What Should The Nintendo Switch Successor Be Like?
Almost 7 years old, the Nintendo Switch has reached its twilight years. While the hybrid console had an incredible 2023, it’s evident that the dated hardware is struggling with modern releases. As their new console is on the verge of being announced, I have created my ultimate wish list for the Nintendo Switch successor. Check it out below.
Hybridity
The success of the Nintendo Switch is partly due to the number of ways you can play. Being able to instantly move from the big screen to handheld gaming is an absolute joy and Nintendo must continue down this path. The Japanese giants love to innovate and try new ideas but that shouldn’t be the case this time. They have something that works, now just improve it.
Joy-Con Improvements
Let’s start with the obvious: Joy-Con drift. This has plagued the console, frustrating gamers around the world. Nintendo handled this extremely poorly and they can not afford to do this with the Switch successor. Although they like to ensure costs stay low, they need to include magnetic analogs to ensure the issues don’t crop up again on the next iteration.
Sticking with the Joy-Cons, I like how you can remove them to create a controller but as two, they suck. The placement of the analogs is all wrong and makes it uncomfortable. Rather than try to improve this, I’d prefer to see them just develop the design as a single-person product. Make it more comfortable to hold in handheld and then combine to make something closer to the Pro Controller.
Hardware
Nintendo has always been behind Sony and Microsoft in terms of power but the gap seems to be getting wider. Due to this, Nintendo’s next console must be at least as powerful as PS4 Pro so that porting games isn’t impossible. Currently, devs are having to either rely on cloud streaming technology or just deliver underwhelming downgrades which makes the Nintendo version of games inferior.
Working With Others
As third-party companies struggle to port triple-A titles to the device, we have to wait for Nintendo for bigger games. While they have churned out a ton of great games over the lifespan of the console, there are often long periods between releases. Due to this, Nintendo needs to work with more companies to ensure that sought-after IPs get the spotlight. Mario + Rabbids was incredible, why not let other companies do something unique with another character?
Backward Compatibility (No More Ports)
A lot of Nintendo products include backward compatibility which is great for consumers. While I understand that this was impossible for the Switch, however, did they really need to port nearly every game over to the console? For their next device, I’d like to see them disregard that focus and make it backward-compatible. In addition to this, ensure that it launches with the virtual console library rather than making fans wait years to play the classics.
UI
The UI for the Switch is archaic. With almost no customization options and a complete lack of personality, the next Nintendo console needs a slick UI. The e-Shop takes an age to load anything making it a chore to purchase something. This is a case of scrapping and starting again.
Online Features
Unfortunately, Nintendo is still in the dark ages with its online component. Everything is difficult to do due to the poor implementation of online features. The next console needs to have the basics of being able to create a party, chat on the system and easily invite friends to games.
If Nintendo does all of this, then there’s no reason why their next console couldn’t reach the same heights as the Switch. Call it something simple like Switch 2 and avoid confusing marketing that buried the Wii U. What are your thoughts? What else would you like to see included on their next console? Would you want it to continue down this path or for Nintendo to do something completely different? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook or Twitter, and don’t forget to subscribe to us on YouTube for more great video game content.