Switch 2 name is kinda bad

[The Real Jdbye]

In retrospect, I don't know why I or anybody else expected something more. The Switch has been Nintendo's most successful console of all time and they would be stupid to not stick with what works. "Switch 2" is simple and to the point, you know exactly what you're getting. Last time they tried to be clever with the name people thought it was just an addon for the Wii. Understandably they don't want a repeat of that, they want a name that sends a clear message to fans of the current Switch that "there's more where that came from", and that's probably the right move.
That extends beyond just the name, it is a good indicator of what we can expect from the Switch 2 software wise as well. We can probably expect them to reuse HOS with only minor changes, so all the limitations/drawbacks of HOS will still be there. I wish it were not so, but the Switch 2 is going to be just as soulless and bland as the name implies. At least the games will still be good.

 

[Something whatever]

I agree, adding 2 or NEW to anything isnt a good idea...they should have went with SUPER

 

[RyanTheArchivist]

I agree, adding 2 or NEW to anything isnt a good idea...they should have went with SUPER

Super more sounds like a pro revision of the same platform.

 

[subcon959]

Super more sounds like a pro revision of the same platform.

If that's the case then it just proves people are dumber now because no one back in the day thought the SNES was just a pro version of the NES.

 

[ut2k4master]

If that's the case then it just proves people are dumber now because no one back in the day thought the SNES was just a pro version of the NES.

because there was no concept of a "pro" version. but there were still a LOT of people upset that they couldnt play snes games on nes

 

[RyanTheArchivist]

If that's the case then it just proves people are dumber now because no one back in the day thought the SNES was just a pro version of the NES.

There was actually a lot of debate around this exact topic!

 

[whitesword7]

Seems like Nintendo has lost some creativity, like they couldn't think of a better name so they just went with 2.

I mean they've never in their history called a console or handheld 2. There was 2DS but that was just a different version of the 3DS not a sequel.

But honestly I don't really care, just show me the good games and I'll be fine.

the last time they tried to be creative with wii U, it flops really hard

 

[Jayinem]

the last time they tried to be creative with wii U, it flops really hard

Namewise Wii U is not creative. It flopped because gamers wanted portable not local only handheld.

 

[doorbell8423]

.

 

[TomSwitch]

Wii U was bad because it's nonsense of a name. Switch 2 is bad because it's bland and generic. It won't cause a marketing disaster like Wii U naming did, but it's so boring.

Takes DS for example, which was superseded by 3DS. Genius, simply brilliant. Gameboy, followed by color and advance? Lyrical, yet to the point.

You know what we should call Switch 2 instead? Double Switch. Hire me, nintendo.

Switch 2 is good, as good as PS5. Xbox series X/S sucks big time, it should have been XBOX 5 or whatever number they choose to give given that they screw up the earlier naming. Maybe the next one is Xbox series X2/S2 (ha ha, but they really should get rid of "series")

Most brand knows that using number is good for the majority of people.

 

[FMRad10]

IMO, Switch2 is called this because it's not a new concept and it's not a Pro model either. Tech-wise it's a lot more than just a "Pro" mid-life upgrade but the core concept remains the same and this is why it's still got Switch in the title.

We would have seen a different name if there was a new way to play or some radical new tech etc. GB>GBC, DS>3DS, SNES>N64.
You can easily see it in the iterative systems though. GBA>GBA SP. DS>DSi, it's a marginal change. 3DS>2DS, same naming format.

They also learned to differentiate between SW1 and SW2 after getting burned so badly with the WiiU, where a lot of folk just thought it was an add-on for the Wii, not an entirely new system.

 

[TomSwitch]

IMO, Switch2 is called this because it's not a new concept and it's not a Pro model either. Tech-wise it's a lot more than just a "Pro" mid-life upgrade but the core concept remains the same and this is why it's still got Switch in the title.

We would have seen a different name if there was a new way to play or some radical new tech etc. GB>GBC, DS>3DS, SNES>N64.
You can easily see it in the iterative systems though. GBA>GBA SP. DS>DSi, it's a marginal change. 3DS>2DS, same naming format.

They also learned to differentiate between SW1 and SW2 after getting burned so badly with the WiiU, where a lot of folk just thought it was an add-on for the Wii, not an entirely new system.

Switch 2 is true to 2, as true as any other number incremented products.

 

[Robert Newbie]

If that's the case then it just proves people are dumber now because no one back in the day thought the SNES was just a pro version of the NES.

From commercials to Nintendo Power, I recall there being a lot of marketing around the SNES, so people understood that it was its own thing. Educating the public is an important part of doing business.

Back in the 90's, tech wasn't as nebulous a topic as it is today. There was significantly less of it, and it was more clunky to use (See: VCR). So, differentiating between the NES and SNES was less like differentiating between Transformers and more like differentiating between Garfield and Charlie Brown. #differentiating

I argue that marketing is where the Wii U failed because Nintendo didn't do much to spread the word. Even I thought it was an upgrade/attachment the first time I saw the logo:

Using the same logo with a stylistic "U" tacked on did not help Nintendo's cause. Really, I'd argue that the Wii U was a marketing disaster more than anything else.

Nintendo likely thought that the Wii's runaway success would automatically make the Wii U a winner. Between the marketing and Nintendo Directs, I think the Switch proves that Nintendo learned some valuable lessons from the Wii U (for now).

 

[Maximumbeans]

From commercials to Nintendo Power, I recall there being a lot of marketing around the SNES, so people understood that it was its own thing. Educating the public is an important part of doing business.

Back in the 90's, tech wasn't as nebulous a topic as it is today. There was significantly less of it, and it was more clunky to use (See: VCR). So, differentiating between the NES and SNES was less like differentiating between Transformers and more like differentiating between Garfield and Charlie Brown. #differentiating

I argue that marketing is where the Wii U failed because Nintendo didn't do much to spread the word. Even I thought it was an upgrade/attachment the first time I saw the logo:

View attachment 497321
View attachment 497322

Using the same logo with a stylistic "U" tacked on did not help Nintendo's cause. Really, I'd argue that the Wii U was a marketing disaster more than anything else.

Nintendo likely thought that the Wii's runaway success would automatically make the Wii U a winner. Between the marketing and Nintendo Directs, I think the Switch proves that Nintendo learned some valuable lessons from the Wii U (for now).

I think it didn't help their case that they reused the name of a console that was, and even now still is, so distinct. There is no other console using a control system and design philosophy like the Wii. When people saw 'Wii U', they probably expected it to be like the Wii but more, and the gamepad design was not congruent with that at all.

Contrast that with Switch 2, which is essentially the Switch—detachable joycons, handheld hybrid, similar form factor and size—but better. This is how you reuse a name; the Wii U is the ultimate example of how you don't (in my opinion).