As much as I wanted to love the Nintendo Switch 2, I'm finding it hard to feel even remotely excited about it. Nintendo has made many crucial mistakes when it comes to its marketing, price, and launch lineup, which makes it hard to feel that same hype we all felt prior to the console's announcement. It has tried to justify a lot of these mistakes or explain away significant problems with the console, but none of these have made sense or really rectified the glaring flaws with the Nintendo Switch 2.

However, by far the worst thing about the Nintendo Switch 2 is its lack of exclusives. The rather abysmal Switch 2 Direct focused on all the third-party games we've already played a million times coming to the console but only announced three first-party titles and one third-party exclusive. The decision likely shocked a lot of people who were keen to see how Nintendo would leverage its new console's power, myself included. Unfortunately, Nintendo's explanation as to why the Switch 2 is missing exclusives is not only a bad one but points to a rather dour future for the console.

Nintendo Wants To Keep ing The Switch

It Is Prioritizing Its 150 Million Install Base

During its launch window, the Nintendo Switch 2 will have three first-party exclusives in the form of Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza, and the FromSoftware's The Duskbloods that is coming in 2026. Unfortunately, that's it. A casual racing game, a platformer, a minigame-focused educational experience, and a FromSoft title. In any normal month, this would be a pretty strong selection, but for a console's launch, it looks quite dour.

Alongside explaining the Switch 2's expensive price, something that has proved somewhat controversial as it makes investing in video games significantly less accessible. Bowser told The Washington Post:

"We have an install base [for the Switch] of 150 million plus units. We’ll probably announce more on May 8, when we have our next earnings call. We want to keep those players engaged. Not all of them may be ready to jump to Switch 2.”

However, while primarily addressing the issues surrounding price, Bowser has also revealed why the Nintendo Switch 2 has so few exclusives at launch. As many predicted, Nintendo wants to continue ing the Switch long after the Switch 2 releases because so many people own one. It makes sense from a purely financial point of view, but it also means that, at the very least, some new first-party Nintendo games have to be cross-gen releases between both the Switch and Switch 2.

The Switch Is Holding Back The Switch 2

It Means A Lot Of Games Could Be Cross-Platform

Unfortunately, this means that the Nintendo Switch is holding its successor back. Games like Pokémon Legends Z-A or even Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, to an extent, should have been Nintendo Switch 2 exclusives rather than being stuck on the original Switch. Considering just how outdated the original Switch is now, at least in of hardware, this means that future first-party Nintendo games will continue to look just as bad and feel just as limited, which isn't great for those who do end up buying a Switch 2.

Of course, this is an incredibly nuanced topic, just like it was when people were criticizing the PS4 for holding back the PS5 thanks to games like Star Wars Jedi: Survivor having disastrous cross-gen releases. A lot of people won't be able to afford a Nintendo Switch 2 because of how expensive it is, and, as a result, will be stuck with the original Switch. They will still want new games released for the console they own, and understandably so. Therefore, it makes perfect sense for Nintendo to continue ing the original Switch to cater to those left behind.

No one wants the large portion of people who can't afford the ridiculous cost to a Switch 2, let alone buy the extortionately priced Switch 2 games, to be stuck with useless hardware.

No one wants the large portion of people who can't afford the ridiculous cost to a Switch 2, let alone buy the extortionately priced Switch 2 games, to be stuck with useless hardware. The cost of inflation and rising development costs make this problem far more nuanced than it has been with previous generations. However, the length of time the original Switch has been around, coupled with the huge disparity in hardware between it and the Switch 2, also greatly complicates matters.

It Is Time For The Switch To Die

It Has Been Eight Years

The original Switch launched on March 3, 2017, over eight years ago. Since then, we've seen the end of the PS4/Xbox One era, gotten halfway through the PS5 era, and the announcement of Xbox and PlayStation handhelds. PC handhelds also began releasing three years ago and proved to be vastly more powerful than the original Switch. A lot has changed in the industry in the huge amount of time that the Nintendo Switch has been around, and, by modern standards, it has enjoyed an extremely long console generation.

The PS2, Wii, NES, and more had longer lifespans than the Switch. However, since the early 2000s, consoles more routinely stick to a seven-year lifespan, with the PS3 launching in 2006, the PS4 in 2013, and the PS5 in 2020, for example.

Even if the Nintendo Switch had lasted six to seven years, it would have felt outdated that entire time. Its hardware was old the moment it launched, and that has been a constant issue for it since the start. If it is to live on for several more years while people slowly transition to the Nintendo Switch 2, it could see the next console generation or, at the very least, be outclassed again by its competitors' handhelds. It is holding the Switch 2 back from having a competitive advantage if Nintendo has to keep developing first-party games for it.

What the Switch 2 needs are exclusives that demonstrate not only why it's worth owning a Switch 2 in the first place but why it's important to buy one over a handheld Xbox or PlayStation. If it is getting games that look like Pokémon Legends Z-A in 2026 or 2027, then people will still regard it as powerful as the original Switch, even if it gets the somewhat lackluster Switch 2 enhanced versions of certain games.

Nintendo should have anticipated this, especially with Xbox having announced its handheld a while ago. It could have reduced the cost of the console itself but kept the price of its games as high as they are to compensate, much like how the PS4 was originally sold at a loss but made its money through PS Plus and video game sales. Unfortunately, Nintendo chose to play it safe, attempting to please everyone, and as a result, offering a pared-back version of the Nintendo Switch 2 and ing an eight-year-old console that was outdated the moment it was released.

Source: The Washington Post