Shuhei Yoshida, the former president of Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios, recently shared his thoughts on the Nintendo Switch 2's reveal in an interview with Easy Allies. His response was candid, expressing a sense of mixed feelings about the new console. Yoshida remarked, "To me, it was a bit of a 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 gamers who primarily play on Nintendo's hardware, allowing them to experience games like Elden Ring that were previously unavailable, it might not be as thrilling for those who game across multiple platforms. He noted, "Publishers must have known that that show, last week, would be one of the most-watched shows this year. Millions and millions of people watched. It's amazing to announce and launch your new game, if you have a chance, but most of the games were ports from past generations. I don't know if this is Nintendo's direction or third parties' choice. But one game I reacted strongly [to] was Enter the Gungeon 2. That looks amazing. They did a great job announcing that there."
He also praised Drag x Drive for being "very Nintendo," and discussed the system's pricing, noting the differences between Japan and the rest of the world. Yoshida 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."
During the discussion, Yoshida acknowledged the Switch 2 as a solid business decision, crediting the technical improvements to intelligent and talented designers. The general sentiment echoed online is that while the system plays it safe in some areas, which might be a wise move, it's somewhat disappointing for fans who cherish Nintendo's unconventional side. Yet, features like mouse controls and other functions hint at Nintendo's playful and innovative spirit.
Yoshida touched on the Switch 2's pricing during his chat with Easy Allies, but the exact cost for the U.S. market remains undisclosed. Nintendo has temporarily paused North American pre-orders due to new tariffs announced on the same day as the system's reveal. With the global launch of the Switch 2 set for June 5, time is running out for Nintendo to resolve these issues before the release.
