I hate pro console upgrades. But if the Nintendo Switch 2 can match the PS5, I’ll change my mind
The Nintendo Switch 2 could be the radical new gaming experience I need.
The Nintendo Switch is my perfect console. I was raised with a Game Boy practically glued to my hand. I mastered Tetris and Pokémon before I could spell words longer than six letters. If Wii Sports were considered a globally recognised event, I would be an Olympic champion by now. I played virtual tennis with a level of determination equal to Serena Williams, and was the Lewis Hamilton of Mario Kart Wii. Naturally, the Nintendo Switch quickly became my go-to console upon its release.
But I’m a fickle beast. Last year, I bought myself a PS5 after months of temptation. Since then, my Nintendo Switch has been gathering dust, put to one side like Andy from Toy Story. I’ve ploughed an unholy amount of hours into classics such as God of War and The Last of Us 2, to more recent titles Dave the Diver and Helldivers 2. But while I’ve been battling mushroom zombies and Nordic gods, Mario and Luigi have been made redundant. However, that might all change with the Nintendo Switch 2.
Same Switch, but different
We’ve already mused about what we’d like to see in a next-gen Nintendo console. And in more recent developments, a Switch successor has been confirmed by Nintendo itself. In a Tweet posted on 7 May 2024, Nintendo President Furukawa stated that the company will “make an announcement about the successor to Nintendo Switch within this fiscal year”, in relation to “the Nintendo Switch software lineup for the latter half of 2024.”
This is indeed exciting news. But for me, I’ll only upgrade if it offers something drastic. You see, when it comes to consoles, I’m usually not too tempted by upgrades. I likely won’t upgrade my existing PS5 to the PS5 Pro, whenever it’s officially released. I often find pro upgrades unnecessary at best, company cash grabs at worst. In that, unless a console offers a radically new gaming experience, it won’t be getting the contents of my wallet. But Nintendo are in a fortunate position, arguably a much better one than Sony and its forthcoming PS5 Pro.
For me, the Switch 2 needs to compete power-wise with the PS5, without losing what makes the OG Switch unique. And signs point to that happening. Rumours suggest the Switch 2 will utilise Nvidia’s DLSS upscaling technology. This is almost like a gaming hack, and uses AI to magic additional frames to improve image quality. This could, in theory, transform 45-50FPS images into 120-120FPS. While that’s all under the hood stuff, I was happy to learn that the Switch 2 is rumoured to support existing Joy-Cons and 1080p.
In my eyes, Sony have a much harder job in convincing its players to go Pro. To me, the PS5 Pro needs to offer something far beyond a nice graphics update and upgraded loading times, and I’m not sure it can. Sony has the unenviable task of improving what is already the most powerful console on the market. For Nintendo, I believe its mission is simpler. Give us more power. If the Nintendo Switch 2 achieves that, it’ll be the radical new gaming experience I yearn for.
Jack Needham
