The Nintendo Switch has been on the market for almost seven years now. And unfortunately, the handheld console hybrid is showing its age. When it was released, the Switch couldn’t keep up with the devices from Sony and Microsoft in terms of technology. While PlayStation and Xbox relied on 4K resolution and HDR, Nintendo impressed with the ability to use the Switch both on the go and on the TV.
The concept is still great and sets the Nintendo console apart from the competition. However, it is still completely unclear whether a direct successor to the Nintendo Switch will be developed next, or whether the traditional Japanese manufacturer will come up with something completely new to revolutionize the industry.
No matter what happens, we of course have a few wishes and hopes for the potential Switch successor. And we already know that Red Bull gamer GrandPOObear will also be full of motivation to play speed runs in various Super Mario games on the new Nintendo device.
Maintaining the hybrid model
If Nintendo’s next console really becomes a direct successor to the Nintendo Switch, it is obvious that the hybrid model of the platform must of course be retained. After all, the Nintendo Switch gets its name from the seamless switching between use as a handheld or TV console.
Personally, not much needs to be optimized here. Switching between the two modes already works perfectly and even if the Nintendo Switch’s screen could be slightly larger, the new OLED models are absolutely sufficient.
The ability to use the Nintendo Switch as both a handheld and a console was something completely new at the time and thus indirectly led to a new category of PC hardware, which received its first major release with the Steam Deck . It’s exciting to see how many players use the Nintendo Switch exclusively in one of the two modes. While some people rarely put the console in the docking station, others always keep it connected to the TV.
However, one thing needs to be addressed if you want to be able to use the Switch successor in handheld mode again: the Joy-Cons. It is important to maintain the ability to detach them from the device and use them hands-free. However, it is inevitable that Nintendo will do some work on the quality of the controllers here. The analog sticks in particular still tend to develop a “Joy-Con drift” after a while and thus constantly steer in one direction. In addition, it would be nice if the sticks were a little larger and the Joy-Cons offered an ergonomic shape.
There is a lot to improve on the Joy-Cons
© Nintendo
This would potentially mean discarding the concept that a Joycon can be rotated 90 degrees and used as a small controller. However, for many players this is just a gimmick or emergency solution if there really isn’t a better option. If Nintendo discards this mechanic, the left Joy-Con could finally be equipped with a proper digital control pad. Something Switch users could only get with third-party Joy-Cons.
Performance boost in the dock
If you currently pack a Nintendo Switch into the docking station to operate it on the television, it outputs a higher resolution for many games than in handheld mode. Unfortunately, this means that some titles often struggle with their frame rate and performance suffers. It often happened that games were easier to play when they were played undocked in a lower resolution.
Bayonetta 3 suffers somewhat from the technical aspects of the Switch
© SEGA
The dock actually only acts as a glorified “USB-C to HDMI” converter. For the successor to the Switch, it would be nice if there was perhaps a little more power in the docking station. Possibly by connecting another GPU unit. Otherwise, the next Nintendo console will again be put into a performance bottleneck due to the maximum performance of the handheld version.
In this day and age, something that no longer needs to be mentioned: All previously purchased Nintendo Switch games – whether digital or as a module – should also be fully playable on the successor. Microsoft is showing the way with the Xbox Series X: Here you can even insert discs from the first Xbox and play them in a version with a higher resolution. Many games also offer an FPS boost, which solves many technical problems that they had on older consoles.
First on the WiiU, then on the Switch: Captain Toad
© Nintendo
Nintendo has proven in the past that they are willing to invest in backwards compatibility: Gamecube games could be played on the Nintendo Wii and Wii discs could be used on the WiiU. However, in recent years Nintendo has also realized how lucrative it is to simply re-release their old titles again and again. Often not even with significant upgrades. So we can only hope that when it comes to a Switch successor, they choose the path that is better for the end user.
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