"Ex-PlayStation President: Nintendo Switch 2 Reveal Falls Short of Expectations"

Former Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida recently shared his candid thoughts on the Nintendo Switch 2's reveal during an interview with Easy Allies. His reaction was notably tempered, expressing a sense of mixed feelings about the new console.

Yoshida remarked, "To me, it was a bit mixed message from Nintendo. In a sense, I think Nintendo is losing their identity, in my opinion. For me, they are always about creating some new experience, like designing hardware and games together to create something that [is an] amazing new experience. But Switch 2, as we all anticipated, is a better Switch, right? It's the larger screen, more powerful processor, higher resolution, 4K, 120 fps, they even have a hardware person starting the stream, like other platforms do, right? And because it's a better Switch, the core premise of the whole Switch 2 is, you know, 'We made things better'. And that's something other companies have been doing all the time."

He elaborated that while the Switch 2 is a significant upgrade for those who exclusively game on Nintendo hardware, offering access to titles like Elden Ring, it might not be as thrilling for gamers who play on multiple platforms. Yoshida noted the high viewership of the reveal event and expressed disappointment that many of the showcased games were ports from previous generations. However, he singled out Enter the Gungeon 2 for praise, calling it an impressive announcement.

Yoshida also commended Drag x Drive for embodying the "very Nintendo" spirit and touched on the system's pricing, highlighting the differences between Japan and other regions. He concluded, "Anyway, with some of the things Nintendo is doing, with the camera or mouse controls, creating new experiences, that's great. But other than that, I was personally a bit disappointed, because they didn't disappoint everyone. Because everyone wanted that better Switch."

Despite his reservations, Yoshida acknowledged the Switch 2 as a smart business move, crediting the technical enhancements to the work of talented designers. He noted that while the system might play it safe in some aspects, it still retains elements of Nintendo's playful and innovative nature, such as mouse controls and other unique features.

The pricing of the Switch 2 remains a topic of interest, especially in the U.S., where pre-orders have been paused due to new tariffs announced on the same day as the system's reveal. With a global launch scheduled for June 5, Nintendo faces a tight deadline to resolve these issues before the release.