While the name of theNintendo Switch 2may seem obvious, the new console almost had a different name entirely, and it was one that several fans had suggested in the past. TheNintendo Switch 2’s initial revealback in January confirmed the official name of the new console, but there was a lot of previous speculation on what Nintendo’s follow-up console would be called, and while the official name is straightforward, some proposed names were interesting and some fan-inspired.
According toNintendo’s “Ask the Developer” interview series, theNintendo Switch 2 was almost called the Super Nintendo Switch, correlating with the upgrade from the original NES to the SNES. The decision to name the console the Nintendo Switch 2 was in part due to the Switch 2 being backwards compatible with the Switch 1, with Switch 2 producer Kouichi Kawamoto saying, “Since Switch 2 can play Switch games, it didn’t feel right to use the same naming convention as Super NES.”
Kawamoto also noted that Nintendo wanted the console to feel like a natural evolution from the Switch, adding: “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 system developed by Nintendo.” Kawamoto continued, emphasizing a desire for the Switch 2 to become the main console from Nintendo, adding,“So, in the hope that it becomes the new standard for Nintendo Switch, we named it Nintendo Switch 2.”
The Nintendo Switch 2 Is The Natural Evolution Of the Switch 1
An Improved Switch
Theconfirmed specs and details of the Switch 2prime it to be the natural evolution of the original Switch, so the name “Nintendo Switch 2” makes perfect sense. The Switch 2 will feature Joy-Cons, a larger screen, and it will bebackwards compatible with most Switch games, so, beyond just the name of the console,the specs and features make the Switch 2 out to be a seemingly improved Nintendo Switch, with it maintaining the well-received features and improving in other areas.
Previously,Nintendo struggled to replicate the success of the Wii after calling its follow-up to that console the Wii U- a console that was mostly forgotten. The safe name of the Nintendo Switch 2 could have been a response to that as well.
Our Take: The Nintendo Switch 2 Name Is Perfect
If It’s Not Broke, Don’t Fix It
The originalNintendo Switch set a new standardfor what is possible for Nintendo and was a massively successful console, selling close to 150 million units. Labeling the follow-up to that console the Nintendo Switch 2 instead of the Super Nintendo Switch was probably for the best. Without the “2” in the name, the “Super Nintendo Switch” could’ve easily been mistaken as a mid-generation upgrade instead of a whole new console, like the PS5 Pro, for example.
While “Super Nintendo Switch” might have been a neat throwback and idea, theNintendo Switch 2is safe and more accurate to establish the Switch 2 as Nintendo’s new flagship console.
