Nintendo is still eerily silent about its next console, but the clock is ticking. According to Nintendo, the Switch 2 will be unveiled within the next month and a half, by the end of this fiscal year. We don’t know exactly what form that will take yet, and rumors surrounding the device have been chaotic for over a year. While I don’t have any insider info or shocking leaks to share, all of this fervor around Switch 2 has me looking back at the eloquent reveal of the Nintendo Switch.
From its first teaser in October 2016, Nintendo handled the rollout of Switch masterfully. While Nintendo has since delisted the Switch’s debut trailer (it’s still available elsewhere on YouTube), it still stands as one of the best console reveals of all time. If Nintendo re-creates the three elements that made the Switch’s announcement so impactful, it’ll get its next-gen console started on the right foot.
The gimmick
“Gimmick” is typically used in negative contexts, but Nintendo console gimmicks often become industry-changing. The Wii revolutionized motion controls, while the Switch was the precursor to a wave of handhelds capable of running PC or console-quality games. Throughout the reveal trailer for the first Switch, Nintendo emphasized the console’s hybrid nature, highlighting several scenarios in which its portability could be useful. Who can forget the woman bringing her Switch to a rooftop party and busting out a single-player Mario game?
While the Switch 2 isn’t expected to deviate from its predecessor that harshly, it’s bound to have some sort of unique feature that helps it stand out from any hardware Nintendo has made before. Based on leaks, the Joy-Cons for Switch 2 seem to have some new capabilities, including what could be an optical sensor. Within the first 30 seconds of the Switch 2’s reveal, we should know what makes those controllers, and the console at large, different from what Nintendo released before. If the reveal trailer can’t do that, it’ll be difficult to sell viewers on why they should buy a new console that looks exactly the same as the one they own.
The games
Although the unique aspects of the Switch 2’s hardware are important, so are the games that are informed by that hardware. While consoles like the Xbox Series X were revealed without any accompanying software gameplay, the Nintendo Switch’s reveal trailer showcased several first- and third-party games. We got to see The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Splatoon 2, NBA 2K18, and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim all running on Switch in its first trailer.
The Switch 2’s unveiling should give us a similar smattering of games. If Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is a cross-gen title, Nintendo could make that the first game we see running on the new console. Even if it doesn’t share more on games until a presentation later on, we should at least get glimpses of first-party launch window games. It would also be wise for Nintendo to get third-party studios in on the reveal, especially if it’s for a Switch 2 port of a game that’s only on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S right now.
Like any game console, the Switch 2 will live or die on its game library. Nintendo needs to give people a reason to upgrade, and the most effective way to do that is by showing us some of the games we can expect from the Switch 2 during its first few months on the market.
The lifestyle
One of the most underrated aspects of the reveal trailer for the Switch was how it established the lifestyle around the use of the console. The marketing for Wii and Wii U largely highlighted families and children. The Switch’s reveal trailer exclusively featured young adults, which subtly made the console seem more hip right from the first time we saw it. As someone who was a senior in high school at the time of the Switch’s announcement and release, I can vouch that this tactic worked on me.
This time around, Nintendo doesn’t need to break any kind of stigma regarding who its console is for. When the Switch was revealed, Nintendo felt like an underdog that had to prove itself again. That’s not the case this time, but that means Nintendo needs to work harder to convince people to upgrade. The first trailer for Switch 2 should once again show people using the device in their day-to-day lives. That would be more effective than simple game sizzle reels and cinematic glimpses at the hardware; the ultimate goal of a console reveal like this is to tell a story, and Nintendo will need to know the exact narrative it wants viewers to take away here.
If Nintendo can nail all three of those fundamentals, it should have no problem drumming up excitement for its next console — though simply releasing a beefed-up version of one of the most successful consoles of all time might just be enough on its own.
