[[2025 Cafe Posts]] The Switch 2 was recently announced and I couldn't have cared less. I haven't even watched the trailer yet, just read the headline on my layover in Dallas coming back from my wedding and moved on to the next article in my RSS feed. This is a big deal because Nintendo basically raised me. Every console announcement felt like a true event, because Nintendo was about to do something unique. It might not have been good, or turned out to be a gimmick, but at least it was interesting. Unfortunately, anything interesting about Nintendo died with Iwata and was buried by the poor performance of the Wii U. The Switch 2 is just a Switch, but bigger and more powerful. That's probably great for most people who liked the Switch. But I looked back on my experience with the system, and realized that the Switch is probably my least favorite Nintendo console - yes, even more than the Wii U. --- ## The Shape The Switch came out pretty much at the worst possible time for someone like me. In 2017 I was in my final year of college. You know how much I could have used a system like that when I actually lived in a walkable city and campus? Maybe my opinions on it would be different. But I started my working life right when the console hit the scene, and we were completely at odds with one another. I think my main problem with the Switch is that it doesn't do either job it's supposed to very well. It feels like ass to hold in handheld mode - the joy-cons are the least ergonomic controllers I've ever had the displeasure of holding. With a back flatter than Taylor Swift's, it actual caused me physical pain to hold - it's the first console I've ever purchased where I could only use third-party controllers to get any use out of it. Docked mode is a little better, especially with the Pro Controller, which is super comfortable and has fantastic battery life. But that leads me to my next problem. ## The Library If the Switch effectively only works as a docked console for my poor old man hands, then it needs a library that makes it worth it to pick up instead of a more powerful PS5 or something like that. But outside of first-party titles, the Switch's strength lies pretty much entirely on the fact that it lets you play indie games and third-party games but with slightly (or largely) worse performance, with the trade-off being that you can carry it around with you. So why would I ever pick it up? Even the first-party library feels lackluster compared to previous Nintendo generations. Everything that Nintendo has put out just feels...sterile. The **Mario** sports games are bland, we didn't get a new **Mario Kart**. **Breath of the Wild** was great, but **Tears of the Kingdom** didn't do much for me and is one of the only **Zelda** games I haven't finished. **Splatoon** is cool, but three games in it's not like it's shaking the formula up much. And it has the dishonor of being home to the worst **Animal Crossing** ever made. It's funny, but it feels like Nintendo was ready to get weird with it with games like **ARMS** and **Mario Odyssey**, but after 2017 I just don't feel like they popped off with it. Monolith Soft carried this console on its back for me. This is sad compared to their time with the 3DS, which had tons and tons of weird and silly little games that gave me joy. But that's kind of how I feel about the Switch overall: it's sterile. It has nothing that made previous Nintendo consoles fun. No Streetpass, no Swapnote, no Miiverse, no themes...maybe the Switch 2 will have some interesting features, but something tells me that won't be the case. ## The Alternative The Steam Deck has completely replaced the Switch for me because of everything I wrote up there. It's a more comfortable handheld ergonomically, at least for my hands, it's more powerful, it lets me play those indie and third-party games I mentioned without needing to double dip because I already own them in my Steam library, and works both handheld and docked. I have put hundreds of hours into that system, and I'd bet despite existing for half the time, I've put in twice as much with the Deck compared to the Switch. Which is wild, as someone who had zero interest in PC gaming before the pandemic. I don't think the Switch is a *bad* console. I think it does what it needs to very well. It just doesn't do anything for me, personally. The Switch 2 will probably be the first Nintendo console I don't grab day one, barring an absolutely stellar roster of launch titles. And that's sad for me! It's like a sign that I'm not the person I was 7 years ago, which is normal, but it does feel weird and a little sad. I really hope the Switch 2 does something to change my mind about the direction Nintendo is headed, be it with its features or library.