The Nintendo Switch 2 is finally kicking into high gear. A combination of smart updates, the release of a bona fide system-seller, and a critical port of a third-party game all signal the same thing: Nintendo’s latest hardware is finally hitting its stride. Earlier this week, Nintendo quietly released the console’s biggest update yet. Most of the changes are small but welcome quality-of-life improvements, like color-coded storage breakdowns and new menu animations for digital games. The big-ticket item was definitely the brand-new “boost mode” that allows the console to run original Switch games as if they were in TV mode. Normally, Switch games run at 720p — boost mode upgrades the visuals to 1080p. Not all games are supported, and in some cases, boost mode might drain the Switch 2 battery at a faster rate than normal.
Many people prefer to play Switch 2 games in handheld mode, and since when most of the must-play games on the console are enhanced Switch games, boost mode immediately feels like an essential feature. Some fans say they’ve been waiting since launch for an option like this, but were uncertain if Nintendo would ever deliver on something that casual users might not understand or use. The mode also comes as a surprise in light of Nintendo’s reliance on Switch 2 Editions of older games, where improved visuals are part of the selling point. Players have already heralded boost mode as a transformative feature that revitalizes older games with performance issues.
The timing couldn’t be better for Nintendo. The company released Pokémon Pokopia on March 5, and the building sim is flying off the shelves so rapidly, it’s become one of the Switch 2’s best-selling games. On social media, clips of Pokopia players’ ambitious builds are enticing onlookers, some of whom are surprised to discover the spin-off is a Switch 2 exclusive. But when a game combines the functionality of hugely popular games like Minecraft with the mass appeal of a brand like Pokémon, the sales pitch practically writes itself.
By all accounts, Pokopia is achieving what Animal Crossing: New Horizons did for the original Switch. The game has something for everyone. For hardcore Pokémon fans, Pokopia offers a surprising amount of meaningful lore. For cozy sim fans, Pokopia‘s suite of furniture and terraforming options are a head-turner. Then you’ve got the segment of bored Animal Crossing fans, who have already put in hundreds of hours into Nintendo’s life sim and are ravenous for something new.
Nintendo tried to revitalize the New Horizons community with a Switch 2 re-release and update that offers performance improvements and better controls. But the core Animal Crossing experience remains more or less the same — and the most devoted players have run out of things to do. In some ways, Pokopia underscores many of New Horizons‘ shortcomings. Rather than having generic villagers who all have the same dialogue, Pokopia features characters that people have known and loved since they were children, which creates a deeper investment and higher stakes than Animal Crossing. Pokopia is also coming out of the gate with a more robust event schedule, which might help it maintain long-term interest.
Though it’s only been out for a few weeks, Pokopia is already regarded by some as the Switch 2’s killer app, meaning that it drives people to purchase the hardware. Anecdotally, some retail workers at GameStop say that Switch 2 is flying off the shelves right now. Pokopia FOMO has practically become a meme.
The final piece of the Switch 2 puzzle is Resident Evil Requiem, which is enjoying a mainstream popularity that the series hasn’t seen in a long while. Requiem is also the first major third-party game with a simultaneous Switch 2 launch. Until this point, Switch 2 has generally been treated as a repository for older games. And for every good port, there’s a Switch 2 version of an older game that sacrifices something just to be viable on the platform. The Switch 2 port of Requiem isn’t as technically impressive as the version on PS5 or Xbox, but it’s also not far off. And with games like Pragmata coming down the pike, the Switch 2’s reputation as a lesser system that’s late to the party may be over.
More importantly, Switch 2 feels relevant. Microsoft and Sony are waffling around, waiting for Grand Theft Auto 6 and trying to figure out their next generation of consoles. With the looming RAM crisis driving up prices, the prospect of purchasing new tech has consumers preemptively wincing at their wallets. Who wants to spend $1,000 or more on a new Xbox or PlayStation 6 right now?
What began as a piece of hardware that seemed outdated the moment it released has become a testament to Nintendo’s long-term strategy. The Switch 2 has been out for less than a year. It still doesn’t have a mainline installment of major Nintendo franchises like Super Mario or Pokémon. If things are going this well for Nintendo already, then Switch 2 is on the precipice of something big.
