5 Nintendo Switch 2 Changes I'm Most Excited About

I was a relatively early adopter of the original Nintendo Switch, having purchased one with the express intent of playing "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild" and "Super Mario Odyssey." I don't regret that purchase at all, as my Switch has given me plenty of quality entertainment over the years. Sadly, the old girl's been showing her age lately, and like many Nintendo enthusiasts, I've been wondering when it'll be time to level things up.

As we learned with a new trailer today, the answer to that question is apparently this year. Nintendo has officially unveiled the simply-named Switch 2, with a projected release date for some time in 2025, likely around the holidays. While my Switch has been a comforting presence all these years, I'd be lying if I said the promise of new and improved hardware didn't get me excited. Eight straight years of Switch ownership has given me some hangups, and even with the minimal information made available by the initial announcement, it already seems like some of those hangups are being addressed.

I never bought a Switch OLED model, as the updated model didn't really have enough new features over my original model to warrant the investment, in my opinion. That said, I can admit the original model is on the smaller side, especially compared to the myriad of new portable gaming consoles that have been released in recent years.

Based on the Switch 2 reveal trailer, it looks like Nintendo is making a more concentrated effort to address this. The very first part of the reveal shows the console and its screen noticeably increasing in size. Hopefully, this new screen will also be an OLED panel, so if it's even bigger than the OLED model Switch, I can finally say I made the right decision to skip it in the end. Similarly, a larger console also means room for beefier, more advanced internal hardware to really get the most out of that new screen. However, just having a sturdier starting point is already a solid upgrade.

The original Switch combines its charging port with its dock connector port. This is convenient if you like to play docked, and I certainly do, but if you want to play handheld while plugged in on the couch or in bed, it becomes a little less convenient. When you plug the charging cable into the bottom, especially with a thick plug, it becomes a lot less comfortable to hold, doubly so if you're laying down.

It looks like the Switch 2 is taking a page out of the DS family's book by placing its charging port on the top of the console. There's still a connector plug for the dock, so that's unchanged, but now, if you want to lounge while playing handheld, you can charge from the top instead. This will be so much more comfortable for those who like to laze around with their Switch, not to mention easier for situations like travel. Plugging in from the top also makes you less likely to accidentally pull the cord out with your legs when you have to stand up, after all.

One of my big concerns with all the Switch 2 teases over the last couple of years is the uncertainty of backwards compatibility. Nintendo has been a bit... inscrutable when it comes to backwards compatibility with some of its consoles over the years, including it in some and excluding it in others. The last thing I want is for all of my physical Switch cartridges to be rendered worthless when a new console comes out, not to mention all of the digital games registered to my Nintendo account.

Thankfully, the Switch 2 reveal trailer has clarified that the new console will feature near-complete backwards compatibility with the original Switch's library. Whether you're playing on physical cartridges or digital games, the Switch 2 will be able to carry over most if not all of your games. 

Nintendo clarified that Switch Online memberships will carry over to the Switch 2 as well, which is good, because Switch Online is what gives us our cloud saves. This announcement does have an asterisk that not all games will be fully supported or compatible with the Switch 2. We can't know for sure which games until Nintendo releases a list, but if I had to guess, it'll be games that require special peripherals like "Ring Fit Adventure." That might be a problem for me, as I play "Ring Fit" a lot, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Sometimes, when I take my Switch on the go with me, I'll use its rear stand to prop it up on a table, desk, or one of those little trays on an airplane. However, that stand has always felt a bit flimsy, being only a thin strip of plastic on a single side of the console. It only takes one wrong jostle, and the whole thing falls over, potentially onto the ground. The Switch OLED addressed this to a degree with a thicker rear stand, but it looks like the Switch 2 is taking things a bit further.

The new console appears to have a redesigned rear stand with two points of connection to the console for better stability. More than that, though, the stand folds out remarkably far, enough to prop the console only a few degrees off from being horizontal. This is great, as you obviously can't always get a table that's perfectly level with your eye line. With this stand, even if you have to look down at the console, you can still get a nice, full view of the larger screen.

Of course, one of the biggest draws to the Switch 2, and arguably the one thing that everyone's been clamoring for all this time, is new and improved Joy-Con controllers. The original Joy-Cons were a cool innovation for the time, but eventually started to show some annoying concerns, like being too small, fragile, and of course, stick drift.

The Switch 2's reveal trailer doesn't have full technical specs on the new Joy-Cons, but we can infer a few things. Firstly and obviously, the new Joy-Cons are larger in size. This should make them much more comfortable to hold individually, as well as together in their grip. I can't say for sure if it'll be better than a Classic Controller, but I'm optimistic.

Second, it seems like the sides of the Joy-Cons are more pronounced, with larger, thicker shoulder buttons, of which there also seem to be four now. This'll make it much easier to play games with a single Joy-Con, something that wasn't exactly pleasant to do with the originals despite that being one of their main gimmicks.

Finally, we have the new hard connection ports. The slide-in connector of the original Joy-Cons was cool, but as my Switch got up in years, the connection felt gradually less steady, occasionally glitching out and failing to connect. The new Joy-Cons have a pronounced socket on the sides, and while the trailer doesn't state this outright, they seem to be connecting to the console with the long-rumored magnetic connection. Now we just have to wait and see if there are hall effect sticks in there to address the drifting.