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The Switch 2 reveal used the iPhone playbook. Let’s hope the hardware doesn’t

1 3
19.01.2025

It’s hard not to feel a little disappointed by Nintendo’s announcement on Thursday of the Switch 2. The fact that the company seems to be playing it safe with its most conservative new console in years isn’t much of a surprise. What was surprising is just how lackluster the reveal itself was. But perhaps that’s because, for any tech-obsessive, the video Nintendo released looked eerily familiar. The brief three-minute trailer didn’t look like other game console reveals; instead it looked almost exactly like the sizzle reels Apple trots out for each year’s new iPhone.

Nintendo adopting Apple’s strategy makes natural sense. While most tech industry giants have pivoted to software and subscriptions as their primary business model, with a de-emphasis on hardware that borders on complacency, Apple is the last massive company to remain steadfastly committed to a hardware-first approach. The things it wants to sell you aren’t services, they’re laptops, tablets, and, most importantly, phones.

A quick glance at the gaming industry will tell you that Nintendo is in a pretty similar position. While Sony is throwing as many first-party games

© Polygon