Importance Score: 45 / 100 🔵
Debating whether to buy the new Nintendo Switch 2? Initially, I hesitated to preorder the console solely for myself. The price point is considerable, flagship titles like a new Smash Bros. or Metroid Prime are absent (for now), and my current Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck meet my gaming demands. The $450 cost was seemingly justifiable only because my profession involves covering gaming technology.
The Nintendo Switch 2: A Family Upgrade?
However, after two weeks of use, I can almost rationalize the expenditure in another way: the Switch 2 is evolving into an enhancement for my entire family.
While the convenience of handing down older consoles is a factor – indeed, your original Switch can easily transition to a child while you appreciate the enhanced screen and speed of the new model – my primary focus extends beyond mere hand-me-downs.
LONZERUI2024 New Mens Smart Watch with a 420Mah Large Battery, 1.96-Inch Ultra HD Screen, Wireless Calling, Flashlight Feature,, Suitable for Android And Ios Outdoor Use
Price: $0.62
Mens Gothic Hoodie - Fashion Hoodies with Retro Lace Up Design, Casual Graphic Print, Streetwear Style for Winter Fall, Great Gift Idea
Price: $1.79
[Anti-Slip Basketball Shoes] Anti-Slip Durable Mens High-Top Basketball Shoes | Fashion Training Sneakers for Sports and Casual Wear
🎉 Exclusive deal [Price: $9.19]
I am referring to how the innovative features of the new Nintendo console are facilitating delightful gaming experiences with my 8-year-old daughter.
Sharing the Gaming Experience
Last Christmas, we gifted my daughter a Switch Lite, accompanied by Animal Crossing and Let’s Go Pikachu. These titles became her mainstays, as other gaming options typically dominated the living room TV, inciting frequent squabbles between her and her younger sister over viewing preferences.
Yet, recently, my eldest discovered the ability to wirelessly transfer my previously acquired digital games from my Switch 2 to her Switch Lite, essentially operating as a lending library with two-week loan periods. While engaging with Mario Kart World on the Switch 2, she hones her abilities using my archived copy of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Soon, I intend to immerse myself in the mature-rated Cyberpunk 2077 while she explores Stardew Valley. The best part: no concerns regarding lost game cartridges.
Subsequently, we unearthed GameShare, a function enabling the Switch 2 to project its display and controls onto another Switch, granting a second player their own screen and controls for selected multiplayer titles. This led us to play Super Mario Odyssey together, daughter and dad, alternating roles as Mario and his sentient cap, Cappy.
The advantage of dual portable screens meant no more peering between me and the display, a common occurrence during bedtime reading. Additionally, with neither of us monopolizing the TV, our younger child continued to enjoy her animated stop-motion Lego content uninterrupted.
Gaming on the Go
Prior to a recent trip, my eldest requested permission to continue playing Mario Odyssey in my absence. Virtual game sharing proved invaluable: five quick taps, and the game downloaded on her Switch.
Admittedly, she needed to restart the game, as transferring saved progress between consoles linked to different Nintendo accounts proved elusive. However, as it turns out, this was her intention all along. Eight-year-olds apparently relish repetition far more than adults!
Areas for Improvement
While I still value physical media, I do worry about Nintendo’s history of shutting down eShops, potentially jeopardizing our digital game library. I also feel Nintendo could implement more features to improve the Switch and Switch 2 for parents.
For instance, arbitrarily restricting the new Nintendo Switch 2’s webcam-enabled GameChat is a misstep. Playing Mario Kart with my daughter during my trip would have been priceless. While the original Switch and Switch Lite may lack the processing power for simultaneous four-player screen sharing and video chat like the Switch 2, they should handle webcams adequately. Furthermore, the absence of a straightforward method to merge saved data from the offline child profile on my original Switch to my daughter’s Nintendo account remains a frustration.
GameShare: Untapped Potential?
Above all, I am concerned that the two-screens-for-one-game feature of GameShare might not receive adequate attention. While it’s an ingenious application of cloud streaming, the current selection of GameShare-supported titles is disappointingly limited, omitting titles like Mario Kart World or Super Mario Bros. Wonder, a great pick for playing with kids.
Almost 25 years ago, Mario Kart: Super Circuit for the Game Boy Advance allowed connecting four portable consoles for limited multiplayer using a single game copy. Mario Kart DS achieved a similar feat 20 years ago via Wi-Fi, using “DS Download Play”. But these features depended on developers implementing new single cart multiplayer modes, and not every game had one. GameShare should not have the same problem: Because it streams a screen and controller inputs, theoretically it could work on any existing single-screen game. However, only a select few titles support the feature currently.
If Nintendo expands GameShare availability to include celebrated third-party games such as Overcooked 2, TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge, and Lego Star Wars and activates it within its own franchises such as Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Donkey Kong Country, and Luigi’s Mansion 3, the Switch 2 might become a compelling option for families looking to play together.
That would definitely help Nintendo reach its long-term objective. As Shigeru Miyamoto said in 2018: “Our ultimate ambition is for a Nintendo Switch to be owned not just by every family, but by every single person.” Currently, our household includes a Switch 2, a Switch, and a Switch Lite. We are close to being Nintendo’s ideal family.