The Nintendo Switch 2 reveal was exciting – but will it entice you to upgrade?
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The newly announced console enters a crowded market making some wonder that without a radical rehaul will loyal customers feel the need to get the new one?. The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more.
![[Keza MacDonald]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2022/07/26/Keza_MacDonald.png?width=75&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
Well, it happened: Nintendo announced the Switch 2 the day after last week’s newsletter went out. And a strange announcement it was. The short trailer (which you can watch here) tells you everything we know at this point: everything about the machine except for its appearance remains a mystery. Nintendo has scheduled a reveal event for April that will presumably be more fulsome. This was likely Nintendo’s plan all along, and the trailer was released early following a flood of leaked information about the console. They provided no release date, no details – and no games.
![[The Steam Deck.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a03cde5e80fdc4ea3f1feb6fb54e2c984a998d7e/286_0_4363_2618/master/4363.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
This makes any deep analysis of the Switch 2 feel speculative. It’s notable this is an iterative console, just like the Switch in form but bigger and more powerful and with a few new features. It’s not a total curveball like the motion-controlled Wii, or indeed the original Switch, whose hybrid at-home/on-the-go functionality was a world-first in 2017. I’m holding out for some fun, yet-to-be-announced gimmick, like the 3DS’s augmented reality camera that let you see Nintendo characters posing on your desk.
![[Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/5ec59e8ed6b86a96e5f30a1cc6d61ba3b291e764/543_0_3295_1977/master/3295.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
Since 2017, though, other companies have released hybrid consoles. The Steam Deck has been a huge deal for people with depressing backlogs of unplayed PC games, letting them play Elden Ring on the plane. (Nobody knows quite how many units it has sold but 10m is a fair estimate, which admittedly pales in comparison to the Switch’s 150m.) PlayStation’s Portal, a controller with a very appealing screen spliced in the middle that lets you play PS5 games in your hands, is a half-step towards a portable PS5. Microsoft is also exploring an Xbox handheld, though this will be a few years off yet.
![[Elon Musk.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/b0f9211dc346f6a085e6791b7f7ed9fcd0472733/0_70_5134_3080/master/5134.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
