My daughter and I have been anxiously awaiting the Nintendo Switch 2, but with pricing coming in at $450, we casual gamers are left contemplating alternatives. It’s not that the Switch 2, with a number of meaningful upgrades, isn’t worth the expense. It just isn’t worth it for us. I suspect Nintendo will keep at least one existing model around to book revenue from those on tighter budgets until, perhaps, something akin to a refreshed Switch 2 Lite is readied for release. But Nintendo wouldn’t want to cannibalize their own initial sales, so I expect a lower-priced successor is at least a year out.
Yet, instead of building upon their mobile-first platform, my household would be very interested in a headless Switch. As in: no screen, just a box with equivalent processing power to run Switch 2 games on an HDMI-connected television. Indeed, the precedent has been somewhat set by Nintendo as the Switch Lite doesn’t officially “switch” between portable and docked gameplay. Once the initial sales surge has subsided after a year or two, a more economical box subsidized by eye-watering $80 first party games could meet both Nintendo and (certain) consumer needs.
We’ve had two (LCD) Switches and both ended up sold, because I’m a gadget flipper. My daughter was old enough to mess around with my second Switch, but something about it bugged her eyes vs Mariokart on iPhone or iPad or Fortnite on Xbox. Given the v2 pricing, wondering if we check out the v1 OLED Edition. Beyond price, I bet getting our hands on v2 will be challenging for awhile.
As for me, I’m Call of Duty multiplayer 24/7 (except when I’m Halo or Fortnite). Most of my recent gameplay has been Warzone on iPad with Xbox Series controller. If Steamdeck or Switch 2 get Warzone, I could change things up.
This is so true. The screen upgrade is all well and good but I prefer playing on a large screen! Especially if it’s actually delivering quality 4K gaming now.