With the release of the Nintendo Switch 2, which was announced today, the internet is buzzing over what is in store for the future of the gaming world and just what the new changes to the beloved gaming console will be, especially since this release has been waiting in the wings since January and it is the first sequel over the first generation. So what are the improvements that Nintendo saw fit to adorn their new creation with?  

Quality of Life Improvements 

One of the most exciting details the developers have implemented into their game is the larger display with HDR. The Switch 2 has a larger screen with HDR capabilities, which will increase the visual quality of the games you’re playing, no matter what game it is or how long ago the game was made. This will bring out the power in beautiful games like Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which, thanks to another handy feature called backwards compatibility, you would be able to play if you so wanted to.

This backward compatibility will ensure that your Nintendo Switch 2 can play all of the games on your old console, so you’re not losing out on any games, in case you were worried about that. There is also a kickstand redesign that will make handheld play easier.

Community Chat

The Nintendo Switch 2 will also boast a brand new feature not yet seen in the series, aiming to create a way to play with people and communicate together through the Switch itself. A new “C” button has been added with the most likely intention of allowing people to chat together while playing for a more inclusive experience. 

This idea is further supported by the inclusion of the GameChat, which will probably function much like old PictoChat for the DS, where it is built into each console and has an easy connection to other Nintendo Switch 2s, a habit that Nintendo has made with their other consoles. 

They Finally Gave Us What We Wanted

The feature that I am most hyped about as a person with siblings. It is the fact that they finally fixed the annoyance of having to buy a full new game for a different profile within the same family. That’s right, people, they have added what they’re calling Virtual Gamecards that will allow you to send your games to family members.

Now, it is a bit sad that this will only last for up to two weeks, and we don’t have information on if there is a cooldown or a game limit, but it will make household debates easier and will be a good way to check if your little brother or wants the game for the game itself or if they simply love you and want everything you have in your soul!

Overall

This is an exciting step forward for the gaming center. While nothing here is groundbreaking it’s nice to see that the Nintendo has been listening to some of the complaints people have had are paying attention making steps towards that feedback. Maybe they realized just how unpopular cutting all of those Pokémon out actually was and were careful to keep backwards compliably? Hard to know as of yet. But I would like to take this as a good sign and will hopefully see you in line at GameStop June 5th.