(Credit: René Ramos; Nintendo; Wi-Fi Alliance; klyaksun/Adobe Stock)
The Nintendo Switch 2 is coming soon, but there are still few details about it. That's likely to change at Nintendo Direct on April 2, but until then, there's plenty of room for speculation and guarded optimism. After the Switch 2's teaser trailer dropped, I gleaned five confirmed or nearly confirmed features. Now, I'm detailing the Switch 2 features I want to see, which would drastically change gaming on the Switch.
1. Processing Power That Enhances Old Games
The Switch 2 will be more powerful than its eight-year-old predecessor. How much? That's still up in the air. Whatever the performance boost, I want the Switch 2's backward compatibility to improve original Switch games.
Current Switch titles rarely hit 60 frames per second, and many outright chug (Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, Pokemon Legends: Arceus, and Pokemon Scarlet and Violet immediately come to mind). So, I want the Switch 2's backward compatibility to include 4K upscaling and improved frame rates, even if the system makes me choose between them with performance/graphics modes like many PS5 Pro releases.
That's easier said than done, because better performance isn't simply about feeding raw power into a console game. Titles often need patches to leverage the extra horsepower. We know it's possible, though. Nintendo may strongly disapprove of them, but emulators have given Switch, Wii, and GameCube games 4K graphics and blistering frame rates. So, hopefully, the Switch 2 receives significantly more juice, and Nintendo implements it well.
(Credit: Nintendo, AMD)2. Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) and High Frame Rate Support
Yes, I want consistent 4K/60. I also want higher frame rates (120fps, 144fps, or 240fps), even if it means a lower resolution. More importantly, I need the Switch 2 to look good on my TV when frame rates wildly fluctuate. That means the Switch 2 needs variable refresh rate (VRR).
VRR is a feature that's becoming increasingly common on midrange and even budget TVs like the TCL QM6K. It lets the TV sync its refresh rate with a system's frame rate, reducing or eliminating screen tearing. It's available on the PS5 and Xbox Series X (gaming PCs have multiple types, such as AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync). The current Switch lacks VRR support. However, Twisted Voxel claims that Nintendo added it and 240fps support to one of its game engines. Here's hoping that this is another Switch 2 rumor that comes true.
(Credit: Nintendo)3. Physically Secure Joy-Con Connections
The Switch 2's Joy-Con controllers connect to the console via a physical port but lack their signature click. As a result, there's speculation that the Joy-Con will be held in place by magnets. This has led to reasonable fears that they won't stay put as solidly as the original, mechanically locking Joy-Con. Considering that the mechanical locks on my Switch and Joy-Con have worn to the point that the controllers barely attach, I think the new design may be an improvement.
Nintendo can enhance the Joy-Con connection if it makes the controllers pop into a groove with a plug that aligns the contact points. The groove would be deep enough to prevent wiggling and the plug robust enough to withstand regular connections and disconnections. Meanwhile, the magnets should be strong enough to secure the Joy-Con, but not so strong that you risk damaging the tablet when yanking them off. A sturdy little notch and nub for physical feedback would be a good addition, even if it isn't as loud or satisfying as the Switch's well-known click.
After closely examining the official Switch 2 site, I think Nintendo is on the right track. An animation shows small, trigger-like buttons on the Joy-Con that appear to push nubs against grooves, letting you easily remove the controllers despite potential magnets.
(Credit: Nintendo)4. A Redesigned eShop
The Switch eShop is terrible. Even without the shovelware deluge, it's incredibly slow to browse and offers little organization besides the main recommendation buckets and limited filters. If you don't know exactly what you're searching for, expect to wait as you scroll through page after laggy page.
I want the Switch 2 to feature a redesigned eShop that's faster, has more browsing options, and is better organized for big-screen navigation. The new system's screen is significantly larger than the current Switch models (likely 8 inches to the OLED Switch's 7-inch and Switch's 6.2-inch displays), so Nintendo has more visual real estate to work with to create a workable digital video game store.
5. Wi-Fi 6 Compatibility
Once you find the eShop game you want to play, you must download it. That's usually pretty slow on the current Switch models, which use Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac). Nintendo should bump it up to Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax), and not just for triple the maximum theoretical speed. Wi-Fi 6 and 6E have lower lag than Wi-Fi 5 and more reliable connections in crowded wireless environments. 6E specifically opens up Wi-Fi to the 6GHz band in addition to the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands Wi-Fi 5 and 6 use. Just know that you'll need a router that can handle the enhanced performance.
Wi-Fi 6 would also benefit online multiplayer games. Lower lag feels better and lets you perform better. This is vital for games that use cloud processing, like Control Ultimate Edition - Cloud Version. A good Wi-Fi connection makes a cloud game resemble a title running on local hardware in those situations. Otherwise, it's unplayable.
(Credit: Nintendo)Bonus Round: Long-Anticipated Games
My colleague Jordan Minor already wrote about his Switch 2 game wishlist, but I still want to share a few of my picks. Specifically, I want to see two games that have floating in utter uncertainty for years, and it would be ideal if we get them at or near launch: Metroid Prime 4 and Hollow Knight: Silksong.
Metroid Prime 4 was announced in 2017, meaning it's been in development for as long as the Switch has been a console. We probably aren't going to get it before the Switch 2 comes out, which means it might be a Switch 2 exclusive. That's fine. I just want it to come out this year.
(Credit: Team Cherry)Silksong is simply unbridled coping on my part. Hollow Knight is easily one of the best Metroidvania games ever made and was meant to have an expansion called Silksong. However, the developer, Team Cherry, revealed in 2019 that the game would instead be a sequel—and we haven't heard much about it since. Maybe it's a project that has stumbled and been restarted multiple times. Or maybe Team Cherry has kept radio silence so Nintendo could reveal it as a Switch 2 launch game at the Nintendo Direct on April 2.
Oh, and I'd also like to see GameCube and Wii games on Nintendo Switch Online. That's a long shot, but I can dream.