In a recent interview with Easy Allies, former Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida shared his thoughts on the Nintendo Switch 2's reveal, expressing a sense of mixed feelings about the new console. He commented on what he perceives as a shift in Nintendo's approach, suggesting that the company might be moving away from its traditional identity of creating groundbreaking new experiences.

Yoshida remarked, "To me, it was a bit 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."

He further elaborated that while the Switch 2 is a welcome upgrade for those who exclusively game on Nintendo hardware, allowing them to enjoy titles like Elden Ring that were previously unavailable, it might not be as exciting for gamers with access to other platforms. Yoshida also critiqued the reveal event, noting that it was heavily watched but primarily featured ports from past generations, with the exception of Enter the Gungeon 2, which he found particularly impressive.

Yoshida praised Drag x Drive for embodying the "very Nintendo" spirit and touched on the system's pricing, highlighting differences between Japan and the rest of the world. He concluded by expressing a personal disappointment, stating, "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."

Despite his critique, Yoshida acknowledged the Switch 2 as a solid business decision, recognizing the technical improvements as the work of talented designers. He noted that while the system might play it safe in some aspects, it still retains elements of Nintendo's playful and innovative spirit, such as mouse controls.

As for pricing, Yoshida discussed it at length in the interview, but the actual cost of the Switch 2 in the U.S. remains undisclosed. Nintendo has paused North American pre-orders due to new tariffs announced the same day as the system's reveal. With the global launch set for June 5, there's urgency for Nintendo to resolve these issues in time for the release.