FOMO—Fear of Missing Out—is the invisible hand guiding our wallets. It's that anxious itch that pops up when you're not invited to the group chat's spontaneous hangout, when your friends are five episodes ahead in a binge-worthy show, or, more relevantly, when everyone else is booting up a shiny new Nintendo Switch 2 while your dusty Switch 1 wheezes under the pressure of Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom on Low Power Mode.
Nintendo, ever the master of marketing, has figured out how to turn FOMO into a revenue stream. Enter the Nintendo Switch 2, a next-gen hybrid console that with its reveal already made your current Switch feel like an ancient brick from the past—even if it still works perfectly.
So what makes the Switch 2 a certified FOMO factory? Let’s start with the bizarre limbo it’s entering. Nintendo says it will coexist with the original Switch—yes, like your weird roommate who overstays their welcome but can't help but let them stay.
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+ 3According to Nintendo President Doug Bowser (yes, that's his real name and yes, it still sounds like video gaming's most beautiful coincidence), the Switch 1 isn’t going anywhere. It'll remain part of the Switch ecosystem, which begs the question, "how long are you going to stay with it?".
But Bowser’s recent comments in an interview sounded eerily like something pulled straight from the Don Mattrick School of PR Self-Sabotage.
You remember Don Mattrick, the guy who said Xbox One required an always-online connection, and when people complained, he suggested they stick with the Xbox 360? Yeah, that guy.
click to enlarge+ 3Bowser didn’t go full Mattrick, but he did give off that "we’re not worried about people feeling left out" vibe. Which, in 2025, is code for: “We’re absolutely setting the stage for an emotional and financial civil war.”
Let’s be honest: the idea that both consoles will coexist sounds nice on paper—but in practice, it's like saying VHS and DVDs coexisted. Sure, for a bit. But soon enough, your beloved Switch 1 will become the “legacy” device, which is just a polite way of saying, “Prepare for first-party droughts.”
Games will look better, load faster, and maybe even include features exclusive to the Switch 2, all while you’re stuck waiting 45 seconds to fast-travel in Xenoblade on your original console. That’s not coexistence. That’s second-class citizenry.
click to enlarge+ 3The real kicker? You’ll see all your friends on Discord talking about the insane ray tracing in Mario Kart World, or how Metroid Prime 4 finally runs like butter (because, guess what, it’s optimized for Switch 2). Meanwhile, you’re sitting there with Joy-Cons drifting like abandoned shopping carts, wondering if your system can survive another Terra Raid on Pokémon Scarlet. That's not just FOMO—it's FOMO on steroids.
In the end, Nintendo's two-console approach might sound consumer-friendly, but it’s really a psychological warfare. The longer you cling to your Switch 1, the more you’ll feel like you’re gaming in a sepia tone.
And when your favorite franchises start jumping ship, you’ll be left staring at your old console like it’s the emotional equivalent of getting picked last in dodgeball.
So buckle up. Whether you buy the Switch 2 or not, the FOMO train has already left the station—and it's not making a stop for Switch 1.