Former PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida has been making a lot of headlines over the course of the past few months ever since he retired from Sony back in January. And now he’s shared an interesting take when it comes to Nintendo’s upcoming console, the Switch 2.
In a recent interview, Yoshida explained that he thinks that the beloved game company has lost its identity, and the release of the Switch 2 is kind of a marker as to why this is happening.
“A Mixed Message from Nintendo”
In a conversation with Easy Allies, Yoshida was asked about what he thought of the reveal for the Switch 2, to which he replies:
To me it was a bit [of a] mixed message from Nintendo… In a sense, I think Nintendo is losing their identity, in my opinion. For me they are always about creating some new experience, like designing hardware and games together to create something, [an] amazing new experience.
With Nintendo usually the one to introduce all new game mechanics with every new console they release (like with the Wii and the Switch), Yoshida laments at how the release of the Switch 2 is just Nintendo following the rest of its competitors in just releasing the same thing “but better."
“Because it’s a better Switch, the core premise of the whole Switch 2 is ‘we made things better’, and that’s something other companies have been doing all the time,” says Yoshida.
Admittedly, a lot of people also had the same kinds of thoughts when the Switch 2 was first announced, seeing that it was just the Switch but with better specs; but it could be tough because Nintendo had set itself apart from its competition with innovation, and without that, it feels like it’s just going to be like any other game company.
In Nintendo’s Defense...
In Nintendo’s defense though, the Switch 2 does have some interesting innovations that set itself apart from the original Switch and other consoles; specifically the controllers that can mimic the function of a mouse—allowing for something akin to keyboard/mouse set-up for the Switch 2.
Admittedly, it's not a big leap the way the original Nintendo Switch was, but I can give Nintendo some slack for being the one to set the bar so high up for itself. Maybe they can release some game-changing technology in the future, but as it stands, the Switch was due for an upgrade and it couldn't keep up with the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S gen if it didn't even match the computing power of the console generation before it.
We don’t know what other innovations Nintendo could have for the device down the line, but everyone is already speculating that it could very well function like a tablet and may even be powerful enough to replace a laptop.
Until it releases though, fans will just have to wait and see.
Watch out for the Nintendo Switch 2 when it comes out on June 5.