We also see an extra button on the right Joy-Con's face, below the Home button. While this isn't labeled in the trailer, it does suggest some form of “C button” functionality, which Nintendo has used in various forms on the N64 and GameCube in the past. It's also worth noting a particularly pointed shot focusing on the left Joy-Con thumb knob—this may be intended to highlight the improved thumbsticks for the new, combinable Hall effect technology? Give drift problem given the original Switch a hard time, it would be a smart move for Nintendo.
Photo: Nintendo
The biggest changes to the main console, aside from the increased physical size, are the addition of a USB-C port at the top and a new U-shaped kickstand. While the former is a nice addition, opening up the possibility of supporting more accessories, the latter looks a bit flimsy — better than the original Switch-powered nub but less sturdy than the former. before. The sturdy back stand of the OLED Switch.
Speaking of OLED Switches, and judging purely by the chunky bezel shown in the Switch 2 reveal, the new console will likely return to an LCD display. Again, this was okay Rumored for a long timebut it would be hard not to see it as a step backward.
What's most notable from this reveal, however, is that Nintendo immediately confirmed backwards compatibility with existing Switch games, both physically and digitally (though there's some sort of except not yet determined). It's great news for players who have spent the better part of a decade building their libraries, and another example of Nintendo's quiet confidence and sense of continuity. When you are done preparing 1.3 billion sell software for your hugely successful platform, why risk alienating those customers?
And that, in a nutshell, seems to be Nintendo's strategy for the Switch 2: If it ain't broke, why fix it? Gamers love the Switch as it is, the company's main competitors are all emulating it to a greater or lesser extent, and all signs point to “more but better” being a thing. Attractive selling point. It's playing it safe—but it doesn't need to do anything else.