Latest news with #OGSwitch
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Yahoo
Switch 2 teardown shows that Nintendo hasn't learned a single lesson from the OG Switch when it comes to repairing it
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Time changes many things, not least expectations and what is and isn't acceptable. This is especially true of Nintendo's original Switch handheld console, which teardown specialists iFixit gave an 80% repairability score in 2017, but then halved the rating last week to reflect the standards of 2025. Now it's torn open the new Switch 2, and after struggling with mountains of glue and soldered items, given a repair score of just 30%. Ouch. There are multiple reasons for the Switch 2's low score and the readjusted rating for the OG Switch, but essentially, it all comes down to the fact that a significant number of parts are strongly glued in place and for the parts that are modular (i.e. mounted on their own circuit board), Nintendo officially provides no replacements. There isn't even a parts listing for the first Switch, despite being around for eight years. Glue is certainly cheaper to use instead of mounting brackets and metal screws, but the Switch 2 is hardly a budget-priced offering. And as the Steam Deck amply demonstrates, it's perfectly possible to go with a modular design for the components that are most likely to wear and fail in time, and still hit a desired price point. Nintendo hasn't fitted the Switch 2 with Hall effect thumbsticks, so they will wear and eventually drift, but as iFixit notes in its teardown video, the new Joy-Cons are harder to disassemble. Even if they're more resilient and take much longer to fail than the original ones, the fact that it's going to be harder to repair them is disappointing. It's not all bad news, though: The cooling fan is easy to pop out (at least once you've actually gotten inside the handheld) and if you're nifty enough with a soldering iron, replacing some of the ports and the game card reader shouldn't be too difficult. However, the main battery is glued so heavily to the chassis that there's a good chance you'll break something if you try to replace it yourself. Obviously, what Nintendo is expecting you to do is send it back to them for repairs, or just buy a new one. The cynical part of my brain suspects that the various parts will last just long enough for an OLED version of the Switch 2 to appear on the market, at which point Nintendo will just push gamers to buy that instead. Repairability is more than just about scores and garnering good grace with reviewers. It's about reducing waste and sustainability—something that the electronics industry struggles with a lot. It's also about longevity, as a device that can be easily repaired can be sold many times, allowing for many more people to access the hardware. For me, though, a highly repairable device is a sign that the manufacturer actually cares. Be it the consumer or the environment, putting repair into the heart of one's design shows that you're aware of the concerns of people and the impact your product has on the world. And as Valve has shown with the Steam Deck, you can do all of this and still make the device profitable. But for as long as the billions of dollars keep rolling in, Nintendo is never going to change its stance. Best handheld gaming PC: What's the best travel buddy?Steam Deck OLED review: Our verdict on Valve's Steam Deck accessories: Get decked out.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Yahoo
Switch 2 teardown shows that Nintendo hasn't learned a single lesson from the OG Switch when it comes to repairing it
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Time changes many things, not least expectations and what is and isn't acceptable. This is especially true of Nintendo's original Switch handheld console, which teardown specialists iFixit gave an 80% repairability score in 2017, but then halved the rating last week to reflect the standards of 2025. Now it's torn open the new Switch 2, and after struggling with mountains of glue and soldered items, given a repair score of just 30%. Ouch. There are multiple reasons for the Switch 2's low score and the readjusted rating for the OG Switch, but essentially, it all comes down to the fact that a significant number of parts are strongly glued in place and for the parts that are modular (i.e. mounted on their own circuit board), Nintendo officially provides no replacements. There isn't even a parts listing for the first Switch, despite being around for eight years. Glue is certainly cheaper to use instead of mounting brackets and metal screws, but the Switch 2 is hardly a budget-priced offering. And as the Steam Deck amply demonstrates, it's perfectly possible to go with a modular design for the components that are most likely to wear and fail in time, and still hit a desired price point. Nintendo hasn't fitted the Switch 2 with Hall effect thumbsticks, so they will wear and eventually drift, but as iFixit notes in its teardown video, the new Joy-Cons are harder to disassemble. Even if they're more resilient and take much longer to fail than the original ones, the fact that it's going to be harder to repair them is disappointing. It's not all bad news, though: The cooling fan is easy to pop out (at least once you've actually gotten inside the handheld) and if you're nifty enough with a soldering iron, replacing some of the ports and the game card reader shouldn't be too difficult. However, the main battery is glued so heavily to the chassis that there's a good chance you'll break something if you try to replace it yourself. Obviously, what Nintendo is expecting you to do is send it back to them for repairs, or just buy a new one. The cynical part of my brain suspects that the various parts will last just long enough for an OLED version of the Switch 2 to appear on the market, at which point Nintendo will just push gamers to buy that instead. Repairability is more than just about scores and garnering good grace with reviewers. It's about reducing waste and sustainability—something that the electronics industry struggles with a lot. It's also about longevity, as a device that can be easily repaired can be sold many times, allowing for many more people to access the hardware. For me, though, a highly repairable device is a sign that the manufacturer actually cares. Be it the consumer or the environment, putting repair into the heart of one's design shows that you're aware of the concerns of people and the impact your product has on the world. And as Valve has shown with the Steam Deck, you can do all of this and still make the device profitable. But for as long as the billions of dollars keep rolling in, Nintendo is never going to change its stance. Best handheld gaming PC: What's the best travel buddy?Steam Deck OLED review: Our verdict on Valve's Steam Deck accessories: Get decked out.
Engadget
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Engadget
Mario Kart World was initially planned for the original Switch
The upcoming Switch 2 launch title Mario Kart World was originally intended for the OG Switch console, according to an interview with the game's developers . This was the goal until the dev team realized that the console couldn't handle it. "It was difficult for us to incorporate everything we wanted, so we were always conscious of what we were giving up in return,' said programming director Kenta Sato. A big sticking point seemed to be that the original Switch would have had to run the game at 30FPS. Mario Kart games have always run at 60FPS, for obvious reasons. You can't simulate speed without, uh, simulating speed. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. Developers pecked away at the "tough situation" until finally deciding to create more DLC for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as a way to bide time as the team figured out what to do. "As we'd decided to release Mario Kart 8 Deluxe — Booster Course Pass , we thought that would give us a bit more time to continue development," said producer Kosuke Yabuki. "That's when the conversation of moving it to the Nintendo Switch 2 system came up, and this suddenly opened up a bunch of possibilities on what we could do. It was truly a ray of hope.' This interview also revealed that the game has been in development since 2017, which is a heck of a long time. However, it makes a certain amount of sense given that the original Mario Kart 8 came out in 2014. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. The upcoming racer was always set in an open world and it was never going to be called Mario Kart 9. The developers wanted to "take the series to the next level." The big, connected world seems to do just that. "I felt that in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe , we were able to perfect the formula that we'd been following in the series up to that point, where players race on individual courses," Yabuki continued. "That's why, this time, we wanted the gameplay to involve players driving around a large world, and we began creating a world map like this.' I personally think the company made the right call by delaying this game until the Switch 2. Recent first-party Switch titles have experienced massive framerate issues, and there's no way the console could have handled races with 24 participants. In any event, we only have a couple of weeks until we get to play Mario Kart World , if you've successfully reserved the Switch 2 for the June 5 launch.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Switch 2 launch could be "significantly bigger" than the OG Switch's, but only if Nintendo can keep up: "When in history [...] did a launch for a popular new console go smoothly?"
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. We're fast approaching the launch of the Switch 2, and despite cries to "drop the price," pre-orders have been selling out around the world. Some analysts are already expecting a "significantly bigger" launch than what we saw with the OG Switch, but it all hinges on one key factor: supply. Dr. Serkan Toto, CEO of Japan games industry consultancy Kantan Games, is one analyst who's expecting a "significantly" larger release for the console compared to the Switch 1. Speaking to GamesRadar+, he says that "the initial momentum for Switch 2 vs 1 is like night and day," pointing out that in 2017, Nintendo had "just suffered from the massive failure with the Wii U," meaning that "not too many people took the Switch seriously." With the Switch 2, he expects the console "will be not only sold out at launch (a banality) but also hard to get for weeks or perhaps even months after." He adds: "Sorry, but we as an industry have seen so many console launches now: When in the history of the video gaming business did a launch for a popular new console go smoothly?" He continues: "I hope I am wrong and I understand Nintendo will try their best, but I would be very surprised if you can just walk into a store and buy a Switch 2 before late summer at the earliest." This sentiment is echoed by David Cole, CEO of research and consulting firm DFC Intelligence. He tells us that "the main issue is whether Nintendo can meet initial demand, and then continue to have enough units available this fall and into the holiday season," noting that "supply shortages could be a major issue in coming months." Games industry researcher Joost van Dreunen, who writes the SuperJoost Playlist and teaches at NYU Stern School of Business, also believes that "acquiring a Switch 2 at launch will likely be challenging." He adds: "I anticipate stock shortages to persist through the holiday season and potentially into Q1 2026. The current global trade situation and tariff uncertainties have likely prompted Nintendo to be even more cautious with their manufacturing and distribution strategies." Mat Piscatella, games industry analyst at Circana, reiterates "the success of the launch will depend on how many units will be available," noting: "Demand will likely be there globally, but that doesn't mean the units necessarily will be." If Nintendo is able to supply enough consoles, "I don't see why the launch of Switch 2 should not be bigger than the original Switch," he explains. The console's price and announced Nintendo Switch 2 launch games apparently don't matter too much in the immediate future, either, as he suggests: "Pricing and available games becomes much more important once we get outside the launch window, and we move away from the price insensitive Nintendo hyper-enthusiast day-one buyers more towards general gaming enthusiasts." Nintendo has predicted that it'll sell 15 million Switch 2 consoles in its first year, as well as 45 million games, but has already indicated that the demand for the device has exceeded its expectations. Let's just hope everyone who really wants one doesn't have to wait too long at the console's release. Keeping up with all the Nintendo Switch 2 news? Be sure to check out our roundup of upcoming Switch 2 games, too.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Switch 2 launch could be "significantly bigger" than the OG Switch's, but only if Nintendo can keep up: "When in history [...] did a launch for a popular new console go smoothly?"
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. We're fast approaching the launch of the Switch 2, and despite cries to "drop the price," pre-orders have been selling out around the world. Some analysts are already expecting a "significantly bigger" launch than what we saw with the OG Switch, but it all hinges on one key factor: supply. Dr. Serkan Toto, CEO of Japan games industry consultancy Kantan Games, is one analyst who's expecting a "significantly" larger release for the console compared to the Switch 1. Speaking to GamesRadar+, he says that "the initial momentum for Switch 2 vs 1 is like night and day," pointing out that in 2017, Nintendo had "just suffered from the massive failure with the Wii U," meaning that "not too many people took the Switch seriously." With the Switch 2, he expects the console "will be not only sold out at launch (a banality) but also hard to get for weeks or perhaps even months after." He adds: "Sorry, but we as an industry have seen so many console launches now: When in the history of the video gaming business did a launch for a popular new console go smoothly?" He continues: "I hope I am wrong and I understand Nintendo will try their best, but I would be very surprised if you can just walk into a store and buy a Switch 2 before late summer at the earliest." This sentiment is echoed by David Cole, CEO of research and consulting firm DFC Intelligence. He tells us that "the main issue is whether Nintendo can meet initial demand, and then continue to have enough units available this fall and into the holiday season," noting that "supply shortages could be a major issue in coming months." Games industry researcher Joost van Dreunen, who writes the SuperJoost Playlist and teaches at NYU Stern School of Business, also believes that "acquiring a Switch 2 at launch will likely be challenging." He adds: "I anticipate stock shortages to persist through the holiday season and potentially into Q1 2026. The current global trade situation and tariff uncertainties have likely prompted Nintendo to be even more cautious with their manufacturing and distribution strategies." Mat Piscatella, games industry analyst at Circana, reiterates "the success of the launch will depend on how many units will be available," noting: "Demand will likely be there globally, but that doesn't mean the units necessarily will be." If Nintendo is able to supply enough consoles, "I don't see why the launch of Switch 2 should not be bigger than the original Switch," he explains. The console's price and announced Nintendo Switch 2 launch games apparently don't matter too much in the immediate future, either, as he suggests: "Pricing and available games becomes much more important once we get outside the launch window, and we move away from the price insensitive Nintendo hyper-enthusiast day-one buyers more towards general gaming enthusiasts." Nintendo has predicted that it'll sell 15 million Switch 2 consoles in its first year, as well as 45 million games, but has already indicated that the demand for the device has exceeded its expectations. Let's just hope everyone who really wants one doesn't have to wait too long at the console's release. Keeping up with all the Nintendo Switch 2 news? Be sure to check out our roundup of upcoming Switch 2 games, too.
