Following the unveiling of the Nintendo Switch 2 (and its rather expensive game prices), Nintendo’s website was updated with a lengthy developer interview with the three key figures seen in the Direct presentation: Producer Kouichi Kawamoto from the Entertainment Planning & Development Department; Senior Director Takuhiro Dohta, also from the Entertainment Planning & Development Department; and General Manager Tetsuya Sasaki from the Technology Development Division. From the interview, we learned that R&D for the Nintendo Switch 2 began before 2019.
Kawamoto: The three of us started working together on the new hardware project around 2019. But as far as the core development of the Nintendo Switch 2 goes, I recall that research and development had already started even before the project formally kicked off, right?
Sasaki: That’s right. We knew that we would continue to develop new gaming consoles even after the launch of Switch, so we needed to get ahead of ourselves and start sowing the seeds of ideas for what we could do with the next console. Hardware development takes time, and if we didn’t start early, the software development environment, known as the Software Development Kit, that’s needed afterwards wouldn’t be ready in time. We started by actively gathering information each day on different kinds of technology and the results they could achieve. In that sense, you could say that we began the development even before 2019.
Interestingly, another name considered at some point for the console was Super Nintendo Switch. As someone who grew up with the Super Nintendo as his first console, I can say that it would have definitely tickled my nostalgia. However, Switch 2 is clearly easier to understand and, therefore, the right choice in that regard.
Kawamoto: There were a lot of ideas for the name, and we really struggled to find the right one. We even considered ideas like “Super Nintendo Switch”. However, the Super NES, which came out after the NES, couldn’t play NES games. Since the Switch 2 can play Switch games, it didn’t feel right to use the same naming convention as Super NES. Switch 2 is a new console with improved performance, but we’d like players who get their hands on it not to focus on the specs but rather to think of it as the latest console developed by Nintendo. So, in the hope that it becomes the new standard for Nintendo Switch, we named it Nintendo Switch 2.
Dohta: That’s right. From the beginning of development, we wanted the Switch 2 to be a console that could be enjoyed by a wide variety of players. This hasn’t changed from Switch to Switch 2. I also wanted to create an experience that as many players as possible could enjoy, rather than an experience made specially for those who prefer high-performance hardware. So, we wanted a name that would communicate simply to potential customers that, if you’re considering buying a Switch, Nintendo Switch 2 is the newest console. We really struggled because there were so many different ideas, but in the end, after lots of back and forth, we all agreed that it should be Nintendo Switch 2 after all.
Throughout the interview, the hardware developers also talked about the battery capacity, which was increased to 1.2x that of the original Switch to offset the increased battery consumption rate caused by the more powerful processor. The JoyCon 2’s HD Rumble 2 was also improved to support a wider variety of vibration types, not to mention a stronger rumble effect and quicker response times. The Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller, on the other hand, features ‘smooth-gliding sticks’ and ‘seamless grips’ that feel better to touch.
