Former Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida recently shared his candid thoughts on the Nintendo Switch 2's reveal during an interview with Easy Allies. His response to the new console was not as enthusiastic as some might have hoped.
Yoshida expressed a mixed feeling about the reveal, suggesting that Nintendo might be straying from its unique identity. He remarked, "To me, it was a bit 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 that [is an] amazing new experience. But Switch 2, as we all anticipated, is a better Switch, right? It's the larger screen, more powerful processor, higher resolution, 4K, 120 fps, they even have a hardware person starting the stream, like other platforms do, right? And because it's a better Switch, the core premise of the whole Switch 2 is, you know, 'We made things better'. And that's something other companies have been doing all the time."
He went on to say that while the Switch 2 is a significant upgrade for those who exclusively game on Nintendo hardware, allowing them to play titles like Elden Ring, it might not be as exciting for gamers who use other platforms.
Yoshida also critiqued the reveal event, noting that many of the showcased games were ports from past generations. However, he did praise Enter the Gungeon 2 for its impressive announcement and Drag x Drive for being "very Nintendo."
Discussing the system's pricing and the differences in pricing between Japan and other regions, Yoshida concluded, "Anyway, with some of the things Nintendo is doing, with the camera or mouse controls, creating new experiences, that's great. But other than that, I was personally a bit disappointed, because they didn't disappoint everyone. Because everyone wanted that better Switch."
Despite his reservations, Yoshida acknowledged the Switch 2 as a solid business decision, crafted by talented designers. He noted that while the system plays it safe in some respects, it still includes elements like mouse controls that reflect Nintendo's playful nature.
As for the Switch 2's pricing in the U.S., details are still pending. Nintendo has paused North American pre-orders due to new tariffs announced on the same day as the system's reveal. With a global launch scheduled for June 5, the company is under pressure to resolve these issues swiftly.
