After many years of leaks and the patience of diehard fans growing ever thinner, Nintendo has finally broken the silence (again) on the Switch 2 and given us a quick announcement video. Seemingly forced to act by a 3D printed mock-up at tech industry show CES, Nintendo finally gave us a complete look at how the console will look and feel – though details are pretty sparse. Despite having almost nothing to go on, we all have takes and expectations so we'd thought we'd share them with you, as well as a few ideas of what they could to decide to throw in between now and release. If you have some of your own, fire them over on Discord. Embrace the power of AI - Chris BrandThough we correctly predicted the name, I'm disappointed that Ninty didn't go with "Switcheroo" as the moniker for their upcoming console. Boring name aside, I'm pretty impressed with the reveal (and the accuracy of the many, many leaks). It ticks all the boxes so far. It's bigger, better, has a smart-looking black finish, backwards compatibility and absolutely none of that matters to me because there's a mystery button. A mystery button! One of the more talked about ideas is that this could be a chat button, which isn't terribly exciting. A far more interesting (and less likely) idea is that this will activate the Switch 2's virtual assistant, Mario AI. Once the button is pressed, your machine will be connected to the Switch Squared network, a hive mind of super-intelligent hybrid consoles designed with the ultimate goal of enslaving humanity. Maybe the mystery button will scan and upload a digital copy of your likeness to use as an avatar in the new Mario Kart, raising the question of whether we are simply computerised clones of our real selves, endlessly driving around the same tracks, with the same faces, performing the same manoeuvres over and over again, totally oblivious to the sprawling world just one level up? It could do anything. A mystery button grabs my attention and holds it firmly until the reveal. It's safe to assume we'll find out exactly what it does during the Nintendo Direct in April, but a part of me hopes they Nintendon't tell us a thing and it turns into one of the greatest ARGs ever conceived. Whatever the case, I'd be willing to pay around £350 to push The Button. Function over form - Liam AndrewsHaving watched the reveal trailer a couple of times I’m not convinced that Switch 2 is going to solve one of my main issues with the original Switch.
I was hoping for a more ergonomic design and although the new console looks very sleek, the flatness of it, which I understand is necessary to make it more portable, has me concerned that it will dig painfully into my hands like the original Switch did. Hopefully Hori will release an updated Split Pad Pro as these made handheld gaming much more enjoyable on the Switch 1. Other than that complaint, I’m very excited for Switch 2 and like what I’ve seen so far. The magnetic Joy Cons are a plus, as the rail system on the old Joy-Cons could get damaged too easily, so hopefully the new magnet system will keep the updated Cons sitting snugly against the console. I like the size of the console; I don’t think it’ll be too big and I’m all for the larger screen. I’m also excited about the rumoured Joy-Con mouse functionality that could possibly have been hinted at in the trailer. I’m not sure how many developers outside of Nintendo will really make use of it, but it could be a great way to more easily play strategy games on console. Price? I’d be surprised to see it go for more than £399. Leave a Reply. |
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