Topic: Nintendo Switch 2 Predictions

I actually really like the idea of having a scroll wheel of some kind as @Bolt_Strike suggested. Most obvious example, the modern game staple of having different items tied to a radial menu connected to a shoulder button and an analogue stick. If you were making a game for PC you'd just use the mouse wheel for that

Now whether or not you'd put it under L/R? I'm not entirely convinced. I can understand why and there was a patent for exactly this that Nintendo did file. The L/R bumpers are where your finger naturally sits so it makes sense. Only problem with that specific idea I have is that clicking down a wheel is like clicking down an analogue stick. It works but it's not as good as a proper button. And unlike buttons under analogue sticks you'd be replacing what is already a dedicated button here

As a side note, and for the thread more generally, I just want to see Switch again but with more power and more modern features. Yesterday I picked up RDR2 in the current Steam sale so I was playing through that. 4K DLSS performance mode, settings maxed out, HDR, ~70-90fps with VRR on a 120Hz 4K OLED TV

.... of course the Switch 2 won't be able to match my, admittedly fairly mid, 4060. But it'll be a hell of a lot closer to it than it is to the current Switch. And playing RDR2 yesterday with all of those shiny things going on I couldn't help but think "what if the next Zelda could pull off some of these tricks"

Honestly I'm not sure there's anywhere else to put them, most of the controller real estate is already in use and most of the other buttons have more important uses. The control sticks are needed for movement. The face buttons are usually your primary actions. The triggers are often used for aiming/firing mechanisms in games. The bumpers are probably the least used buttons on a controller, they're for extra actions that are probably going to be less used than the others, so those are the most expendable if they want to add scroll wheels. Where else on the controller would you put a scroll wheel?

@skywake The "power" part is one thing that I see everyone wanting. Yes, I do get people wanting a more, powerful Switch successor & all. But that's the most common thing brought up, don't you think???

How something else that isn't about power? Like...say...making it more accessible for everyone??? especially for those with disabilities. Power, alone, isn't going to carry a system.

Plus, I do want BC but also make it easier to transition from the Switch to it's successor. That's one thing I loved about the Wii, I was able to play all my GC on it because of it's BC with the controllers & memory cards. Especially after I've sold my GC when I bought one.

And lastly, I want the "Switch Neo" to have better build quality. Last thing I want to NOT DEAL WITH is my "Switch Neo" forming small cracks after a good while & the screen not warping. Also, can we all PLEASE ask for a removable battery as well?

I'm just the kind of person who wants to focus on the small details rather than the BIG details. Sometimes, the small details can become the BIG details in certain instances.

@Bolt_Strike
To be clear, I don't disagree. I'm also not sure where else you'd put it other than maybe between the trigger/bumper. So I do agree that in place of one of the bumpers makes the most sense it's just that it would make them worse as bumpers. Now would the gains be worth the losses? I'd argue yes, without question. But there would be a downside regardless

Another thing I'd add to this discussion is that between Valve and Sony there does seem to be a trend towards adding touch sensitive zones to the controller. I could see some solution along those lines could also go some way to adding an additional "analogue input" that was better for that kind of quick radial select. Also with less moving parts and less space than a wheel. Not exactly the same as a wheel but when you combine it with some haptics it can get close. Food for thought

@DanijoEX-the-Pierrot
I mean, you can dismiss "power" as much as you want and say you want something else from it. But at the same time I generally think the Switch form/function as it is is pretty much spot on. It's a relatively powerful portable that can dock. That's end game if you ask me. So what I really want out of a successor is the same but better and with more modern features. Which yes means more power but also HDR, VRR, support for 4K/120Hz display modes, that sort of thing. The idea of a new Zelda or similar that can take advantage of those kinds of modern creature comforts? That's enough for me

There's a reason why it's the main thing people talk about. As much as people want to burn pages talking about menu themes, browsers, Netflix apps and whatnot at the end of the day we're talking a device where game go in, game go start, game go brr. How the game runs, how the game controls, how the game looks and sounds? Those things are by far the most important things for a device intended to play games

I’m just really looking forward to Nintendo having a console that can play modern titles (man I hope that happens). The switch is my favored console because of its portability. I love the fact that I can take it place to place, plug it into other tvs, and monitors and play my games on the go. But dang if the switch don’t feel quite dated at this point. New device cannot come soon enough.

As long as it can play Switch games it is a day 1 for me. Everything else...I just trust in Nintendo really. No special wishes beyond that, other than I guess that NSO remains as it is? No need to restart the collections. All they have released is still there.

@Mana_Knight
I really do hope that backwards compatibility is there and strong right out of the gate. If it isn't that's a big miss given how deep the library of Switch titles has become. But if they reset NSO that would be a complete joke. I would hope that not only does NSO maintain its library of content from Switch but that it's basically indistinguishable from Switch. Full parity

...... although I wouldn't be opposed to them expanding NSO to new platforms even if that was locked to "Switch 2". NSO could very easily include Master System, GameGear, Saturn, Dreamcast, Gamecube and Wii. If there's a solution for the second screen I think there's space for DS and at this point probably even 3DS. Frankly for Switch 2 you could even include Wii U in that list

Not to say they will, they probably won't because they're going to want to port/remaster Wii/GC era titles rather than hand them out to subscribers. And for Wii U the Wii U library is already on Switch so BC solves that one. But I do think that Dreamcast/MasterSystem are both likely, Switch 2 or not, and I think Gamecube is next in line. Everything else I mentioned probably not. But whatever they do, it'll be a business decision not a technical limitation

I'm glad the Switch remained a gaming focused console but - at the same time - I do think that you could argue that Nintendo missed an opportunity by not taking on the tablet market.

There are still millions of tablets sold every year and most are used for one of 3 things - basic web browsing, streaming video or playing games. Switch 2 will play games better than any tablet (because it will actually have things worth playing and in a format that's not got adverts and predatory freemium design baked in). It could potentially match tablets for streaming video (though it would be slightly heavier and - probably - have a slightly poorer screen. These two things weighed off against it being easier to hold and having a stand built in). It won't be as good for web browsing but could be reasonable.

I don't want to see Nintendo make the mistakes of XBox One or Wii U but some minor additions (like a broader range of streaming apps) would make Switch 2 competitive against small tablets without impacting its actual capabilities as a gaming platform at all.

Since pushing a mouse-like wheel takes more force and is less precise than pressing a regular L/R trigger, this would be awful for the games where those triggers are used for precise actions, such as throwing bombs in Breath of the Wild. There's a reason why games that utilise pushing the control sticks don't normally use those pushes for actions that require precise timing.

I wonder if they do have a two screen solution without actually having a second screen. I would have thought leveraging DS games would be in their plans for the next gen NSO.

@StuTwo
My general view RE: Netflix apps etc is that the window for that actually making a difference has passed. CD playback on the original Playstation mattered a bit, DVD playback on the PS2 was its killer app. BluRay playback on the PS3 was equally a big deal. And to some extent, in the US at least, I would argue that Netflix playback on the Wii mattered

But outside of those it gets a bit murky. I would argue that UHD-BluRay playback on the XBOne was the last time any of these things mattered even slightly. And even then it was UHD BluRay, I don't think it mattered much (to be clear I have a decent collection of UHD BluRays, I like the format, but it isn't really a popular format). And after around 2013 the need for media apps on consoles was killed by the rise of Chromecast and SmartTVs

Would I complain if there was Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime etc on the Switch? Not at all. I'd probably even use it sometimes. But it would be very occasionally. Because the times that I have WiFi I am generally at home or am at least somewhere where there's a TV I can use. And the times that I don't I'd need to tether the Switch to my phone for internet access.... and if I need to carry my phone anyways...
(👉ﾟヮﾟ)👉
I would just use my phone

I get this, I really do. I don’t stare at my Switch menu and go “sigh… this thing has no browser, it’s useless” and turn it off. I do agree that its main purpose is to play games and it can do that with decent performance.

…however, even though UI changes, browsers, streaming services, etc, are not as important to the console as playing games… there’s still no harm in having a discussion about it.

Of course, the primary purpose of the Switch 2 will be to play games, that has been the purpose of pretty much every gaming console, and that will continue to be the main purpose. I like having my bells and trinkets on top of the gaming, though, to make the console feel less… I suppose, useless, given the price paid.

In terms of streaming apps, the fact that Nintendo keeps putting some on Switch and then removing them has sort of taken away their reliability at least in my eyes. If Switch 2 had a bunch of streaming apps I wouldn't throw away my Roku because I wouldn't necessarily trust Nintendo would keep those apps. However I would definitely use a Switch 2 Netflix app outside of my house simply because the screen is so much larger than a phone screen.

In terms of browsers? Can't see any reason not to just use my phone so I have zero personal urge for one to be on Switch.

I agree with that too many almost "just" focuses on the UI, icons, music on eshop (come again!), Netflix, internet browser, folders, and more instead of actual games on "Switch 2".

With that logic Wii U should be the most successful console ever since it had "everything", and still it flopped hard... with pitiful 13.5m sold consoles in 5 years.
Switch had "nothing", and yet it sold +140m in just 7 years. PS2 were nowhere near of that number during its 7th birthday, not even close.

A gaming console is to play games, nothing else.
For me then.

PS4/PS4 Pro is much more powerful than Switch but its UI is so slow and its "eshop" is even slower than on Switch and is so incredibly annoying to navigate.
It's way too cluttered, still not as bad as PS3

I like the UI of Switch best. Hated it on Wii and Wii U (takes forever to closing a app).

I loved the Wii interface but I think the Switch UI is adequate and as long as you don't need to go in the eShop or browse your game list, it is super fast. I feel like the Eshop was fine when there were no games in it, Nintendo just didn't plan for 13,000 games. 😝

They could do a little version of the switch that doesn't play games, but has access to Netflix, Disney+, all the media player apps that you get on a tablet, etc. As well as that, you can customise the front end, in multiple ways

@skywake I tend to agree but I think the value of streaming apps etc. isn’t necessarily for me or you (or anyone on this site). I do think that it’s a selling point for a lot of parents who buy pre teens a tablet instead. Children who might not have a tv in their room and who might not have a phone.

I’m not sure how big that market is. More importantly perhaps though - those parents won’t pay for games full stop (they want the freemium junk) which is perhaps why Nintendo hasn’t made those moves yet.

It may be a necessity for Nintendo to include lots of non-gaming apps if consoles start dying out and Nintendo is forced to compete with mobile and PC, long term I could see that being a distinct possibility and they should start preparing now for that scenario (if dedicated consoles no longer become feasible, it's either that or Nintendo would have to shift to device add ons like the Backbone). I myself would love for my Switch to be the only device I'll ever need to carry and not having to also lug around a smartphone for non-gaming purposes and I'd imagine that I'm far from the only one (although more likely it'd be the other way around, they would want their smartphone to be the only device they need and for it to do their Nintendo things). That being said, I don't think it's a necessity NOW, so I don't think the Switch 2 really needs to include those things.

Maybe you should look at the previous replies about the failure of the Wii U before assuming that it’s reasons for failing wasn’t simply just because it was “cluttered” and slow…

@StuTwo
In my experience the kinds of parents who feel the need to keep their kids occupied with mindless entertainment are giving their kids hand-me-down devices anyways. And in any case the killer app for that purpose is YouTube, which the Switch does have

In any case, and I think this is a bit of a reply to @squisan also here, it's just not that interesting a discussion. I'm not opposed to these things but it seems that for some people themes and apps are all they ask for. And for a gaming machine I'm not sure why anyone cares. It's not like it's the early 00s when the GC lacked DVD playback. It's not the mid 00s when a console that could playback mkvs, stream Netflix and have customisable themes was a novelty

I'm even more confused when people seem to put these things over, you know, features that will enhance the playing of games. If Switch 2 has themes, eShop music and Disney+ but lacks VRR and HDR I'm sure some people in here would be more than happy. Which I find incredibly odd......