I had 20 wishes for the Switch 2 – here’s how many Nintendo has fulfilled

Domagoj Belancic

14/4/2025

Translation: Patrik Stainbrook

Pictures: Domagoj Belancic

Last year, I wrote a detailed wishlist for the Switch 2. Time for a review: did Nintendo fulfil my wishes or is the Switch 2 a disappointment? Spoiler: yes… and yes.

After years of rumours, speculation and leaks, Nintendo has finally officially unveiled its new console, the Switch 2. Phil and I have already been able to test the device at a preview event and get our own impression of its new functions and features.

Now that all the important details about the console are public, it’s time to dig out my old wishlist for the Switch 2. I wrote it at the start of 2024, when very little was known about Nintendo’s next-gen hardware. Here are all my wishes, summarised in an overview:

• Wish 1: The Switch will be released in 2024
• Wish 2: Evolution, not a revolution
• Wish 3: OLED screen
• Wish 4: Screen size – 7 inches, 1080p
• Wish 5: HDR support
• Wish 6: 4K output in the dock
• Wish 7: VRR
• Wish 8: A revised dock design
• Wish 9: A more powerful dock thanks to additional hardware
• Wish 10: Larger, rounder Joy Cons
• Wish 11: No more stick drift
• Wish 12: Improved haptic feedback
• Wish 13: Adaptive triggers
• Wish 14: Faster loading times
• Wish 15: Raytracing and the like
• Wish 16: Keep the stand
• Wish 17: Physical games
• Wish 18: Backward compatibility
• Wish 19: More features for Nintendo Switch Online
• Wish 20: Gamecube games

I’m working my way through the wishlist. While checking it, I realised that quite a few wishes have come true (✅) – but there are also some big disappointments (❌).

Wish 1: The Switch will be released in 2024 ❌

When I created my wishlist in January 2024, I was fully convinced that the Switch 2 would be released that year. If someone had told me back then that I’d have to wait until 5 June 2025 for the launch, I’d have responded with a weary smile to my optimistic forecast. Oh, how naive and bright-eyed I was.

But I can get over the fact that this wish didn’t come true. After all, anticipation is half the pleasure.

Wish 2: Evolution, not a revolution ✅

I love the handheld hybrid concept of the Switch. As a result, I hoped that Nintendo would perfect the idea of a console-handheld hybrid for the successor. I didn’t want a new gimmick that would turn everything on its head, but rather a consistent further development of the solid foundation built by the original Switch.

Luckily, that’s exactly what I got. The Switch 2 is a larger, more powerful and more feature-rich original. I can play it on the go or with a dock. Any new gimmicks – such as mouse control – are nice additions that don’t shake up the basic structure, but complement it in a meaningful way.

Wish 3: OLED screen ❌

I love the OLED screen on my Switch. It’s why I also wanted OLED for the new model. What I got was an LCD screen. At first, I was disappointed about the downgrade. But after I was able to test the Switch 2 at the Paris preview event, I’m reassured. Bright colours and a razor-sharp picture leave an excellent first impression – the high refresh rate (up to 120 fps) also comforts me about the regression from OLED back to LCD.

Wish 4: Screen size – 7 inches, 1080p ✅

In terms of screen size, I’d have liked at least 7 inches and a jump in resolution from 720p to 1080p. Happily, the Switch 2 even exceeded my expectations by 0.9 inches – the 1080p resolution is exactly what I wanted.

Wish 5: HDR support ✅

Games look richer and offer better contrast with HDR support. I can see more detail in dark and light areas. Depending on the screen, particularly bright areas can almost dazzle. Ever since I got the PS5, this feature has felt essential – I needed HDR support for the Switch 2.

Nintendo has answered my prayers – the new console supports HDR in both handheld and TV modes. Some of the games we tested at the preview event make use of this feature. I particularly noticed this with the Switch 2 edition of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. It looks so wonderfully colourful with HDR, I just want to play through it again.

Wish 6: 4K output in the dock ✅/❌

Switch games don’t look great on my 77-inch TV. Many games are upscaled from a low internal resolution to Full HD and appear extremely blurred on my large-screen TV. Since I’m looking to buy an even bigger TV in the near future (85 inches or bigger), I really wanted the Switch 2 to support 4K output in its TV dock.

My desire for more pixels was satisfied – albeit with a catch. 4K output on the Switch 2 is limited to 60 fps. If I want to play at a higher frame rate (120 fps), I have to stick to 1080p.

Wish 7: VRR ✅/❌

Another feature that I got to know and love thanks to the PS5: Variable Refresh Rate, VRR for short. With a 120 Hz display and VRR, the refresh rate of a display is dynamically adjusted to match the frame rate of the game. This way, unsightly effects such as tearing or jerking stemming from fluctuating frame rates are avoided.

Nintendo confirms that the Switch 2’s screen has a refresh rate of 120 Hz and supports VRR. Yay! As Nvidia writes in this press release, the VRR function is provided by Nvidia G-Sync.

All sounds well and good in handheld mode. However, there’s one big catch in TV mode. If I want to play my games in 4K, VRR isn’t supported due to the Switch only supporting 60 fps with 4K output, not 120 fps. What a shame. Might the Switch 2 Pro offer full 4K support including VRR in a few years?

Wish 8: A revised dock design ❌

I was never a fan of the Switch dock. The display often scratches against the plastic, and I sometimes misalign the USB-C port. The console also takes up more space than necessary since I have to plug the Switch into the dock from above. This is why I wanted a new dock concept for the successor. However, all I got was a dock that resembles the previous model in many respects and looks just as similar. Not a dealbreaker, but still a shame.

Wish 9: A more powerful dock thanks to additional hardware ❌

Admittedly, a very unrealistic wish. I was imagining how cool it would be if the Switch 2 got a significant performance boost in the dock, similar to what Asus does with an external GPU on its Rog-Ally handheld.

However, apart from a large ventilation system, the Switch 2 dock doesn’t contain any additional hardware from which the small console could benefit. Sure, the Switch 2 will perform better in dock mode than handheld mode thanks to the fan and power supply. Still, my dream of a dock with extra power thanks to additional hardware/an eGPU remains unfulfilled.

Wish 10: Larger, rounder Joy Cons ✅/❌

I love the Joy-Con concept. They’re just ingenious: small controller halves that you attach to the left and right of the console. At least in theory. In practice, the Joy Cons on the first Switch are far too small for my large hands. My hands cramp up quickly, especially when I use them horizontally. It’s why I wanted larger and fuller Joy Cons with more grip surface.

With the Switch 2, I largely get what I wanted. The Joy Cons are significantly larger and fit better in my hand. I can also hold them better horizontally. The formerly tiny SL and SR buttons are now large enough to actually use.

However, the Joy Cons haven’t become fuller – they’re still flat and offer no grip, unlike a Steam Deck, for example. However, this didn’t bother me too much the first time I played – the larger surface area of the revised controllers automatically solves many of the problems I had with the predecessors, despite the flat design.

Wish 11: No more stick drift ❓

Both analogue sticks on the current Joy Cons are susceptible to stick drift. Put more plainly, false inputs are registered due to wear on a stick’s mechanism. This can cause a character to move on their own or make aiming impossible due to incorrectly registered movements. I wanted Nintendo to get this problem under control for the new console – preferably by using Hall Effect sticks.

From my first test, I can confirm that the analogue sticks on these new Joy Cons feel much better than the original models – if only because they’re bigger. According to Nintendo, they’re supposed to be more precise and durable than the old sticks. In an interview, Nintendo has now confirmed that these aren’t Hall Effect sticks. So there’s no guarantee that the sticks won’t suffer from the same annoying drift problem. I remain sceptical, but cautiously optimistic.

Wish 12: Improved haptic feedback ✅

The HD Rumble feature on Switch controllers allows for precise vibrations. Unfortunately, these vibration motors are only used sensibly by very few games. And with Dualsense controllers, Sony has now released a much better version of this high-resolution rumble function. It can even be used to simulate the impact of small raindrops on a controller. Anyone who’s ever played Returnal or Astro Bot will know what I mean. With all this in mind, I hoped the Switch 2 would feature even better vibration motors and better implementation in games.

My first hands-on impressions of the Switch 2 filled me with hope. The revised HD Rumble 2 engines actually feel much better than those on the first Switch. They have a wider bandwidth and reproduce dull impacts or precise, small collisions realistically. For example, I noticed this during a tech demo where I shake maracas with different contents (large rubber balls and small metal ones). I also noticed that vibrations are used sensibly in many launch games. Even when scrolling through menus, there are small vibrations for added feedback. I love details like these.

Overall, I think Sony still offers more precise vibration options with Dualsense – but Nintendo’s HD Rumble 2 feels like a promising improvement.

Wish 13: Adaptive triggers ❌

Speaking of the PS5 controller, it offers another feature I’d like to see on the Switch 2: adaptive triggers, which provide resistance when actuated. For example, I can feel a pressure point when operating a machine gun in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. I can also feel increasing resistance as I draw a bow in Horizon: Forbidden West.

Unfortunately, Nintendo has dispensed with such gimmicks in both Joy Cons and the Pro Controller. And it gets worse: the new Nintendo controllers don’t even have analogue triggers, only digital ones. In other words, I have to operate the triggers like (digital) buttons instead of pressing them down gradually. Why, Nintendo? Analogue triggers are now part of the standard equipment for a modern controller, essential for racing games in particular.

Wish 14: Faster loading times ✅

One of the biggest advantages of the new console generation (PS5 and Xbox Series X/S) is ultra-fast loading times. Saves load in seconds thanks to a high-performance SSD, fast travel happens without waiting times and annoying loading screens are largely a thing of the past.

That’s what I wanted for the Switch 2 – and that’s what I got. The Switch 2 has a fast internal memory, which should greatly reduce loading times. A comparison published by Nintendo shows that fast travel in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom takes just five to six seconds – on the Switch 1, it took around twelve. In games developed from scratch for this new hardware, waiting times should be even shorter.

Due to its faster memory, the Switch 2 won’t be compatible with conventional micro SD cards. Instead, I’ll have to switch to faster – and more expensive – Micro SD Express cards. A surcharge I’ll gladly pay for the added comfort, mind you.

Wish 15: Raytracing and the like ✅

I wished Nintendo’s new console would be able to handle modern rendering techniques like ray tracing. Not because I want realistic reflections on water surfaces in the new Mario Kart. I just want the Switch 2 to be fed with as many third-party games as possible. The more the console can do, the easier it’ll be to port current games.

Nvidia is responsible for the Switch 2’s customised chipset. In a blog post, the company confirms a number of functions – including ray tracing:

The company also confirms that the Switch 2 is capable of Nvidia’s DLSS upscaling technology and has «10x the graphics performance of the Nintendo Switch» – whatever that means.

Either way, I’m reassured. The Switch 2 isn’t technically outdated at launch, as the Switch 1 with its Tegra X1 chip was. On the contrary – with modern features, the Switch 2 even feels future proof. However, the fact that we haven’t seen any ray tracing or DLSS in the games presented so far makes me a little sceptical.

Wish 16: Keep the stand ✅

I love the stand on my OLED switch. When I’m out and about, I like to play in tabletop mode and place the console on a surface. All I wanted here was the stand to return. And Nintendo delivered. The new stand is even more flexible than the OLED version, meaning I can set up the console at even more angles.

Wish 17: Physical games ✅/❌

I enjoy buying physical versions of games that are particularly close to my heart. And I’d like to continue this collecting tradition with the Switch 2. All I wanted was for the Switch 2 to continue its support for physical games.

Generally, my wish is coming true – the Switch 2 will once again rely on physical cartridges as data carriers. There’s just one catch: some games won’t be released as fully fledged physical versions, but only as game key cards. In these cases, the actual full game isn’t included on the cartridge – only a key with which I can download the game from the eShop. Not a fan. When I buy a physical game, I want everything on the cartridge, no additional downloads needed.

Wish 18: Backward compatibility ✅

One of my biggest wishes was backwards compatibility. I’ve built up a huge software library on the Switch 1, which I want to keep playing on the Switch 2. Fortunately, Nintendo has recognised the needs of its fans and is offering a seamless transition from one console generation to the next for the first time in the company’s history. I can easily transfer my Nintendo account, including all its games, to the new console.

Not every title from the more than 15,000-game (!) Switch 1 catalogue will be compatible at the Switch 2 launch. Nintendo has to check the compatibility of individual titles manually. And there’ll also be some games that no longer work due to the hardware they use. These include Ring Fit Adventure, which uses the infrared camera from the Switch 1 Joy Cons as a heart rate sensor.

On the whole, I’m extremely satisfied with Nintendo’s approach and transparent communication. You can check the current status and all non-compatible games in this overview from Nintendo.

Wish 19: More features for Nintendo Switch Online ✅

The Switch online service is just bad. I can’t even chat with my friends, I need the Nintendo Switch Online smartphone app for that. Apart from a lack of basic functions, I sometimes experience annoying stuttering and lag during online sessions on the Switch compared to similar services such as PlayStation Plus. My wish was for Nintendo to fundamentally revise their online functionality.

Lo and behold – Nintendo listened to me! There’s an added C button on the new controllers, which I can use to access the console’s online social functions. I can talk to my online buddies, make video calls with the Switch 2 camera and even share my screen. There’s room for up to 12 participants in a chat room. Crazy! I didn’t think Nintendo would put anywhere near as many resources into developing their online services. Let’s hope that the new features work reliably.

Wish 20: Gamecube games ✅

For the Switch 2 launch, I wished that Nintendo would finally include the Gamecube in its retro game library under the Nintendo Switch Online subscription. Yes, the NES, SNES, N64, Gameboy and GBA games are cool. But I’ve already played them all twice or three times on past Nintendo devices via Virtual Console. The Gamecube as a console has never been in a retro catalogue. What’s more, the purple lunchbox is my second favourite Nintendo console of all time after the Switch, and has a few classics in store that deserve a second life.

Thankfully, my Gamecube prayers have been answered. There are three classics at launch that I’m really looking forward to: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Soul Calibur II and F-Zero GX. Awesome, awesome, awesome. I’ll probably play more Gamecube games than new Switch 2 games at launch.

And hey, if Nintendo’s reading this: next up would be the Nintendo DS, thanks in advance.

Verdict: it’s not all perfect, but I’m satisfied

By announcing the Switch 2, Nintendo has fulfilled ten of my wishes completely (✅), ignored five (❌) and only partially fulfilled four (✅/❌). I’ll only be able to put my dream of eliminating stick drift to the test in a detailed hardware review.

• Wish 1: The Switch will be released in 2024 ❌
• Wish 2: Evolution, not a revolution ✅
• Wish 3: OLED screen ❌
• Wish 4: Screen size – 7 inches, 1080p ✅
• Wish 5: HDR support ✅
• Wish 6: 4K output in the dock ✅/❌
• Wish 7: VRR ✅/❌
• Wish 8: A revised dock design ❌
• Wish 9: More power in the dock thanks to additional hardware ❌
• Wish 10: Larger, rounder Joy Cons ✅/❌
• Wish 11: No more stick drift ❓
• Wish 12: Improved haptic feedback ✅
• Wish 13: Adaptive triggers ❌
• Wish 14: Faster loading times ✅
• Wish 15: Raytracing and the like ✅
• Wish 16: Keep the stand ✅
• Wish 17: Physical games ✅/❌
• Wish 18: Backward compatibility: ✅
• Wish 19: More features for Nintendo Switch Online ✅
• Wish 20: Gamecube games ✅

Overall, I’m happy with the direction Nintendo has taken for the Switch 2, and I’m looking forward to the launch.

Have you been convinced by what Nintendo has shown so far?

Domagoj Belancic

Senior Editor

Domagoj.Belancic@digitecgalaxus.ch

My love of video games was unleashed at the tender age of five by the original Gameboy. Over the years, it's grown in leaps and bounds.

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