My Switch 2 Hype & Wish List/Predictions

With 2025 just a week away and the hype from the impending Switch 2 reveal in early January, I am finding myself becoming more and more excited about the coming year despite the ominous orange cloud hanging over the world, but that isn't something I want to talk about on my blog outside of Last Tail.

Anyway, let's get to the predictions and wishes for gaming in 2025!

The Nintendo Switch 2

The console that literally saved gaming for me is getting a much-needed upgrade next year, and the leaks are already trickling in. Right down to what the console looks like and it's dimensions. It's nearing the Steam Deck in width but considerably thinner. The Joy-Con are said to be magnetic in nature and feature hall effect sticks, which means no more drift!

With the rumors currently slating it to be revealed within the first two weeks of January, I'm gonna jot down several key items that I hope to see the console be able to do and what games I hope to see within the first year!

Features and Predictions/Wish List

Obviously, outside of outputting to 4k to be able to take advantage of my new TV, I am really hoping for the screen on the device itself to be at 1080p and that several of the more gimped games on the console receive patches of some sort that allow the games to take advantage of the console's considerable bump in power. The main ones of course, are the Xenoblade trilogy and Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom. Simple resolution bumps, especially for Xenoblade 2, are what I really want to see out the gate as I desperately want to replay that series again on the new device.

The [ C ] Button

There are a lot of fun theories floating around about this mysterious new button on the right Joy-Con, and while I'm not really someone who's super smart when it comes to the technical side of things, I do want to throw my own hat into the ring of theories regarding the button:

It stands for Collect and is tied to Nintendo's new achievement system. Unlocking an achievement in-game is signaled via the Mario coin sound effect, and each achievement accumulates during a playthrough until you hit that C button, which takes you to the "Collection" screen, where the achievements you had earned unlock. Of course, you can hit the C button at any time to be taken directly to the Collection screen, or it can be accessed via the home menu via a dedicated button.

Nintendo's achievement system will act as the new primary way of obtaining coins to purchase profile icons, replacing the current mission structure that is presently in place. Achievements will be able to be earned an infinite number of times, and each feature counters showing how many times a player has unlocked a specific achievement (as well as the first unlock date).

My SWITCH 2 Predictions

The launch day lineup for the Switch 2 will be far more robust than the Switch 1. We'll see the first brand new 3D Mario game on day one, launching right beside the new console, the first time such an event has occurred since the Nintendo 64(and technically the Nintendo DS, I suppose). 

We will also finally see Hollow Knight 2: Silksong as a launch day title, having been finally announced during the Switch 2 Direct the previous January. It will be a timed Switch 2 exclusive. Then hit other consoles and PC later this year.

Metroid Prime 4 will launch on Nintendo Switch the very same day the Switch 2 launches. Per the packaging, it will have Switch 2 enhancements via a download when played on the new console. Still, it will also be perfectly playable on the original console for those not ready to make the next generation leap.

Both Final Fantasy VII Remake and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will also appear within the launch window, along with the Resident Evil remakes and the Kingdom Hearts series, replacing the currently "existing" cloud versions. All on the cartridge and sporting the brand new "Only on Switch 2" corner decoration on the game's box art, making it blatantly clear that all Switch 2 games will not work on the original Switch. 

Nintendo will be very clear in addressing the Switch 2 as its own entity, trying their hardest to avoid another Wii U situation. Switch 2 game cases and the cartridges themselves will differ significantly in their labeling and shape to ensure consumers know exactly what console they're buying for and that Switch 2 games won't work on the original console(but Switch 1 games with compatible updates will be denoted on those specific games!)

There will be tons of accessories as per the norm, both third and first party alike. A Pro Controller 2 from Nintendo themselves boasts several of the same new QoL features found in the new Joy-Cons, such as hall effect sticks and that Collection button.

That was fun. Can't wait to come back to this in six months and see what, if anything, I got right.