Game Boy / Switch 2 / Wii
Image: Nintendo Life

I have been banging the 'Theme' drum for so long now, my hands have started to hurt. It doesn't make any sense to me that every Switch menu has been this music-less graveyard when Nintendo has churned out the likes of the Wii Shop Channel, 3DS Theme Shop and a multitude of other bangers in years gone by.

But there's another melody missing from Switch that not nearly enough people, myself included, have been rooting for over the past eight years, and if Nintendo is only going to rectify one of its musical mishaps for Switch 2, I hope it's this one: it's time start-up jingles made a comeback.

The thought popped into my mind recently when I flicked on my GBA for a spot of Pokémon Emerald and the start-up 'brrrrrrrng, be-ding!' elicited an actual gasp from my brother sat nearby. He, like anyone who grew up with a Nintendo games console in the house, recognised the sound immediately, triggering some deep-coded response of excitement that clamshell chaos was about to ensue.

And I'm exactly the same. Every Nintendo start-up sound, no matter how brief, holds a special place in my heart. The DS' fading 'ba-dum ba-dum ba-dum' transports me back to days of impatiently shouting 'Mr. Biscuits' into the mic, hoping my Nintendog would learn it this freaking time.

The Wii's 'waluhluhluh luhluhluhluh' tees me up for the Super Mario Galaxy menu music. Heck, even the Game Boy (and Game Boy Color's) comparatively simple 'ding!' does something.

Naturally, all of these pale in comparison to the GameCube start-up, a jingle so powerful that Luigi set it as his ringtone in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. It's longer than most, yes, but tell me a better way to get your players pumped than with an excessively jolly series of rising and falling scales? Go on, I'll wait.

Weirdly, the absence of a jingle isn't something that had particularly crossed my mind with Switch. I so rarely 'Power Off' the hybrid that I only see the black start-up screen maybe once a year, and the ability to pick up and play does harm the chances for a musical interlude somewhat.

In its defence, the Switch does play a little jingle when you turn it on for the very first time — the console's distinctive 'click' followed by a not-so-distinctive trumpet and timpani fanfare. It's certainly too grand for something I'd want to hear every time I press the power button, but as a "Welcome to your new console!" message, it does the job.

But look at me making excuses! The Game Boy got away with a single-note introduction, so I'm sure there would be wiggle room on Switch, a console you must thricely press the same button to unlock — seriously? We don't have a jingle, but we have that?

Rather than living in the past, let's look to the future. The clickly-but-jingle-less Switch is almost behind us, and it's up to Switch 2 to bring back a bit of musicality. I would be willing to stake everything on the 'clack' sound from Nintendo's reveal trailer playing as each game starts up, but what about a little something to make it more memorable? A short, four-note piano sequence that finishes with the 'clack'? A 'ding' or two thrown in there for good measure? Anything to make it sound distinctly like a Switch 2 and not like someone putting the lid on a tub of butter in the other room.

For the recent PlayStation 30th anniversary, Sony loaded up all PS5 consoles with a customisable start-up sequence based on all their previous jingles. Rather than the console's usual 'dun un dun dun' melody, my PS5 now starts with the power blast of the PS1's terrifying opening chord and its accompanying chimes. It's brilliant.

In 30 years' time, when Nintendo looks back on Switch with that same level of nostalgia, there will be no such musical tie-in for it to draw on. Nobody is going to fondly remember the three pips as you input the hybrid's unlock code, nor the ascending/descending scale of the eShop's loading screen. But there's still time for Switch 2 to fit that brief.

Come on, Nintendo. What else am I going to set as my phone ringtone when I'm old and grey?

Come on then, what's your favourite Nintendo console start-up sound? We've added a video above that contains all of them (with a couple of edge cases), so take to the following poll and let us know your favourite.

What's your favourite Nintendo start up sound?