Nintendo has finally teased its much-awaited Switch sequel, aptly named Switch 2, to a subdued response from fans. Technical details are still to be confirmed in April of this year. But how much has the handheld gaming landscape changed since its predecessor’s release? Is it up to the challenge of its beefier and steamier competitors?
The Competition
At this January’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2025), just ahead of the Switch 2 announcement, it was clear Nintendo faces stiff competition. Everyone’s favorite laptop manufacturer already had a dog–or multiple dogs–in this fight for gaming on the go. The portable Linux and Windows machines come as full-fledged PCs that you can take anywhere, much unlike the Switch. And like any laptop purchase, it gets confusing rather quickly as models try slotting themselves into each market segment.
For instance, MSI is trying a comeback with the announcement of the Claw 7 and Claw 8 AI+ series. Both are running Windows 11 in 7 and 8-inch screens respectively. Then, there’s the upcoming chunky 11-inch “handheld” Acer Nitro Blaze 11, and Lenovo’s refreshed Legion Go series. Also worth checking are last year’s ASUS ROG Ally X, along with a wave of micro retro-gaming handhelds from China.
On that note, one cannot just ignore the elephant in the room. Valve’s Steam Deck still dominates the portable gaming world for anyone needing more power and games beyond Nintendo’s offerings. The Steam Deck even had an OLED mid-cycle refresh with a slight spec bump and a battery upgrade. Add to that a good chunk of optimization wizardry and support it’s been enjoying three years after its initial release.
It’s been us, the consumers, winning in this race for most horsepower in the most power-efficient package possible. And as they run circles around the original Switch, its sequel may find itself in familiar territory as a hardware underdog sooner rather than later. A myriad of questions still remain before the Switch 2 can be a serious contender. How much is the initial cost for a comparable machine? How many quality games can I play at launch? Will more publishers support this platform or will nill sales numbers just make the system stale?
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The Content
On the PC side of things, the library has expanded with exclusivity becoming a thing of the past with even PlayStation 4 and XBOX titles waltzing into each other’s platforms. Users have always enjoyed Epic giveaways and Steam Sales year in and year out. After all, a PC gamer’s favorite hobby other than gaming is collecting games at discounts. Meanwhile, one could still walk into their brick-and-mortar game store and find The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (BotW) close to 2017’s pricing.
Despite the inferior hardware, Nintendo is living the walled-garden life. With family-friendly exclusives it remains confident, despite the company’s stock dipping to almost 7.2% after the announcement. Leaps of graphical fidelity just ain’t going to cut it versus their smashing combo of game design and highly marketable characters from Nintendo’s stable. For a brief moment, the Steam Deck, the best-selling and arguably the best overall handheld PC, dropped from 3rd to 47th in weekly Steam charts after a Switch 2 teaser. It’s crawled back up since just like how Nintendo stock steadily recovered as well. Nintendo will keep doing Nintendo things if demand trends from the previous generation are any indication. The timeless packaging of story, music, and fun gameplay will keep any underpowered system relevant and super effective. If history is any indicator, the fate of the Switch 2 cannot be written off until actual release and this is definitely a launch to keep an eye on.
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