How the Nintendo Switch 2 Avoided Its Wii U Moment

The stage is set for another Nintendo console launch, and the Switch is a tough act to follow. The closest point of comparison we’ve got is the Wii to Wii U transition, and we all know how that went.

The Warning Signs Were There

Since the 90s, it feels like Nintendo has operated on a flip-flop cycle with its home consoles. The Nintendo 64 was a revolutionary and revered gaming machine that shifted 32 million units and is fondly remembered for bringing Mario into the third dimension.

By comparison, the GameCube follow-up failed to match the N64’s success let alone capitalize on an ever-expanding video game market. It managed around 22 million sales and was widely considered the company’s first big failure since the ill-fated Virtual Boy.

In 2006, something amazing happened. Nintendo released the Wii and everyone bought one—the console was sold out for months. In the years that followed, Nintendo sold more than 100 million units and the Wii became a staple fixture of living rooms the world over. This cemented Nintendo’s position as a gaming behemoth that could innovate and march to the beat of its own drum, while Sony and Microsoft chased pixels.

Then came the Wii U, which managed to shift only around 13.5 million units despite a library of excellent first-party games. Such was the extent of the console’s failure that Nintendo president Satoru Iwata halved his own pay (with other top brass at Nintendo taking similar hits).

The Wii U was instrumental in Nintendo’s next big project, the Switch. After all, what is the Switch but a smaller, truly portable version of the Wii U’s Game Pad? This recipe for success helped Nintendo sell more than 146 million Switch units (and counting), making it the company’s most successful console ever.

And so we arrive at the Nintendo Switch 2, a hardware revision that has gargantuan boots to fill and several important missteps to avoid along the way.

Where the Wii U Went Wrong

From the very start, the Wii U’s marketing was incredibly vague. The console was unveiled at E3 2011 in a roughly three-minute video that raised more questions than it answered.

The video placed almost all of the emphasis on the new Game Pad controller, with the console itself barely making an appearance. This sent a confusing message leaving many wondering: what exactly is the Wii U?

Is it a new controller? Is it an expansion for the Wii console I already own? Can I just buy the Game Pad and be on my way? Not helping matters was a focus on last-generation peripherals including Wii Remote controllers and the Wii Fit Balance board.

The fact that the games didn’t look particularly next-generation didn’t help either. Most of the action focused on Wii Sports-style baseball featuring the Wii’s iconic Mii characters, and a golf title that used the Game Pad to display the ball before you’d hit it. No wonder Nintendo barely acknowledges Miis these days.

Combined with the name, the message was muddled. Wii U isn’t Wii 2. Anyone paying attention to Nintendo’s handheld releases of the era would know that the Nintendo DSi was a slightly improved Nintendo DS. Adding letters to things didn’t necessarily signal a generational leap forward.

How The Switch 2 Avoids These Pitfalls

You only get one chance to make a first impression, and Nintendo blew it with the Wii U. You might feel frustrated that the Switch 2 announcement was overshadowed by leaks, but that first official announcement is what grabs the most headlines.

So far, it seems like Nintendo has got it right. The Switch 2 was announced in a slick two-minute video that helped put many fears of a Wii U repeat to bed, starting with the name. It’s the Switch 2, just like the PlayStation 2 or Shrek 2. It’s clear that this is a sequel and not an expansion.

The first thing that Nintendo showed is that the console’s main “tablet” unit has been transformed. It’s bigger, it’s got new curves, there’s a kickstand that looks completely different to any of the old ones, and there’s even a USB-C port on the top of the unit now.

Also absent from the reveal were any old Switch accessories. Even if they are compatible (and I’d hazard a guess that they are), there were no old Joy-Con controllers or Ring Fit Adventure adapters in use with the new console. There’s a controller mount that looks a lot like the old one, but it only shows up at the end after the video makes it abundantly clear that these larger magnetic Joy-Con are new.

The only game shown thus far, a new Mario Kart (which admittedly looks a lot like the old Mario Kart), was essentially set dressing. A Nintendo console that plays Nintendo games, who’d have thought it? This was probably the best choice Nintendo could have made considering Mario Kart 8 has been around for so long.

It’s obviously a new game, they aren’t going to sell us the same game three times… right?

It’s All to Play For

Deft messaging on Nintendo’s part can guide the Switch 2 home, but this doesn’t necessarily guarantee success. New consoles live and die by their games so a new 3D Mario, the best version of the long overdue Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, and some hot new IP would go a long way to tempt fans to upgrade one day one.

Long-confirmed backward compatibility with the previous console is nice, but I hope that Nintendo avoids the mistake of having too many cross-generation titles (an issue that has plagued the PS5 and Xbox Series consoles). Higher frame rates on a bigger screen aren’t enough this time.

True next-generation Switch 2 titles will be necessary to give existing Switch owners (all 150 million or so of them) a meaningful reason to upgrade.

The original Switch is looking crusty at this point. A lot of people are ready for a worthwhile upgrade, with handhelds like Valve’s Steam Deck and its more powerful rivals demonstrating what’s possible in 2025 and beyond.

I want Nintendo to sell me a Switch 2, and so far I’m onboard. We’ll have to wait until the next news blast on April 2 to see just how excited we should be.