Switch 2 is a big boy. That was my main takeaway from the apparent reveal of Nintendo’s long-awaited next portable. Why did that trailer leave any other impression? It’s not like Nintendo has shown many others. Sure, there were slides about backwards compatibility, but the size difference between the two systems was striking. It got me thinking: How big is too big? Did Nintendo prioritize the wrong design choices?
If you’ve been following along with all the release leaks, you knew this was coming. I did, but I was still hoping that the 8-inch display rumors were wrong. I’m a relative newcomer to the Switch. My girlfriend and I split the cost of the OLED model during Black Friday 2024. Since then, it’s become one of my favorite ways to play games in large part because of its portability.
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The Switch OLED isn’t as powerful as my gaming PC, but I can curl it up for playing games on the couch. It’s also small enough to fit into a 15L backpack, making it ideal for travel. I also love the OLED screen. It will make all your games look better and you will be able to forgive poor performance on your system.
On paper, the Switch 2 should retain at least some of the portability of the OLED model, but I wonder how much easier it will be to transport. If the Switch 2 ships with an 8-inch display, consider that it has a larger screen than the Steam Deck OLED. The Steam Deck, like the Switch, is handheld, but I would argue that it’s not portable in the true sense of the word.
I once tried to pack a steam deck for a trip but found it impossible to fit it into a duffel along with everything else I needed to bring. After that I gave up. I haven’t tried to travel with a steam deck since then. It’s too early to tell if the Switch 2 suffers from the same issues and looks relatively thin, but depending on the amount of weight, I think many people will use it almost exclusively at home.
That’s not inherently a bad thing, but the genius of the Switch is the way it encourages co-op play. I’m almost definitely in the minority here, but tablet mode is one of my favorite ways to play the Switch. On a recent flight my girlfriend and I took to Europe, the Switch was a godsend on a plane without mid-flight entertainment.
We know the Switch 2 features tablet mode like its predecessor, but how many people will take advantage of that feature on a larger, heavier device? I can see it going two ways. A larger screen would either make its features more appealing or allow more people to leave the Switch 2 at home.
Another big unknown here is battery life. If the Switch 2 features an 8nm chip paired with a 1080p LCD as rumored, it’s very likely that the battery will last the same length as the Switch OLED. Battery life hasn’t been a strong suit of the console since Nintendo released the “Marico” revision of the original model, and later before releasing the Switch OLED.
There are still so many unknowns with the Switch 2, but what struck me about the console’s recent reveal is that I wasn’t entirely convinced it was a clear upgrade over the Switch OLED. Obviously the Switch 2 offers much more performance and what looks like a more robust set of pleasures, but I’d go for a system with potentially bigger, worse screens and battery life. Not that excited. If these predictions turn out to be true, I’ll probably be sticking with my Switch OLED until Nintendo announces the Switch 2 Lite or Switch 2 OLED.
