It’s a problem the Switch 2 could potentially solve if the new hardware’s backward compatibility can improve the performance of original Switch games in the process. However, if implemented, it’s unlikely this would be a magic wand where more onboard processing and rendering power instantly gives older games a fresh lick of digital paint. As with Sony’s PS5 Pro, where games need bespoke patches from the developer to make use of the beefier hardware, the same may be the case for Switch 2 to “upgrade” Switch 1 games.
That would put the onus on developers to ensure that games can take advantage of any enhancements the Switch 2 offers. But if done well—avoiding Sony’s mistakes when its PS5 Pro patches initially made games look worse—boosting backward compatibility could make Switch 2 the definitive home to at least two generations of gaming greatness.
Improved Screen Resolutions
That’s resolutions, plural. The current Switch has a 1280 x 720-pixel resolution display in handheld mode, rising to a maximum of 1920 x 1080 when docked and outputting to a TV. The Switch 2 needs to go higher, in every sense. In a world of handheld gaming PCs such as the Asus ROG Ally X with 1080p screens or the Lenovo Legion Go offering up to 2560 X 1600 resolution, the Switch 2 needs to deliver a minimum of 1080p Full HD in handheld mode.
Photograph: Nintendo
Docked, that 1080p needs to leap to 4K, 3840 x 2160 pixels. If you’ve bought a new TV in the last five to 10 years, it’s almost certainly built for that resolution, so anything less from the Switch 2 will feel antiquated. I could see some flexibility on this point, though. While “true” 4K would be nice—perhaps unlocked with some extra processing power built into the dock itself, which could allow the console to render in Ultra HD—given that Nintendo rarely plays the numbers game in the same way Sony or Microsoft do, upscaled 4K would probably be broadly acceptable to most players. The PS4 Pro, which the Switch 2 is rumored to be roughly on par with, achieved some impressive results with 4K upscaling, so it’d be nice to see the Switch 2 match this benchmark.
Bring Back Media Apps
The Switch launched with no media apps at all and, throughout its life, Nintendo added only a handful like YouTube, anime streaming service Crunchyroll, Hulu in the US, and Niconico in Japan. This was partly down to Nintendo’s intentional strategy that the Switch is not a multimedia device—Reggie Fils-Aimé, then chief operating officer at Nintendo of America, said in 2017 that it was built “to be a world-class gaming device, meaning we want you first and foremost to play games on the system.” Still, there’s no denying that access to streaming apps on a console is convenient.
It’s not as though the idea is alien to Nintendo. The Wii U had a native Netflix app, and the Wii even had a dedicated BBC iPlayer app in the UK. The Wii U also saw Nintendo dabble with integrated TV services with its Nintendo TVii tool combining content providers into one portal. The demand is there too, with fans still asking for streaming services on the existing Switch.
While the Switch 2 will still likely chase that ideal of being a “world-class gaming device,” the upcoming console’s bigger screen makes it particularly enticing to imagine watching your favorite shows or movies on the go. Nintendo really shouldn’t rule it out.
More New Games
This is the big one. A major factor in the original Switch’s success was the failure of its own predecessor, the Wii U. Approximately 47 people bought one (OK, more than 13 million people, but that’s a far cry from the 101 million Wii owners or the 146 million and counting who’ve bought a Switch), which meant a lot of people missed out on some genuinely great games that launched on the console. The likes of Mario Kart 8, Super Mario 3D World, and Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker provided Nintendo with a ready-made pool of titles to port to the Switch, where most players first discovered them.
