Not a whole lot to go on, but that backwards compatibility nugget essentially confirms that the new console's form factor has to be a touchscreen tablet with detachable controllers. No doughnut screens, no pyramids that project holograms - as expected, Nintendo is sensibly sticking with what works and plans to deliver 'another' Switch.
BUT! This doesn't necessarily mean Switch 2 won't deliver in the wacky-doodle department. Despite the restrictions, there's still room for the kind of what-the-hell features we expect from Nintendo. Some might call them 'gimmicks' — in fact, we might call them gimmicks — but they aren't necessarily bad, as long as they surprise and delight in sufficient measure. Nintendo's teams are masters of turning out charming novelties in their 'wares, hard- and soft-, even when they're not flagship features.
PS5-style haptics, adaptive triggers, back buttons - they're all fine and dandy, but they're all a bit sensible and boring - not very Nintendo. So let's have a look at some slightly more 'out-there', unexpected ideas that Nintendo could add to the Switch successor to open up new gameplay possibilities...
#1 - A Touchpad (Or Screen) On The Back
Image: Damien McFerran / Nintendo LifeWhy not pilfer an idea from Sony, eh? The Vita was a lovely machine, and in many ways the Switch's predecessor as a welcoming home for indies and niche genres. The touchpad on the back of the system always grabbed us - what fun could Nintendo get up to implementing gameplay mechanics around that, we wonder?
Alternatively, it could be a screen itself, a little e-ink display that doesn't draw much power but could show notifications when you're out and about. It could serve as a notepad or play minigames or vintage software from the Game & Watch Library. If the rumours are true about the new Joy-Con being magnetic, what's to stop us flipping the console around and attaching them back-to-front, so the main screen is on the back?
If that's all too ambitious, a little strip that displays messages could be fun. The old stuff always comes back in style; it's time to bring back the pager! And, faxes. Yes, it's time for a Nintendo Switch Printer.
#2 - A Vitality Sensor
Just imagine one of these tucked away on the back of the left Joy-Con — Image: NintendoNintendo never throws away an idea - it just banks them and returns when conditions are right.
You may recall the Vitality Sensor, a Wii peripheral announced at E3 2009 that never made it to market thanks to reliability issues - it couldn't be made to function correctly for 100% of users. The idea was that you stick your index finger inside and the device could sense how relaxed or tense you were by measuring your pulse.
More than a decade on, perhaps those tech problems could be solved and a Joy-Con with vitality-sensing triggers could be viable in 2025. Whether there would be enough applications in enough games to warrant adding it to the base console is up for debate. If not, a standalone peripheral could be the ticket. Speaking of which...
#3 - Weird New Joy-Con
Image: Zion Grassl / Nintendo LifeNo, not the main controllers that come with the console - even with the rumoured magnets and extra buttons, we imagine Joy-Con for Switch 2 will be more or less in line with the current ones, feature-wise.
No, we're talking about a series of entirely different controllers that snap onto the console. A Playdate-style Crank-Con on the right for reeling in fish. Bongo-Con for Jungle Beat DX. Clutch and Throttle-Con for the next round of TT Isle of Man games.
We know what you're thinking: This could get bloody expensive. We agree, but imagine for a moment that you don't need to buy four pairs of Joy-Con next generation because they don't drift...
Yes, it's hard to envision, but the huge piles of disposable income you'd save if your launch day Joy-Con lasted for more than six months could be spent on more exciting things! Like Keytar-Con or Panpipe-Con or Hand-Massager-Con.
#4 - Cameras & Mics
Image: Gavin Lane / Nintendo LifeOkay, these aren't the 'wackiest' ideas here, especially given that Nintendo consoles had these things since the DS era (and beyond if we get peripherals involved).
There are far easier ways to video chat with pals than through your console - that's not what we're interested in, but rather the cool interactions and gameplay possibilities these tools enable.
Obviously, built-in voice chat and some picture-in-picture of your friends' faces as you play online would be great! But let's not be crazy. Let's stick to things that Nintendo might actually do...
#5 - A Solar Panel
Like this, just, you know, smaller - and on the top edge of a Switch — Image: Pixabay / PexelsWhy not? For when you're caught short between charges, what better way to stave off a dead battery than using the power of our local star? Maybe it could charge the e-ink screen on the back.
Combine this with the brightness sensor already in the current Switch and we've got designs on a long-awaited new entry in the Boktai series.
#6 - Another USB-C Port On Top, For, erm, Stuff
Image: Gavin Lane / Nintendo LifeIf the leaks turn out to be true, Switch 2 will have a USB-C port not just on the bottom (for charging and docking) but also on the top.
Now, as well as presumably offering upside-down docking (maybe... okay, probably not), all manner of peripherals could slot into an additional port, from cameras to mics to little electric fans. This would open up a world of peripheral possibilities, but it could also make it easier to connect Switches together. Maybe you could even attach a current Switch to the Switch 2 for some classic dual-screen gaming.
Even if bolting another Switch to your new one is too cumbersome, the ability to link consoles physically might be cool... although there's probably not much that couldn't be accomplished with a local wireless connection. Early last year, Jim spoke about the Switch-linking novelty of Toad's Rec Room in Super Mario Party, and that's still a very cool concept.
We just like the idea of Switch 2 expanding on the social aspects of a portable device. We also enjoy the image of a hundred Switches all linked together to accomplish some grand task. If a cluster of Cell-powered PS3s can cure cancer and unravel the human genome*, just think of what a rack of daisy-chained Switch 2s could do!
*Okay, PS3s did not cure cancer or do the genome thing, but their computational power was used to help solve some tricky problems and the US Air Force built the 33rd largest supercomputer in the world (at the time) using over 1,700 of them.
Image: Diane Bondareff/AP Images for Nintendo of America#7 - StreetPass (PLEASE!)
On the topic of social features, that Switch didn't inherit this fantastic functionality from its predecessor is confounding.We love StreetPass, we want to see it — and the thrill a flashing green light on your console — return next generation. That is all.
#8 - An Autostereoscopic 3D Screen
Image: Damien McFerran / Nintendo LifeWhat's that? It's been done before?
Hey, the 3DS' namesake feature might not have been an essential addition, but around these parts we still think it was pretty neat. When it was used subtly, it could really enhance the experience.
Our go-to examples are always the same — accurate landing in Super Mario 3D Land, parsing the battlefield more easily in Fire Emblem: Awakening, adding to the diorama feel of A Link Between Worlds — but there are dozens of brilliant instances where the glasses-free 3D added a touch of magic.
3D TV compatibility could make it work in docked mode, too. 3D TVs are still a thing, right?
#9 - Faceplates / Backplates / Game Boy Covers With Buttons
Image: NintendoDo you remember that patent Nintendo filed in 2018 for what looked like a Game Boy-styled smartphone cover with buttons built in? Something along those lines would still make eminent sense for phones, although with so many makes and models out there, a one-size-fits-all approach would be pretty clunky.
Game Boy and Game Boy Advance covers for Switch 2, though? Now there's a plan.
Obviously, these would be compatible with the NSO apps with the 'screen' of the cover aligning with an updated display mode beneath - just slip the Joy-Con off, attach your cover of choice and off you go.
You could turn the console on its end for the old-school experience, or stay in landscape mode with a GBA cover. The games would remain playable without the cover, of course, but if a Game Boy Classic isn't on the cards, this wouldn't be a bad compromise.
If that's still a bit clunky, why not the ability to personalise your Switch 2 or dock with a natty new face- or backplate design?
Nintendo has produced customisable covers before with Game Boy Micro and the New Nintendo 3DS - the cynical among us might argue it's a cunning means of distracting everyone from how familiar the basic offering is. Then again, the right faceplate options would see our cynicism instantly melt away. We're suckers, see?
Image: NintendoThere are many other ways Nintendo could bolster the 'huh?' factor with Switch 2 while still keeping the handheld-hybrid fundamentals intact - and we're hoping for a little of its patented wackiness when the lid is finally lifted!
