As much as I wanted to love theNintendo Switch 2, I’m finding it hard to feel even remotely excited about it. Nintendo has made many crucial mistakes when it comes to its marketing, price, and launch lineup, which makes it hard to feel that same hype we all felt prior to the console’s announcement. It has tried to justify a lot of these mistakes or explain away significant problems with the console, but none of these have made sense or really rectified the glaring flaws with the Nintendo Switch 2.
However,by far the worst thing about the Nintendo Switch 2 is its lack of exclusives. The ratherabysmal Switch 2 Directfocused on all the third-party games we’ve already played a million times coming to the console but only announced three first-party titles and one third-party exclusive. The decision likely shocked a lot of people who were keen to see how Nintendo would leverage its new console’s power, myself included. Unfortunately, Nintendo’s explanation as to why the Switch 2 is missing exclusives is not only a bad one but points to a rather dour future for the console.
Nintendo Wants To Keep Supporting The Switch
It Is Prioritizing Its 150 Million Install Base
During its launch window, the Nintendo Switch 2 will have three first-party exclusivesin the form ofMario Kart World,Donkey Kong Bananza, and thecontroversialWelcome Tourgame. Additionally, Nintendo has also managed to gain, at the very least, a timed exclusivity deal forFromSoftware’sThe Duskbloodsthat is coming in 2026. Unfortunately, that’s it. A casual racing game, a platformer, a minigame-focused educational experience, and a FromSoft title. In any normal month, this would be a pretty strong selection, but for a console’s launch, it looks quite dour.
Alongside explaining theSwitch 2’s poor framerate, Nintendo has also been attempting to put out fires generated by the Direct. In an interview withThe Washington Post,Doug Bowser explained how Nintendo is still excited to support the original Switchbecause not everyone will be ready to “jump to Switch 2.” Of course, this was all addressing theSwitch 2’s expensive price, something that has proved somewhat controversial as it makes investing in video games significantly less accessible. Bowser told The Washington Post:
“We have an install base [for the Switch] of 150 million plus units. We’ll probably announce more on May 8, when we have our next earnings call. We want to keep those players engaged. Not all of them may be ready to jump to Switch 2.”
However, while primarily addressing the issues surrounding price, Bowser has also revealed why the Nintendo Switch 2 has so few exclusives at launch. As many predicted,Nintendo wants to continue supporting the Switch long after the Switch 2 releasesbecause so many people own one. It makes sense from a purely financial point of view, but it also means that, at the very least, somenew first-party Nintendo gameshave to be cross-gen releases between both the Switch and Switch 2.
The Switch Is Holding Back The Switch 2
It Means A Lot Of Games Could Be Cross-Platform
Unfortunately, this means that the Nintendo Switch is holding its successor back. Games likePokémon Legends Z-Aor evenMetroid Prime 4: Beyond, to an extent, should have been Nintendo Switch 2 exclusives rather than being stuck on the original Switch. Considering just how outdated the original Switch is now, at least in terms of hardware, this means that future first-party Nintendo games will continue to look just as bad and feel just as limited, which isn’t great for those who do end up buying a Switch 2.
Of course, this is an incredibly nuanced topic, just like it was when people were criticizing the PS4 for holding back the PS5 thanks to games likeStar Wars Jedi: Survivorhavingdisastrous cross-gen releases.A lot of people won’t be able to afford a Nintendo Switch 2 because of how expensive it is, and, as a result, will be stuck with the original Switch. They will still want new games released for the console they own, and understandably so. Therefore, it makes perfect sense for Nintendo to continue supporting the original Switch to cater to those left behind.
No one wants the large portion of people who can’t afford the ridiculous cost to upgrade to a Switch 2, let alone buy the extortionately priced Switch 2 games, to be stuck with useless hardware.
No one wants the large portion of people who can’t afford the ridiculous cost to upgrade to a Switch 2, let alone buy theextortionately priced Switch 2 games, to be stuck with useless hardware. The cost of inflation and rising development costs make this problem far more nuanced than it has been with previous generations. However,the length of time the original Switch has been around, coupled with the huge disparity in hardware between it and the Switch 2, also greatly complicates matters.
It Is Time For The Switch To Die
It Has Been Eight Years
The original Switch launched on July 02, 2025, over eight years ago. Since then, we’ve seen the end of the PS4/Xbox One era, gottenhalfway through the PS5 era, and the announcement of Xbox and PlayStation handhelds. PC handhelds also began releasing three years ago and proved to be vastly more powerful than the original Switch.A lot has changed in the industry in the huge amount of time that the Nintendo Switch has been around, and, by modern standards, it has enjoyed an extremely long console generation.
The PS2, Wii, NES, and more had longer lifespans than the Switch. However, since the early 2000s, consoles more routinely stick to a seven-year lifespan, with the PS3 launching in 2006, the PS4 in 2013, and the PS5 in 2020, for example.
Even if the Nintendo Switch had lasted six to seven years, it would have felt outdated that entire time. Its hardware was old the moment it launched, and that has been a constant issue for it since the start.If it is to live on for several more years while people slowly transition to the Nintendo Switch 2, it could see the next console generationor, at the very least, be outclassed again by its competitors' handhelds. It is holding the Switch 2 back from having a competitive advantage if Nintendo has to keep developing first-party games for it.
What the Switch 2 needs are exclusives that demonstrate not only why it’s worth owning a Switch 2 in the first place but why it’s important to buy one over a handheld Xbox or PlayStation.If it is getting games that look likePokémon Legends Z-Ain 2026 or 2027, then people will still regard it as powerful as the original Switch, even if it gets the somewhatlackluster Switch 2 enhanced versionsof certain games.
The Switch 2 Has A Zelda Problem, And It Could Get Worse
With BOTW and TOTK getting Switch 2 upgrades, Nintendo’s newest console is already facing a problem with one of its most popular franchises.
Nintendo should have anticipated this, especially withXbox having announced its handhelda while ago. It could have reduced the cost of the console itself but kept the price of its games as high as they are to compensate, much like how the PS4 was originally sold at a loss but made its money through PS Plus and video game sales. Unfortunately, Nintendo chose to play it safe, attempting to please everyone, and as a result, offering a pared-back version of theNintendo Switch 2and supporting an eight-year-old console that was outdated the moment it was released.
