Shuhei Yoshida, the former president of Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios, recently shared his candid thoughts on the Nintendo Switch 2's reveal during an interview with Easy Allies. His reaction was notably mixed, suggesting that he feels Nintendo might be straying from its core identity of crafting unique gaming experiences through innovative hardware and software integration. Yoshida remarked, "To me, it was a bit mixed message from Nintendo. In a sense, I think Nintendo is losing their identity, in my opinion. For me, they are always about creating some new experience, like designing hardware and games together to create something that [is an] amazing new experience. But Switch 2, as we all anticipated, is a better Switch, right? It's the larger screen, more powerful processor, higher resolution, 4K, 120 fps, they even have a hardware person starting the stream, like other platforms do, right? And because it's a better Switch, the core premise of the whole Switch 2 is, you know, 'We made things better'. And that's something other companies have been doing all the time."
Special guest Shuhei Yoshida gets real about the Switch 2 pic.twitter.com/CzZYPnTtue
— Easy Allies (@EasyAllies) April 14, 2025
Yoshida elaborated that while the Switch 2 is a significant upgrade for dedicated Nintendo gamers, offering access to titles like Elden Ring that were previously unavailable, the excitement might be less pronounced for those who also game on other platforms. He expressed concerns about the reveal event, which, despite drawing massive viewership, primarily showcased ports from past generations rather than new, innovative titles. However, he did highlight Enter the Gungeon 2 as a standout announcement, praising its creativity and execution. Additionally, he commended Drag x Drive for embodying the "very Nintendo" spirit.
Yoshida also touched on the Switch 2's pricing, noting differences between Japan and the rest of the world, and emphasized his disappointment that the system did not introduce the kind of groundbreaking experiences Nintendo is known for. He concluded, "Anyway, with some of the things Nintendo is doing, with the camera or mouse controls, creating new experiences, that's great. But other than that, I was personally a bit disappointed, because they didn't disappoint everyone. Because everyone wanted that better Switch."
Despite his criticisms, Yoshida acknowledged the Switch 2 as a sound business decision, likely crafted by intelligent and talented designers. The overarching sentiment seems to align with broader online discussions about the system playing it safe, yet still retaining elements of Nintendo's playful and innovative nature through features like mouse controls.
While Yoshida delved into the pricing during his discussion with Easy Allies, the actual cost of the Switch 2 in the U.S. remains undisclosed. Nintendo has paused North American pre-orders due to new tariffs announced on the same day as the system's reveal. With a global launch scheduled for June 5, Nintendo faces a tight deadline to resolve these pricing issues.
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