Switch 2 Looks Like The Ultimate Nintendo System

Nintendo has established a reputation for challenging norms—going against industry trends and taking a unique route compared to its rivals with incredibly creative games and hardware—which makes the Switch 2 seem somewhat disappointingly conventional at first glance. Instead of completely reinventing its latest device, the company has chosen a more traditional strategy in its platform development, enhancing specifications and equipping the hardware with a few extra (though not particularly innovative) features. Yet, while it might not appear as startling or groundbreaking as past Nintendo hardware, the Switch 2 unifies nearly every console characteristic that Nintendo has introduced, forming the pinnacle of the company’s hardware explorations.

Each new attribute that Switch 2 presents can be traced back, in some form, to an earlier Nintendo console. The device’s integrated microphone serves as a prime illustration. Nintendo has experimented with adding microphones to its consoles since its inception as a game producer. The Famicom incorporated a mic within one of its controllers; later systems like the Nintendo 64 and GameCube featured mic add-ons for certain games; the DS and 3DS included mics in their designs; and the Wii U provided one via the GamePad. However, most of these were primarily utilized for gameplay reasons—such as giving commands in Nintendogs—rather than for player-to-player communication.

The Switch 2’s microphone has a different purpose. While some games like Super Mario Party Jamboree still utilize it for mini-games, the mic is mainly designed to support GameChat, the platform’s emphasized group-chat feature. This, of course, is hardly a revolutionary component for a gaming console today; other systems have provided voice chat for several years, and even the original Switch allowed it (although indirectly via the separate Switch Online mobile app). Nonetheless, GameChat aims to create a shared experience—more of a social gathering than a means of coordinating with other players in the same game. By integrating the microphone into the system instead of providing it as a separate headset, GameChat becomes accessible to everyone in the room, encouraging a more informal setting than conventional voice chat methods.

This, by the way, is the same theory that motivated the Wii Speak, a briefly available microphone peripheral launched for the Wii in 2008. Unlike the company’s earlier mic accessories, Wii Speak connected to the back of the console and rested atop the TV, allowing everyone present to join in the chat session, even if they weren’t the ones playing. Much like GameChat, the aim of creating a communal mic instead of a headset was to promote a collective experience. Nintendo further highlighted this concept by bundling the accessory with Animal Crossing: City Folk, which was perfectly aligned for the sort of casual interaction the company sought to foster. As City Folk director Hisashi Nogami once summed up:

“Wii Speak isn’t something that you utilize while wearing headphones, so you’re not entirely aware that you’re having a conversation. You can just sit in front of the TV and enjoy chatting as you wish. You don’t feel obligated to talk consistently. Even when you stay silent, you’ll truly feel the other person’s presence, enjoying the game alongside you.”

Additionally, Switch 2’s mouse capability has roots in earlier efforts. Alongside traditional and motion controls, the redesigned Joy-Con 2 controllers can now operate as mice when placed sideways on a flat surface—something Nintendo previously explored with mouse accessories for the Super NES and N64 (the latter of which was never released outside Japan). Moreover, beyond basic mouse functionality, this feature can also substitute touch inputs while playing with the console docked:

“As you might know, the Switch screen accommodates touch controls, but this feature is restricted to handheld mode and tabletop mode. When switched to TV mode, touch functionality is unavailable. The same applies to Switch 2, but I believe the mouse capability can act as a replacement for the touch screen by allowing you to point to a location on the TV, similar to the cursor for the Wii Remote, although it’s not an exact match,” noted Switch 2 director Takuhiro Dohta explained.

With the mouse functionality of the Joy-Cons, Nintendo has discovered a method to mimic touch screen inputs on Switch 2 even while playing on a television. This is particularly significant as it eliminates obstacles that may have hindered the company from bringing DS titles to the platform, thereby expanding the potential for more classic game collections to be included in the Switch Online service.

One of the most captivating aspects of this system’s new capabilities is GameShare. Similar to the Download Play feature found on the DS and 3DS, GameShare allows users to transfer a game’s data to a nearby console, enabling everyone to join in on the fun even if only one player possesses the title. However, while the concept parallels Download Play, the underlying processes are quite distinct. Instead of transmitting the actual game data to another system, Switch 2 streams the gameplay as the Wii U did with its tablet-like GamePad controller. As system producer Kouichi Kawamoto clarifies:

“[W]e believed that by leveraging the processing power of the Switch 2 and employing the same streaming technology that the Wii U used to convey visuals from the console to its handheld GamePad, we could facilitate instant gameplay sharing without the delay of transferring the software.”

This innovative approach addresses the challenges of moving game data, but what’s particularly exciting are its potential uses. If GameShare operates like it did on the Wii U, specific titles may use this feature to create dual-screen gaming experiences, with one Switch acting as a controller. Whether developers will explore this remains uncertain, but the potential exemplifies Switch 2’s adaptability.

Individually, these features may not appear groundbreaking, yet together they transform Switch 2 into a comprehensive gaming system. Functionality that previously required additional accessories or custom hardware is now readily available, allowing the console to support nearly all games from Nintendo’s earlier home and portable systems. More significantly, the array of inputs and features provides developers with the ability to not only craft traditional games but also to create unique experiences that aren’t feasible on other current platforms—all stemming from Nintendo’s past hardware innovations.