the device is just an improvement over the original Switch. It has more powerful hardware, a much nicer display, and better build quality with one novel feature that will be nice to have.

I don't have any games that can use the mouse mode (hoping they update Metroid Prime Remastered!), but I can see the potential and I'm definitely excited to use it in games like Metroid Prime 4. Other than that one feature, this Switch 2 is just a better Switch.

It does all the same things with more power and display features. Sound familiar? Sounds like what people say every year about the new iPhone, Samsung Galaxy S, . Gone are the days of the Wii or 3DS where Nintendo introduces a feature that will radically change how you use their console. The Switch 2 feels like a Switch that does everything (except playing Switch 1 games handheld) better.

The iPhone 16 added the Camera Control, and that's pretty much the only feature not available on previous generation iPhones. Camera Control aside (parallel to the mouse mode on Switch 2), iPhone 16 is just an iPhone that does iPhone 15 things better. The Switch 2 is a Switch that does Switch things better.

I know PlayStation and Xbox are similar experiences going from PS4->PS5 or One->X|S, but Sony and Microsoft are less about gimmicks, so it's most apparent on a Nintendo console. Mouse mode is nice to have but isn't as groundbreaking (so far) compared to the Wii's motion controls, the Wii U's Gamepad, or the original Switch's form factor.

Frankly, my biggest complaint about playing recent Switch titles was how the the console was long in the tooth and held these games back. Switch 2 is showing what these games were meant to be. We've entered the incremental, smartphone-esque upgrade era from Nintendo, and I'm all for it.