Nintendo’s Switch 2 reveal felt like a lightning bolt delivered straight from Zeus himself for everyone except, well, most people. In fact, since the console – which fans have spent years clamoring for – looks so much like its predecessor, some analysts predict it’ll have trouble appealing to a general audience.
“I can imagine ‘normies’ being a bit confused,” gaming industry consultant Serkan Toto tells GamesRadar+. “The device is bigger than the original Switch, but not comically large. The form factor, button layout, and overall design are very similar to Switch 1, so I can imagine issues arising when potential mainstream buyers look at the new device.”
Some analysts are morons. The reason the Wii U failed was because it wasn’t clear that it was a successor console, and not just a weird add-on.
People have been conditioned to understand numerical console increases for over two decades now thanks to the PlayStation.
Edit: As an aside, are there any console manufacturers besides Sony who have had sequential model numbers consistently? I’ve been mulling this under the last couple of hours and nothing comes to mind!
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Even if they don’t buy consoles, it’s how most thing works, phones are an obvious example. iPhone 14 comes after iPhone 13, but iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max are just versions of 14.
If gamers can navigate Xbox -> Xbox 360 -> Xbox One -> Xbox X -> Xbox S, I think they can figure out Switch 2.
Heh, glad you mentioned Xbox - they’re a perfect example of consistent inconsistency! 🤣
Windows 7 8 9(lol) 10 11
Mac OS 7 8 9 X 11 12 13 14 15
Also the touch component and motion controls were something of a turnoff for adults who bought previous generations.
The reason the Wii U failed wasn’t because of its name. Sure, it didn’t help the slightest but Nintendo’s console iterations have struggled in the past because they hardly bring anything new. The Wii U brought literally just a gamepad (and stronger hardware, though marketing focused on the gamepad). Why pay so much for an incremental upgrade? The same fate nearly occured to the 3DS:
The Nintendo 3DS was released in Japan on February 26, 2011, and worldwide beginning the next month.[10][11] Less than six months after launch, Nintendo announced a significant price reduction from US$249.99 to US$169.99 amid disappointing launch sales.
After all, why pay money just for a 3D effect? Without continued support and selling at a loss, the 3DS would have bombed.
By the way, the Xbox One - despite its similarly stupid name - never faced the same issues as the Wii U because people actually wanted it.
The Wii had so many peripherals and used naming like “Wii blah” so often, that WiiU was viewed as an attachment and not a new console. The name Switch 2 is very clear. I don’t think it’s comparable at all.
Also, the Wii was a fad. Nintendo and others wildly overestimated how many people would come back and buy another console after buying a Wii. Turns out most of them were rotting in closets. The Wii U could have improved on the Wii in every possible way and it wouldn’t have done well.
This isn’t the case for the Switch. I don’t think the Switch 2 will do Switch numbers, those were very artificially boosted by the pandemic & the novelty of the form factor. However, I doubt Nintendo will have any trouble moving units.
Of all the things you can say about the Switch 2’s name, ‘confusing’ isn’t one of them.
Calling people “normies” as if Nintendo products and video games in general aren’t mass market items.
Ick.
This was written by someone with a raging Nintendo hate-boner. I’m certain because I have my own Nintendo hate-boner and even I’m not that deluded.
I think people are familiar with numbers
Unlike Microsoft’s Xbox division
Here are this guy’s other “predictions”
https://www.serkantoto.com/2025/01/10/global-game-business-2025/
Including stunning prognostications like this
Nintendo will not have enough consoles to sell Despite Nintendo’s pledge and best efforts, the new device will sell out very quickly and not be available for months in 2025. It will be even worse than 2017 when the Switch launched. Furthermore, the name will be Switch 2. I also expect deep price cuts for the original Switch in 2025.
Putting the “banal” in analyst.
🅱️analyst
I find these articles pretty funny and out of touch with every human being I know. I saw the media shit on the Switch 2, but it was exactly what I expected so I asked all my friends with a switch how they felt. Every single one plans on buying the new one at or near release. Many will be buying two so they can play with spouses or their kids. The tally for purchases in my small middle-aged friend group alone is over 50. Nintendo releases too many amazing exclusive games for us to ignore. I know I can turn to emulation, but I prefer to do that for older games that already made their profit so I can support the devs that make me happy.
What’s there not to understand? It’s a better version of the first one. Isn’t this what console makers have been doing since the beginning of time? Wii U was weird with the screen on the controller and everything. None of that with Switch 2. Just more of what made it good in the first place.
I think Gen X parents and younger are familiar with how the newest edition of a computer is “better” than previous ones. I dont see this being an issue.
It also wasn’t an issue with the GB and DS lines, and the Switch notoriously follows the handheld pattern quite closely, so I don’t think this will be an issue.
The reveal trailer has almost 20 million views BTW.
Yeah, people really have a big problem understanding “I’ll buy the latest, since it’s the best, number is bigger” . Concepts like “ok, all previous stuff works but new stuff only works here”. Such crazy concepts. The GBC was a flop because GB already existed.
Bullshit
The console will sell but not better than the switch 1, I think cause the world is in one crisis after the another and gaming is seen as a luxury by many. When they see is like the 1 but only has a 2 some would not jump over ship.
Gaming is a luxury but it is also an escape. Alcohol sells well in any economy. When the market goes up, you sell champagne to celebrate and when it goes down, you sell beer to forget. Nintendo is firmly positioned as “affordable gaming”.
Don’t want to go out and deal with other people? Stay inside and game.
Tired of kids screaming homophobic slurs at you in CoD? Now you know why Nintendo limits voice chat.
Can’t afford to take your kids to Mario Land at Universal? Bring Mario Land into your living room (on the Switch 1).
This bozo thinks it’s just gonna be a picture of the switch on the box instead of a huge mario kart graphic. Kids will ask for switch 2 and parents will buy switch 2. That’s the beginning and end of the decision making on getting it. It’s gonna be wildly sold out no matter how many Nintendo can get to retailers.
