Summary
Shawn Layden shares that he thinks Nintendo naming its next system theSwitch 2is a great idea. Nintendo has played around with fan expectations of its upcoming device, referring to it in secretive terms in the past and sharing even less information about it ahead of its official announcement than fans received with the original Switch. Now that the news about theNintendo Switch 2is official, many people have varied opinions.
Nintendo shook conventions bynaming its newest console the Switch 2. Some fans were pleased to see that the gaming giant was embracing a more incremental step forward, improving on the format of the Nintendo Switch instead of introducing a wildly different concept that might be considered innovative, but also alienating to people who just wanted a better version of the Switch. Former Sony head Shawn Layden had some additional thoughts on the matter.
During an interview on Reece Reilly’sKiwi Talkz YouTube show, PlayStation alum Shawn Layden praised Nintendo’s naming of the Switch 2, stating that the company has “created so much brand value in the word Switch,” asking “Why would you mess with that?” Layden raises a strong argument about the way that Nintendo has grabbed so much attention with the Switch, recovering from thefailure of the Wii Uand driving heaps of attention back to its brand. Naming the Nintendo Switch 2 anything else may have signaled that Nintendo hadn’t learned from its past mistakes, setting the company up for disappointment instead of continuing on its recent path of success.
Shawn Layden Applauds Nintendo for Sticking to Successes
Earlier in the episode, Layden stated that based on his impressions, most gamers tend to have a setup of at least one Nintendo system and one Sony system, since they both scratch different itches, prompting Reilly to joke that in this case, Nintendo appears to be taking a page out of Sony’s book by just sticking to a basic numbering pattern for its new system. Fans already assume that thenext Sony system will be called a PlayStation 6, compared to a potentially unconventional “Wii U” or “Xbox Series” name that has left respective Nintendo and Microsoft fans guessing about the successor consoles.
Layden had more positive feedback for Nintendo, stating that the company seemed to do well for itself by sticking to its own plans regardless of how the rest of the industry moves. He cited the way that, throughout the pandemic, many developers ramped up their hiring to capitalize on increased interest in gaming, and that consequentially,many of these companies have been hit with big layoffsnow that things have changed. In comparison, Nintendo appears to have kept its budgets relatively conservative and hasn’t been shaken nearly as much by similar issues. Based on Shawn Layden’s comments, Nintendo could be set up for a successful Switch 2 life cycle.
Nintendo Switch 2
The successor to 2017’s Nintendo Switch continues down the same path as its predecessor, providing a hybrid experience that supports both home and handheld gaming. Launching on June 19, 2025, with games like Mario Kart World, the basic Nintendo Switch 2 bundle comes with the console, Joy-Con 2, straps for the controller, a dock, an AC adapter, an HDMI cable, and a Joy-Con 2 grip.
