TheNintendo Switch 2is doing extremely well, and rightfully so. It is a huge technological leap from the original Nintendo Switch, and its overall build is far superior, even if it is missing that glorious OLED screen. Naturally, it has sold really well, with both Nintendo enthusiasts and those finally looking to enter the handheld market picking up the console. While its lack of exclusives may turn off some people, Nintendo has still managed to create a burgeoning community around its latest piece of tech, and it’s only going to grow from here.
However, while theSwitch 2 is amazing, and, to be clear, it really is quite exceptional, there are some issues with it. Of course, many have pointed to the console’s terrible battery life, which is a fair criticism considering it is designed to be played on the go and far away from chargers, but this isn’t the Switch 2’s biggest flaw. In fact,the Switch 2’s main issue is more superficial, yet nevertheless disappointing. Fortunately, there is a simple fix, one that would make the console so much more exciting, if Nintendo is willing to implement it, of course.
The Nintendo Switch 2 UI Is Boring
It Is Identical To The Original Switch
It is no small secret that themost boring Switch 2 featureis its UI. The reason it’s not a secret is thatit is identical to the Nintendo Switch’s UI, which was also criticized for being boring. On the home screen, the thing you see every time you boot up the console, game icons are squeezed into boxes, lined up in a row, and put against a bland, hospital-white background that is neither inspiring nor creatively fulfilling. Beneath them is a row of simplistic icons, and above is the time. That’s it, that’s the entire Switch 2 home screen.
Nintendo was heavily criticized during the Switch era for the lack of customization options, specifically for the home screen. Many, including myself, just assumed it would add them for the Switch 2. I doubt many expected it to just keep the same UI, especially considering that its competitors always change the UI for each console generation. Doing so helps the console feel next-gen and like a new experience. It is almost like unboxing the console for the first time, albeit in a digital format. Seeing the new home screen is an exciting experience, well, apart from on the Switch 2.
Changing the UI felt like anobvious Switch 2 upgrade, something that would help separate it, especially when the form factor remained exactly the same. If the outside of the console wasn’t changing much beyond being a tad bigger and more black, then one would hope that the inside would be improved. Alas,Nintendo stuck to function over form, offering a bland, simple, and easy-to-use UI rather than something a tad more snazzy and interesting. It’s a shame, but it can be easily fixed, especially if Nintendo finally delivers what fans have been asking for this whole time.
The Switch 2 Needs Actual Themes
Just Like The Nintendo 3DS
What the Nintendo Switch 2 needs more than ever are themes. Specifically,it needs background themes for the home screen, just like the Nintendo 3DS offered over a decade ago in 2014. The 3DS backgrounds were pretty exceptional, especially as they allowed me to plaster the gorgeousXenoblade Chroniclestitle menu on my home screen with the iconic main theme song playing whenever I opened the device. I wish the Switch had let me put theXenoblade Chronicles 2key art as my background, with Drifting Souls playing as I thought about which game to play.
There will be plenty ofupdates coming to Switch 2across the years, and I sincerely hope that one of them adds themes. Themes allow fans to make the console their own. You can get physical custom skins for the Switch 2 that represent your favorite games, but whenever you’re facing the console and not staring at its beautiful behind, you’re stuck with the same boring white home screen you know and hate.Being able to alter the home screen, even in a small way, gives you agency and controlover the console in a way that feels personal.
It is also a feature thatNintendo’s major competitorsand every laptop, PC, mobile device, and tablet have had for decades. Imagine if you couldn’t change the background on your phone to a picture of your pet, or human if you’re so inclined.Customization is such an integral part of gaming, so it seems a huge shame that Nintendo doesn’t integrate that into its console designand UI. However, as much as I want themes, I also feel like Nintendo, in all its infinite creativity, could go the extra mile and implement even more customization options for the Switch 2.
Nintendo Could Add Even More Customization Options To The Switch 2
Changing Icons, Music, Or Even The Boot-Up Screen
One of the coolest parts about the PlayStation 4’s customizable home screen was the fact that certain themes would change all the icons. This didn’t happen every time, but my easily-impressed 21-year-old brain was mesmerized when I saw theCyberpunk 2077"Mercenary of the Dark Future" theme change the icons. It even made a beeping sound every time you switched between them. Of course, the novelty eventually wears off, butthat little bit of extra customization goes a long way in making your particular version of a console feel more unique to you.
The Steam Deck allows players to customize their boot-up screen through the use of plug-ins, including making it the original GameCube start-up animation or the classic PlayStation 2 one. That is just one of the many ways theSteam Deck beats Switch 2, as it, once again, helps make the console feel just a tad more special and unique. PlayStation even recently implemented something similar when it changed the PS5’s start-up animation for the 30th anniversary event. The Switch 2 doesn’t really have a boot-up sequence, but it could give players the option of adding a custom one.
Adding music or even dynamic themes with unique animations would also be incredible. Nintendo famously has so much amazing music across all of its first-party games, from theFire Emblemseries toMario Kart, and it would be amazing to celebrate that on the home screen, rather than in the ratherlackluster Nintendo Music app.There is also the issue of the NintendoSwitch 2 eShop lacking music, something that was hugely disappointing with the original Switch and obviously remains so with the new one.
Nintendo toldPolygonthat the reason there is no music in the eShop is because of how games often have their own videos and trailers in their listing, which the music would intrude upon. Naturally, one has to wonder if it has experimented with fading the music in and out whenever someone watches a video, much like how a phone will stop a song you’re listening to when you open a video up on YouTube. It seems like the most obvious fix and a compromise I’m sure many would be willing to take.
Ultimately, were Nintendo to add any of these features in addition to static themes, the Nintendo Switch 2 would feel like a more premium and, of course, customizable console that’s up-to-date with what its rivals are offering. They’re not all necessary to recapture the magic of the 3DS, but adding them would please fans while also giving another necessary reason for players to make the jump from their Switch to its successor. Because, right now, it can feel like theNintendo Switch 2is far too similar to its predecessor for many to bother buying it.
