The features we need to see in the Nintendo Switch 2

The Nintendo Switch successor is coming soon, and these are the features we need in the Switch 2.

Nintendo

The Nintendo Switch 2 – or, until we find out its real name, the Nintendo Switch successor – has been officially “announced” and we’ll be seeing it in the flesh within this fiscal year. It’s an exciting time to be a Nintendo fan – or a terrifying one, depending on your perspective. 

A new console is always something to be excited for, as we’ll get a glimpse of what the “next-gen” of Nintendo games might look like. But Nintendo has a bad track record when it comes to releasing a console after a smash hit. The 3DS got off to a rough start following the DS, and the Wii U? Let’s not even talk about my beloved Wii U.

If the Nintendo Switch 2 is going to be a success, it needs to get a few important things right, including what we’ve noted down in this list.

1. Backward compatibility

Please let my existing games work. / Nintendo

I think the console needs this, and we need this, as the fanbase. I don’t know about you, but I have a large library of Nintendo Switch games, including random eShop indies that were on sale that I never actually played. I don’t want to give all of these up by upgrading to a new system – I still haven’t finished Xenoblade Chronicles 3 – so to prevent me from taking two or more handheld devices on trips with me, please, make sure the new Switch console is backward compatible.

2. DLSS

DLSS can make games look and run better. / Nvidia, Activision, Xbox

Nvidia’s proprietary DLSS tech is significant. We all know that Xenoblade Chronicles 2’s resolution dropped to some devastating levels during handheld play, but with DLSS, even that game could look, well, acceptable. DLSS is huge for PC enthusiasts, and having access to it in a handheld format would be game-changing for Nintendo’s place in the handheld market. Even if a Steam Deck successor would be more powerful, tech like DLSS could still make Nintendo’s games look better than the competition.

3. Ray tracing

Imagine a modern Zelda game with ray traced lighting. / Nintendo, GLHF

Ray tracing is a bit of a buzzword among game fans right now – the fact is, we have existing light, shadow, and reflection techniques that are capable of replicating the effects of ray tracing very effectively. Ray tracing isn’t essential – but the internal team at Nintendo is great at using new technologies to come up with brand-new gameplay ideas. I’m eager to see what more horsepower, and new rendering technologies, will mean for Nintendo’s first-party output.

4. Still portable

We need to be able to pick this thing up and walk away. / Nintendo

We need this thing to still be portable – but I mean, like, actually portable. The Steam Deck is pretty chunky, but that’s fine as it’s a fairly unique device, aimed at a more hardcore audience. The Nintendo Switch is far more mass market, and people want to be able to throw it in a slimline case to travel with, not dedicate an extra bag to holding it and any accessories.

5. Better JoyCon

The JoyCon are great, but need improvements. / Nintendo

The JoyCon are a brilliant idea – great design, fantastic features – and I don’t want Nintendo to abandon them entirely. But that idea came with a few issues, like the notorious stick drift, and connection issues. The JoyCon rails were cool but also became a failure point. Let’s just learn from our mistakes, rectify all of those issues, and try again, shall we? We can keep backward compatibility with older JoyCon through wireless connection – forget about connecting them to the system, it’s a lost hope.

6. Improved eShop

The eShop has become difficult to navigate. / Nintendo, Wikipedia

The eShop was fine for about a year. When Nintendo Switch releases were coming at a regular rate, the eShop was pretty easy to navigate. But after a handful of Switch indie developers became multi-millionaires in the early days of the console’s life, the eShop quickly became flooded with, well, everything. Nintendo was once hesitant to let indies publish on their platform, but now the Switch has anything and everything – even some pure trash. Like, the worst stuff you’ve ever seen. A better way to review and filter these games – along with a slightly stricter ruleset in regards to moderation – would go a very long way.

7. Nicer screen

Another OLED screen, but slightly bigger and higher res, please. / Nintendo

The Switch OLED screen is fantastic, but a 1080p display would be wonderful. Up to now the idea of native 1080p gameplay has seemed incredibly unlikely – save for Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition, for some reason – but with DLSS, it is more than just a possibility, it seems more like a guarantee. A 1080p – or even 900p – OLED screen would make the Switch 2 feel far more premium.