The July 31 Nintendo Direct was boring. I wasn’t expecting fireworks since it was just a Partner Showcase, so we have no news about Mario or Zelda games, except for Hyrule Warriors. The show was all about titles other companies will release on the original Nintendo Switch and/or the Switch 2, like Borderlands 4 and the weirdly titled action RPG The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales.
While I risk sounding like an old man yelling at a cloud, the magic of the original Switch just isn’t there with the Switch 2. I remember wanting to buy the new edition at launch, but now I realize I was lucky that scalpers snatched up all the units in the first weeks, because the current games lineup still isn’t that impressive, aside from Donkey Kong Bananza.
Steam Deck ruined the Switch 2
It’s not that Monster Hunter Stories 3 or Hela don’t look fun. But the Steam Deck and the ROG Ally have been letting us play PC games from our couches for years now, so the feeling of carrying my games around that made the original Switch so novel doesn’t hit the same. This strategy of porting games from other platforms doesn’t cut it for me.
While watching this Nintendo Direct, I kept thinking I’d rather just wait and play these games on my Steam Deck when they go on sale. Most will come to PC anyway.
And that’s the problem. “Most” isn’t “all”, so I’ll end up buying the Switch 2 when a mainline Pokémon or Zelda game drops. I know I will. Those are some of my favorite games, so I’m exactly the kind of person who buys the console just to play the games I love and can’t get anywhere else.
But that makes buying the Switch 2 feel like a tax. Since I already own the original Switch, the sequel feels like a problem I’ll have to solve just to access new entries in my favorite franchises—which are also expensive. I dread the moment I’ll say, “Oh no, now I have to buy a Switch 2,” instead of, “Hell yeah, I want to buy a Switch 2!”
I can’t believe I may not be part of the Switch 2’s target audience
For the first time, I’m sure the Switch 2 is the ultimate console for casual and new gamers. And weirdly, that makes me feel like I’m no longer the target audience. All my criticism only makes sense because I’m looking through the lens of a long-time gamer. I already own a Switch, a gaming PC, and a Steam Deck. But for people and families whose last console was probably the Nintendo Wii, the Switch 2 is an incredible all-in-one solution: you get all the fun, family-friendly Nintendo titles, while also being able to explore newer third-party games that never would’ve come to past Nintendo consoles.
So even if the Switch 2 isn’t the console for me, I’ll pay the tax if it means playing the 10th generation of Pokémon during the franchise’s 30th anniversary in 2026. If that happens, maybe I won’t feel so annoyed about buying a Switch 2 after all.
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