"Former PlayStation President Reacts to Nintendo Switch 2 Reveal: 'Expected More Disappointment'"

Former Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida recently shared his thoughts on the Nintendo Switch 2's reveal during an interview with Easy Allies. His response was notably lukewarm, expressing a sense of mixed feelings about Nintendo's latest offering.

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

He elaborated that while the Switch 2 is a significant upgrade for those who exclusively game on Nintendo hardware, offering access to titles like Elden Ring, it may not be as thrilling for gamers with other platforms. Yoshida pointed out the reveal event's focus, noting, "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 highlighted Drag x Drive as a game that felt "very Nintendo" and touched on the system's pricing, noting differences in Japan and the rest of the world. Yoshida concluded his thoughts by saying, "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."

Throughout the conversation, Yoshida acknowledged the Switch 2 as a solid business move, with technical enhancements likely crafted by skilled designers. However, he echoed a sentiment prevalent online: the system plays it safe, which might be a smart strategy but can be disappointing for fans of Nintendo's quirky innovations. Despite this, features like mouse controls showcase Nintendo's playful developer spirit.

While Yoshida discussed the pricing in his interview, the exact cost of the Switch 2 in the U.S. remains undisclosed. Pre-orders in North America have been paused due to new tariffs announced on the same day as the system's reveal. With the global launch scheduled for June 5, Nintendo faces a tight deadline to resolve these issues before the release.