The Nintendo Switch 2 has to be one of the most talked-about consoles in gaming history, despite the fact that it still hasn't been released. The countless theories and rumors surrounding its alleged release date, specs, and design are constantly spreading around the internet like wildfire. I've been partial to these rumors for quite some time, indulging myself every now and then and even getting my hopes up that some of them might be true, as dangerous as that can be.

However, the longer that these rumors continue to be just that, the longer Nintendo takes to properly show off its much-anticipated console, the more I question whether it's too late for the Switch 2. I'm starting to feel like the whole thing is a little pointless, that there's no hope of the Switch 2 ever reaching the same heights that its predecessor managed to achieve back in 2017. Many factors have led to this gloomy outlook, but perhaps the worst offender is Nintendo itself.

Nintendo Is Revealing The Switch 2 All Wrong

It's Announcing Information Out Of The Blue

Nintendo tends to hold back information until the last minute before debuting it during a crowd-pleasing Direct. I've spent a good amount of time wishing for a game to be announced only to be left disappointed with no information and the flickering hope that maybe it'll appear in the next Direct. I don't even want to begin to think what it must be like to be a Hollow Knight fan waiting endlessly for Silksong. So, I understand the art of being patient when it comes to Nintendo products and was more than happy to wait for the Switch 2.

However, Nintendo decided that it would go about the marketing for the Switch 2 all wrong. Firstly, let fans speculate wildly, Switch 2 will have backwards compatibility, but has largely stuck to the dreaded "This Direct won't contain any information about the Switch 2" mantra.

I was still fairly content waiting, even despite Nintendo's insistence on sharing no information other than the fact that sometime before March 31, 2025, the Switch 2 will be unveiled. However, the longer this goes on, the more times people insist the Switch 2 will be announced next Tuesday, only for it to be, unsurprisingly, not announced, and the more times Nintendo drops brand-new hardware out of the blue that isn't the Switch 2, the more I feel like the whole thing is pointless.

Had the Switch 2 been announced when the demand for it was at its absolute peak before everyone started switching from saying that the Switch is impressive to the Switch is impressive despite its aging hardware, it would have felt like an understandable upgrade. However, from the little information about the Switch 2 that players have, it seems like it'll be no more powerful than a Steam Deck, a console that has been improving since it launched and offers an ideal handheld experience that is capable of playing modern triple-A titles.

The Steam Deck Already Does What The Switch 2 Will Do

It Can't Just Play Modern Triple-A Games

I've always felt it's unfair to compare the Switch and the Steam Deck. Firstly, the Switch launched five years before the Steam Deck, when the available technology wasn't available to make something as powerful. Secondly, Nintendo was aiming for a different type of handheld, one that could play the games it makes, not necessarily triple-A titles. Of course, the success of the Switch meant more developers wanted to port their games over. However, it is clear that it was always intended to be able to run BOTW at best and nothing to the level of Cyberpunk 2077.

Most importantly, the Steam Deck had the opportunity to learn from all of Nintendo's mistakes. Nintendo didn't have a competitor from which to draw inspiration, as it was the only company making handhelds like the Switch. However, that is no longer the case, and Nintendo has had years to not only learn from its own mistakes but its many new competitors who are making bigger and better consoles all the time. Unfortunately, if the Switch 2's leaked specs are to be believed, while it'll be powerful, it won't be able to do much more than what its competitors already can.

That wouldn't be inherently an issue if it wasn't for the fact that the Steam Deck is cheaper now than ever before, especially if people grab a refurbished one as they sell for less than the base Switch price. By comparison, the Switch 2 will likely launch for significantly more as it's a new console with a lot of impressive hardware bundled into it. Of course, this is all speculation, but it's happened before, like when the PlayStation 3 launched for far more than the Xbox 360 and fell behind in sales until Sony eventually dropped the price.

The longer Nintendo takes to showcase the Switch 2, the more compelled I feel to get a Steam Deck.

I've started questioning what the point of the Switch 2 is if it's going to be as capable as a Steam Deck but cost more. The longer Nintendo takes to showcase the Switch 2, the more compelled I feel to get a Steam Deck. Its games far sur the Switch's, and the bonus of having Early Access titles as well as games that would never get ported to the Switch is enticing. Had the Switch 2 been released alongside the Steam Deck, it might have felt as enticing. Unfortunately, it didn't, and now its only stand-out feature is its exclusives.

I Still Have Hope For The Switch 2

Exclusives Could Save It

There is still a part of me that has hope for the Switch 2. I love my Switch and have spent countless hours playing some of the very best games on it. The sheer number of games I've purchased again on the Switch just to play it in the bath or on the toilet is irresponsible. It's a fantastic console, one that changed how I, and I'm sure a lot of other people have looked at gaming. I want nothing more for the Nintendo Switch 2 to be an unmitigated success, and I know, deep down, it probably will.

I feel that if Nintendo's marketing for the Switch 2 centers more on what triple-A games it can play and less on what its exclusives for the console are, it will be a huge mistake.

The Switch 2 has brand recognition and will undoubtedly have a plethora of exclusives that are sure to draw newcomers and existing fans in. The improved hardware will mean that Nintendo's first-party titles will be able to go toe-to-toe with Sony's, at least in of ambition, and I'm personally very grateful it will mean Monolith Soft won't be so restricted anymore. In that sense, the Switch 2 will absolutely be worth it.

However, I feel that if Nintendo's marketing for the Switch 2 centers more on what triple-A games it can play and less on what its exclusives for the console are, it will be a huge mistake. I don't want to hear that the Switch 2 can play Cyberpunk 2077 or Elden Ring because the cheaper Steam Deck can already do that. What I want to know is what the Switch 2's first-party games will be, and what Nintendo, Monolith Soft, Intelligent Systems, and more have been cooking behind the scenes.

If the Switch 2 launches with games on the same level as Breath of the Wild that aren't available anywhere else, it has a shot of being really successful. At the very least, it'll get me back on board, something I'm sure Nintendo is desperate to achieve. I do still believe that Nintendo has waited too long to release the Switch 2, and I also believe that with how impressive its competition is, there is a pointlessness to it. However, I have hope that the Nintendo Switch 2 could still be a worthwhile purchase despite it all.

Source: Nintendo of America/X, Steam Deck Gaming/YouTube