Analysts predict Switch 2 might struggle with attracting mainstream buyers for the same reason Wii U failed: "I can imagine 'normies' being a bit confused"

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Oh, awesome, another portable handheld device!

Nintendo Switch 2 in dock
(Image credit: Nintendo)

Nintendo's Switch 2 reveal felt like a lightning bolt delivered straight from Zeus himself for everyone except, well, most people. In fact, since the console – which fans have spent years clamoring for – looks so much like its predecessor, some analysts predict it'll have trouble appealing to a general audience.

"I can imagine 'normies' being a bit confused," gaming industry consultant Serkan Toto tells GamesRadar+. "The device is bigger than the original Switch, but not comically large. The form factor, button layout, and overall design are very similar to Switch 1, so I can imagine issues arising when potential mainstream buyers look at the new device."

Even I, as someone whose job it is to care about the Switch 2, find myself observing its long black screen, petite Joy-Con controllers, and matte joysticks and thinking, wow… that looks just like the Nintendo Switch…

The Wii U – essentially a Wii that used a primitive Switch as a GamePad – faced similar prejudice when it debuted in 2012 and sold poorly. Casual gamers didn't understand what made the device a worthwhile replacement to the perfectly good Wii consoles they already owned to play golf in Koopa Park.

Ashley Bardhan
Ashley Bardhan
Senior Writer

Ashley is a Senior Writer at GamesRadar+. She's been a staff writer at Kotaku and Inverse, too, and she's written freelance pieces about horror and women in games for sites like Rolling Stone, Vulture, IGN, and Polygon. When she's not covering gaming news, she's usually working on expanding her doll collection while watching Saw movies one through 11.