Topic: Is The Switch 2 Worth It???

lol so now you're willing to admit most people can't tell these graphical differences, but when we're talking about the screen you're suddenly the CEO of Digital Foundry.

Oh man. Thank you for that. Some of you guys make it easier to wake up with a good chuckle.

Have we genuinely gone from “the Switch is underpowered” to “I can’t see the difference between games on Switch 1 and Switch 2”?

I get that these might be opinions coming from two different groups of people…but really, it goes to show that you can’t please everybody. And I honestly think the latter argument is disingenuous and not worth entertaining.

My point is that you're judging the library selectively and in a deliberately skewed way to suit your argument. You dismiss entirely releases on Switch 2 as "not counting" for one reason or another. Then you arbitrarily use "first year" as the time window knowing full well that the Switch launched a full quarter earlier

Six months in we've had Mario Kart World, DK Bananza, Hyrule Warriors and Air Riders. Noteworthy performance improvements for both BotW and TotK plus various updates to existing titles, some performance and some content. Then in the middle of that they fit a new Pokemon and Metroid Prime 4, which are also on Switch but are still releases they had to fit into the schedule. Literally something noteworthy every month since launch. It's not stopping either, next month Mario Tennis, then Pokopia in March. And this is ignoring third parties and indies

I really don't buy this narrative that there's nothing happening

Ok, but did you buy every single game on the Switch? Did everyone who is looking at the Switch 2 buy every game on the Switch? I still don't see how the existence of cross-gen releases and a deep back catalogue via backwards compatibility, some of which is enhanced, hurts the appeal of the Switch 2

Yes, the Switch did inherently benefit in a library sense from the fact that Wii U development had stopped entirely and nobody had played these games. So people who had a Wii U were forced to upgrade for all of the new games and there were more people out there who skipped the Wii U than there are people who skipped the Switch. But you surely must realise how strange, temporary and slow to rollout that was. Right?

Your argument here, while having some merit, has a very short shelf life

I would note that the person I was replying to earlier was claiming that the Switch 2 was Nintendo doing the equivalent of "calling the PS5 Pro a PS6". While gushing over the PS5 and its status as a "gamers console". I think it's fair to assume that they don't agree with your argument here

And @OmnitronVariant here is now claiming that only Digital Foundry cares about the gap between Switch and Switch 2. Which is interesting. Because I seem to recall them waxing lyrically about how great the Steam Deck was and how they purchased it when they were dissatisfied with the fidelity of the Switch. And have repeatedly complained about how poor the image quality of Switch 2 titles are

I would put to you that regardless of your views if we are to accept these two views then, logically, we can't also hold the view that the Switch 2's improved fidelity over the Switch is not notable. Even moreso if we are arguing that there are diminishing returns the higher fidelity we go. If the PS5 is the best console to buy currently and was also a worthy upgrade over the PS4? If the Steam Deck is significantly better than the Switch largely due to its improved performance? Then Switch 2 must also be a significant upgrade for its graphical lead over Switch

It's basic logic, one can't be true while the other isn't

You can't please everybody, ever. That's a given. What's your point?

The latter point isn't disingenous. The console's only selling point is its improved visuals and performance. So far the improvements aren't visible to the lay person, and you need to show zoomed in comparisons shots and side-by-side framerate comparisons to tell, in most cases.

I have no doubt at some point Nintendo (or more likely, Monolithsoft) will make something for it that really shows us why it's worth a $700 "upgrade" (in my currency), but so far I haven't seen it personally. I own it, I've bought Bananza and MKW, I wanted to be at least mildly impressed, but I'm not.

@OmnitronVariant PS3 to PS4 was a similar jump in graphical fidelity, with an arguably much worse first party lineup (and no backwards compatibility), yet PS4 went on to sell very well. PS5 similarly sold itself on little more than a graphical boost and - lo and behold - is doing well. Some would argue that PS5 five years on still doesn’t have any compelling exclusives, but here we are.

And let’s assume for a sec that people don’t find that Nintendo’s games showcase the hardware. What about third parties? More than ever there’s parity with the dedicated consoles. We never would’ve got something like RE Requiem day-and-date on the Switch. And we’ve already seen games that were notably compromised for Switch (e.g. Hogwarts Legacy) look much more in line with other consoles in their Switch 2 versions. “Diminishing returns” are working in Nintendo’s favour. The Switch 2 is the biggest graphical upgrade a console line has seen in near 15 years, and the Switch 2 is much closer to current consoles than the Switch was to its contemporaries.

Just to reply to one last point here:

The cost-of-living crisis is often a scapegoat in these arguments and I can get behind the sentiment. But also I posted a video from LTT on the last page for a reason. It probably expresses what I've been trying to say on this better than I have been

All this negativity and doom is just tiring. I think people just need to step back and realise that, all things considered, there are a lot of good things here. Gaming as a hobby has never really been as cheap or as accessible as it is now, even with the recent price inflation. You're here arguing that you don't need to upgrade to the Switch 2 to get a satisfying gaming experience. Both with the existing library of software and also new releases that are still coming to Switch. And sure, this is true. But that being a viable option is a good thing

But even with that being the case, the Switch 2 does have a clear value. Some of that value is in new content only on Switch 2, which like with any new platform launch starts with 0 and grows over time. I will always say you're a bit of an idiot if you buy a console on day 1, that still stands. But in this case some of that value comes in the form of improvements to existing titles. Some free, some with an upgrade free. This makes Switch 2 a more appealing piece of hardware than it otherwise would be. This is a good thing

But honestly, the thing that irks me about this thread in particular and posters such as @OmnitronVariant is the constant whine. The constant warring and battling over stuff which, ultimately, doesn't really matter. Rather than just enjoying the games. And the Switch 2 does already have some pretty great games, as I'm sure it will continue to get over the next several years

Worthiness of video game machine is very subjective to each people.
For those who consider as worthy, they might like a lot from the upgrade feature and the games line up.
But for those who don't think Switch 2 is worthy, it might be from various issue such as disliking certain games or disappointed by certain franchise, game key card, overpriced, etc.
Whichever answer from anyone here, worthy or not is not something to be fight for.
Kudos for whoever think is worthy, kudos for whoever think is not worthy.
One thing can be loved or hated by different people.
My answer right now is still not worthy, because of game key card issue.

Yeah, I must agree, one great thing about the Switch 2 is that... though some people may not agree... there really is a fair amount of first party games already. And the third party side of things (minus the cancelation of niche Japanese fanservice game releases in the US and EU branches of Ninendo) is looking really good. I really don't know what people are expecting. Now, if we get to the 10th anniversary of Mario Odyssey and there is still no news about the next 3D Mario, that would be kind of concerning. But I really do think some people raise their expectations a little too high. Also, it's a more technologically advanced console, with more technologically advanced games. If course it's all going to be more expensive. I personally think that the Switch 2, with the way it is currently going and its current pricing, is almost the perfect console of all time. The only things holding it back for me are Game Key Cards and Nintendo of America's cancelation of Japanese fanservice game releases like Hyperdimension Neptunia. But those can be discussed another time.