Switch 2 Predictions and Wants

This is the year that Nintendo will release the details for their Switch successor! After seven years of millions loving the Nintendo Switch it is showing its age pretty hard for a wide selection of third party games. Even though I love the system and, in a way, feel sad to see it leave the spotlight, I am excited to see what Nintendo has to offer us next.

The Switch has my largest game library, so my first want from the new system to be backwards compatible. If it’s not, it will be a huge loss. The expansive library would be a huge positive if it was carried over, with a more powerful system to play all of the games, it might be one of the top handhelds to own. I expect something similar to the DS to 3DS transition. Having a new game cartridge design for the new system but the console can also run the Switch cards.

One of the main problems with the Switch is its lack of power to run less optimized games. With the next generation, I hope that we can see a decent increase in performance. With rumors suggesting that the next console will have around PS4 levels of internals, that would be great to have in a handheld device. I never expect current generation home console power in a handheld or hybrid system, so anything that can play new games well anywhere, I will enjoy.

On the topic of handhelds, I hope that Nintendo keeps the hybrid model. The success of the Switch comes in part from the agility of the system. Having both a home console and a handheld in one system is perfect for a large portion of the population. I play a lot of games handheld at my desk, but will hook my Switch up to the TV when I’m up in the living room. Being able to swap functions in this way makes it the most convenient of all my consoles.

I have seen mock ups that included duel screens, and even though I know that this is unlikely and probably not practical, I only enjoy the idea because of the possibility of DS and 3DS ports being easier. With a focus on mainlining gaming, I don’t think that a duel screen will make it to the actual console, but I do fantasize about some great DS and 3DS ports and a return to that fun style of interacting with a touch screen.

Now, aside from the console itself, the main excitement surrounds new games. Here is a look at some of Nintendo’s first party IPs (in alphabetical order) that I look forward to seeing reimagined as a new entry.

With the massive success of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, it seems pretty obvious that the new Nintendo console will be the home of what might become the new best selling Animal Crossing release. As someone who has only played New Horizons and has purchased New Leaf (I will start it soon, I promise) I am looking forward to what they will include in the newest game. I can’t wait to catch new bugs and fish and build up a new museum (luckily, New Leaf should hold me over until the new game is made).

One franchise that got overlooked was ARMS. I think that this game has potential to be a fun game. Not as attention grabbing as say Splatoon, but the pop of bright colors and the fighting mechanics could be fun if it was developed out more. Adding more modes and different ways to fight would go a long way.

I am losing hope that we will ever see a brand new entry in the Donkey Kong franchise. We need to see a new game on the next console or else I am giving up. Donkey Kong is such a good franchise and I’m sad to see only remakes come out (even though I love remakes and ports because game preservation is important!). I want a brand new game, no matter if it leans more towards the platforming side, or the climbing side (I really enjoyed Jungle Climbers on the DS and would honestly love to see a game with those climbing mechanics come back).

As a huge lover of Kirby, I always look forward to new Kirby games. With the latest release going 3D, I wonder if the new game (that will inevitably be released because it’s Kirby) will follow the 3D path and from now on, we will not see a traditional 2D Kirby adventure. I will admit, if they release a 2D Kirby, they will need to add some type of twist like they did with Kirby Planet Robobot or Kirby Epic Yarn. If they do a traditional game, I worry that it will not do great because it won’t be able to stand out in the cast of other Kirby games. No matter what comes with a new Kirby adventure, I will be buying and enjoying, I just wonder if it will be 2D or 3D.

A childhood memory that I lack faith in of every seeing again is The Legend of Starfy. I doubt many reading this will even know what this game is, but it is a simple underwater platformer where you play as a starfish. I just love that it was a game featuring good underwater levels. Other than that it is just another platformer, but I just love the starfish theme.

Another game that will 100% show up on the new console is a new The Legend of Zelda game. After the release of Tears of the Kingdom, it was announced that the open world Zelda’s would be a duo and they would not go the same route for the new big game. We will be getting a new (adorable) game where we finally get to play as Zelda so I would be really interested in seeing a big open-world game where we can play as Zelda. No matter what they go with, it will be amazing, but I am curious on what angle they will take for the next big release.

One of the most beautiful games on Switch is Luigi’s Mansion 3, and since we are getting a port of the 2nd game, I feel like it’s safe to assume we will see a Luigi’s Mansion 4. I want to see how amazing a new game can look on better hardware. I also would love to see some more interactions in the gameplay. I love the gameplay mechanics, I think the simple slam a ghost into the ground makes it fun because you can still focus on the screen and what the game looks like instead of having to solely focus on the fight. But, I think an ability or two would be fun to add to the game.

Since we got a brand new Mario & Luigi game announced in 2024, I feel like we might get a new one as long as Brothership sells well. I love the combination attacks and how they add little quick time events, it just feels like I’m engaging in the battle more. I really hope Brothership does well because the art style looks so fun and what little we got to see out of the gameplay looks so fun, so I hope we can support this series to continue to get these types of releases.

A series that I have played through all the mainline entries is Pikmin. I played through the Switch port of Pikmin 3 and then needed to play through the rest. I adore this series because it is blends organization and strategy shoved into a time limit that makes me think about how I’m going to tackle my tasks and made me feel like a genius when I do something in the most optimized way. Pikmin 4 blew all the other games out of the water, it was basically perfect, so I can’t imagine how they are going to top that in Pikmin 5, but you bet I will be there to find out!

I’m sure all Pokémon fans are looking forward to the new console because it should be able to run gen 10 a lot better than the Switch ran gen 9. Nobody is going to argue against the poor performance of Scarlet and Violet, even if the games were still fun, they ran horribly on the Switch. This means that with better hardware, there is hope that people might be right and the older hardware was holding the games back. There is the argument that poor optimization is the main issue (I agree because there are so many beautiful and big games running smoothly on Switch) so there is a small voice in the back of my head that new games might also lack that polish that Nintendo typically has with their games. But, always hope for the best!

The last game in this list is one that I feel would need some changes from the latest entry. Yoshi games have now been tied to being incredibly simple and aimed for children. Yoshi’s Crafted World is the main killer of hopes for a game not aimed at children. I want something with the joy that Yoshi’s Woolly World invoked, yes Crafted World has an adorable art style and seems like such a chill time, but I cannot justify spending full price for a game that only lasts about 4 hours (and doesn’t seem to take full advantage of their “do the level backwards” gimmick. I love Yoshi, they are my favorite Mario franchise character so I crave a good Yoshi game with the new console.

Everyday, we get closer to seeing what the specs will be for the upcoming console and maybe even a system name reveal. I hope this console can be as successful as the Switch and offer a library just as expansive.