The internet reacts to the Nintendo Switch 2

In case you missed it, Nintendo finally revealed the Switch 2 this morning. It looks pretty much exact what the leak said it would. It’s a bigger, arguably more powerful version of the beloved console/handheld hybrid that has magnetic Joy-Cons and can also play your old Switch games. To may not sound so exciting to somebut it’s nice to finally have Nintendo talking about the matter instead of having to scrape the bottom of a leaky barrel for scraps of information. We get a longer presentation on the device through a Nintendo Direct on April 2as well as some options to play the thing in selected cities in the days and weeks that followed. But how does the internet react to this first tease? There is enough excitement, disappointment and confusion to go around.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itpcsQQvgAQ

The collective relief at finally having real news

It’s been months of waiting for official Switch 2 news. Nintendo confirmed the existence of the device last year, and it’s been a trickle of leaky news ever since. Now that Switch 2 officially exists and we can put a face and a name to the concept of the Switch sequel, fans can finally relax after clinging to the company’s socials all this time.

Mario Kart (9?)

We still don’t know much about the Nintendo Switch 2, and the only game the company showed for the device was a new one Mario Kart. No title was given, but the brief glimpse we saw of the game in action showed a more cartoonish art style than MK8 and teased what appears to be a 24-player mode. Fans seem to be excited about it, warming to the subtly revamped character designs.

Avoid the Wii U bug

One thing several people have noticed is that Nintendo went out of its way to make it clear that the Nintendo Switch 2 is a new console. The Wii U had plenty of problems, but one of the biggest was the misconception, based on its branding, that it could be a peripheral to the original Wii. Hitting a 2 on the name makes it clear that this is the next iteration of what you already love. Say what you will about PlayStation’s naming convention not being all that flashy, but you know that a PlayStation 5 is the next big console from Sony. The Switch 2 name is straightforward, and it’s the best decision Nintendo could have made moving to the next system.

Some healthy skepticism and questions

The reveal trailer finally removed any uncertainty about the Switch 2’s existence, but it was light on some major details. Right now it looks like it’s mostly a bigger, beefier Switch with a few extra bells and whistles. This is quite uncharacteristic of Nintendo, which has typically introduced some major innovations in each generational leap. So there are a lot of unanswered questions still floating around as we move towards launch. Is the bigger screen and more powerful hardware the main hook? Will Nintendo release more Joy-Cons than the slim ones it shows in the reveal trailer? There’s still a lot we don’t know about the Switch 2.

The mouse and keyboard girls are eating

There have been rumors that the Switch 2’s Joy-Cons would double as mice. This could be huge for strategy games like Civilization 7 that have historically been difficult to play with a controller. Nintendo didn’t confirm it in the trailer, but there’s an image of the Joy-Cons apparently being used as a mouse that has people excited about the possibilities.

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