Topic: Switch vs Switch 2 for newbie

Hello all,

I'm an old gamer who has been out of the loop for many years now do to a heavy workload and life not giving me much time to dedicate to gaming.

Now I have the spare time and wish to get back into the hobby. I was wondering if I should wait and buy a Switch 2 or buy a Switch and play all thee games I have missed out on?

Been learning toward buy a new switch and starting with Mario Odyssey and Zelda and move through the more famous titles first.

But then there's a side of me that is thinking when the Switch 2 drops will I be sorry when the new release titles arrive. I'm sure Nintendo will have some great ones.

What to do...

I can say for myself as someone who primarily plays games that AREN'T brand new anymore anyway, that online gaming and online discussions are most of why I would want to play games that are brand new. Otherwise, it doesn't usually matter much to me when I play a game.

That being said, people are expecting Switch 2 info to drop relatively soon, so maybe its worth waiting to know more about Switch 2 before making a decision.

The problem is we don't have any concrete information about Nintendo's next console everything is just rumors at this point. We don't know if it will be backwards compatible with the Switch we don't know if it's another hybrid, we dont even know when the release date is or if they even will have a next console. Point is we don't know enough to make a comparison.

With that being said, if there are games on the Switch that you want to play I say get the Switch now there's hundred of games for it now that I am sure you will find something to enjoy while we wait for the next console. Also if they do end up releasing a new console you can always trade the Switch in towards the new console.

This will depend on what games your wanting to play like those that need 4k60fps then Switch 2 might be the one but if you have and want games prior to Switch 2 games then getting the Switch OLED would suffice. So check what games you want to play as some of those will work if they have BC then Switch 2 isn't bad waiting but depends on how long you want to wait. As to release of Switch 2 that's anyone guess right now but what seen so far looks like March 2025 ETA. New titles for Switch 2 will not be playable on Switch OLED or older version. So be aware of that downside if you want just games that are for Switch 2. And those should come higher graphics gameplay and might be higher cost but if that works then by all means. But if you get OLED Switch most games graphics are still more then worth the gameplay so don't discount Switch OLED isn't out of the game park yet.

@Nordic572 If you've got half an eye on Switch 2, and you're budget conscious too, I'd suggest picking up a second hand Switch from eBay or similar, sold in 'like new' condition. If you look carefully, and don't necessarily demand the OLED version, you could pick up a nice Switch with a few decent games for a good price.

Thing is, if you wait for Switch 2, you'll be waiting at least 6 months from now probably, and obviously have a lot less games to choose from if it turns out not to be compatible with Switch games.

Now that you feeling energised about gaming, do you really want to wait that long? I know I wouldn't.

Switch 2.

The number one rule with tech, if you wait for the next thing you'll do nothing but sit around waiting. Sure the next thing is going to be better but there's always going to be a next thing that's better. It's not like the Switch 2 release is going to bring with it a firmware update for Switch that remotely disables them

With that said, with the Switch 2 we're not talking about years from now and we're not talking about new phone tier yearly revisions where you get a different shaped notch and not much else. This thing will be announced within the next 5 months, possibly as soon as next week even. It will almost surely release within the year. And it's going to bring a good 8 years worth of tech improvements all at once. The spec jump will be less like the difference between this years and last year's laptop. It'll be more like the spec jump that time you held onto your old laptop for almost 10 years before reluctantly getting a new one

So to answer your question.... it's a tough one. On the one hand you don't have a Switch now so getting a Switch of any kind will open you up to that library of games. Which in itself is huge. And you can't play hardware that hasn't released yet so Switch 2 can't do that for you now. But Switch 2 isn't some distant future thing or a small jump. It's going to be relatively soon and significant. So.... maybe wait a few months and then re-assess?

Technically we don't have these things officially confirmed, at least most of them, but I think it's fair to say that they're more than "just rumours". We've seen enough evidence to know it's a hybrid. Backwards compatibility is all but confirmed through firmware sleuthing of the current Switch. The release date we don't know but we certainly know it is a thing and will release soon given they've confirmed that they're going to announce it before the end of March next year

Thanks all for the good replies. Gave me some things to think about.

I think I'll go ahead and get a used switch in good condition and start having some fun. I can't go for the lite version as my vision is not the best now so a tv screen is better for me.

I know that it might be a pain to get a switch 2 when it's first released with all the hype so having a console that I can play now sounds like the more wise option and then I can have the option of buying a switch 2 later..I don't really need it when it first comes out on the market.

But upgrading to switch 2 would be great as it's new tech and will be the Nintendo flagship console going forward for at least the next several years.

You all are great. Glad I joined this forum. This will help me find good games for my system now.

i was thinking about the switch online subscription that allows you to have access to the Nes and Snes library. I grew up on those games so that is something I am really interested in.

I guess the switch 2 will continue on with the online retro games as well?

@Nordic572 Get a NSO account that way you can get you games save data to cloud so if you decide to go Switch 2 your data will or they say should migrate over to Switch 2 with updates to games. Single account isn't that expensive. I got family plan so my nieces and nephews can go online if they want to but remember make a Dedicate Email just for NSO and if family each requires their own account as well so they can share one console of if two consoles a primary and secondary console. A used OLED Switch v2 would be a good place to start. TOTK, Pokémon, Splatoon OLED will be more pricy ones to get they should have some standard OLED version that might fit your budget.

@Nordic572 All I'll say is that you did well avoiding Switch Lite. I had one and sold it to get a regular second hand Switch in perfect condition.

@Nordic572 Well now that we know the next Nintendo console is backwards compatible, I'd say go for the Switch now get the games you want and when the next Nintendo system comes out trade in your Switch towards that.

Yes looks like it will. The Switch 2 will have the Switch Online service as well, so I think it's safe to assume that the NES, SNES, Game Boy, and the other retro platforms will still be playable on the next system.