Analyst Claims Switch 2 Lacks Innovative Features to Match the Longevity of Original Switch

The Switch 2 lacks the innovation to help give it staying power and might struggle to match the sales of the original Switch. That’s the opinion of analyst Jay Defibaugh of Tokyo-based CLSA.

He told FT that, adjusted for inflation, the Switch 2 is $50 more expensive than the launch-price of the original Switch ($300), and Nintendo hasn’t done enough to position it as a long-term seller.

“I don’t know if it has the innovation, the kind of new design or function, to have the long lasting power as the previous Switch,” Defibaugh said.

The Switch has exceeded 150 million sales, making it the No. 2 best-selling home console of all time, only trailing the PS2. The Switch, like other consoles, benefitted in part from the COVID pandemic when people stayed inside and looked for ways to spend time and money on at-home entertainment.

A different research firm, DFC Intelligence, recently downgraded its sales projections for the Switch 2 due to the negative impact of tariffs. However, DFC said the Switch 2 is still expected to be the fastest-selling console of all time with the upper limit of lifetime Switch 2 sales looking “enormous.”

The Switch 2 launches on June 5, and as of today, the launch-price in the US is $450 or $500 for the bundle that includes Mario Kart World. Some expect Nintendo to raise prices for the Switch 2 due to new tariffs, while others think Nintendo will keep the price the same.

Switch 2 preorders in the US were supposed to begin today, April 9, but Nintendo delayed them to assess the tariffs. Keep checking back with GameSpot for more.