In a recent interview with Easy Allies, Shuhei Yoshida, the former president of Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios, shared his candid thoughts on the reveal of the Nintendo Switch 2. His reaction was less than enthusiastic, suggesting that Nintendo might be straying from its unique identity. Yoshida expressed that Nintendo has traditionally been about crafting new experiences by integrating hardware and game design in innovative ways. However, he felt the Switch 2's reveal focused more on incremental improvements rather than groundbreaking innovation.
Yoshida noted, "To me, it was a bit mixed message from Nintendo. In a sense, I think Nintendo is losing their identity, in my opinion. For me, they are always about creating some new experience, like designing hardware and games together to create something that [is an] amazing new experience. But Switch 2, as we all anticipated, is a better Switch, right? It's the larger screen, more powerful processor, higher resolution, 4K, 120 fps, they even have a hardware person starting the stream, like other platforms do, right? And because it's a better Switch, the core premise of the whole Switch 2 is, you know, 'We made things better'. And that's something other companies have been doing all the time."
He acknowledged that for gamers who exclusively play on Nintendo hardware, the Switch 2 is a significant upgrade, allowing them to enjoy titles like Elden Ring that were previously unavailable. However, for those who also game on other platforms, the excitement is somewhat diminished. Yoshida pointed out that the reveal event, which attracted millions of viewers, primarily showcased ports from past generations, with the exception of the highly anticipated "Enter the Gungeon 2," which he praised for its impressive announcement.
Yoshida also commended "Drag x Drive" for embodying the essence of Nintendo's creativity. He touched on the system's pricing, noting differences between Japan and the rest of the world, and expressed a personal disappointment that the Switch 2 did not bring the unexpected surprises that fans have come to expect from Nintendo.
Despite his reservations, Yoshida recognized the Switch 2 as a smart business move, crediting the technical enhancements to the work of talented designers. He concluded that while the system might play it safe in some aspects, it still retains elements of Nintendo's playful and innovative spirit, such as the inclusion of mouse controls.
As the launch date of June 5 approaches, the pricing for the Switch 2 in the U.S. remains uncertain due to new tariffs that led Nintendo to pause North American pre-orders. The company is working to resolve these issues before the global release.
