TheNintendo Switch 2is a console that many fans can hardly wait for, but there’s one concept that Nintendo should take from PlayStation to make the next generation even more exciting. Although Nintendo still hasn’t officially announced the successor to the Switch, it’s widely expected to release in 2025, eight years after the launch of the Switch. With a winning formula already in place, theSwitch 2’s odds of widespread successseem more or less guaranteed, especially if it brings a significant boost to power while maintaining a reasonably affordable price.

Although the PS5 has also been successful this generation, significantly outselling the Xbox Series X/S, it’s hard to argue that Sony’s creating a comparable level of excitement at the moment. A slow drip of major exclusive releases and the announcement of an exorbitantly expensive PS5 Pro haven’t tanked the brand, but they also haven’t energized most PlayStation fans. There are still some great ideas happening at PlayStation, however, andAstro Botisn’t the only new product that could serve as inspiration to competitors.

Mario thinking in front of a Nintendo Switch on a red starbust background.

Nintendo Should Release An Anniversary Switch 2

PlayStation’s Retro Style Is The Perfect Model

Sony’s newest big PS5announcement is a 30th Anniversary Collectionthat takes things back to the color scheme of the original PlayStation, andthis throwback concept is something that could serve the Nintendo Switch 2 well. Although the Nintendo Switch has gestured back to its forebears with products like classic NES and Famicom controllers, it hasn’t taken the same tactic of applying classic color schemes to the Switch itself. The Switch 2 is unlikely to come with any particularly creative variants at launch, but taking a similar approach to PlayStation’s 30th Anniversary Collection could serve it well in the future.

PlayStation employed a similar throwback before with a 20th Anniversary PS4, but the 30th Anniversary Collection represents a greater commitment to the concept.

Nintendo Switch surrounded by Mario, Link, and Samus.

Although the Switch has never swapped out the color of its central tablet unit, Nintendo has released plenty of recolors for the Joy-Cons and a few for the dock. Even so, it feels like the potential for unique themes has barely been tapped, even if the custom market has pursued the concept more aggressively. The modularity of the Switch makes it the perfect platform for creative styles, and with disappointingly little in that regard as the end of its time in the limelight draws near, it’s time for the Switch 2 to embrace what the Switch never did.

I Can’t Wait For Switch 2 To Fix The One Thing The Original Switch Failed At

The Nintendo Switch is a great system, but it’s significantly lacking in one key regard that I want the Switch’s successor to directly address.

Nostalgia for the sake of nostalgia isn’t necessarily valuable, but the PlayStation 30th Anniversary Collection stands out because the colors genuinely look great, and Nintendo has the potential to achieve similar success.Both the original NES and the SNES have simple, iconic color schemes that would translate well to the Nintendo Switch 2. One of the two standard Switch models already features gray as the Joy-Con color, and pairing a lighter shade with colored buttons would be enough to deliver the essentials.

Three characters standing side-by-side in front of a blurred background. Link is on the left, holding a sword and shield, wearing a green tunic and hat. Samus is in the center, in a full-body, sci-fi suit of armor, with a canon on one arm. Donkey Kong, a large ape, is on the right.

2025 Is The Perfect Year For Retro Switch 2 Products

Classic Anniversaries Are Coming Around Again

2025 might also be the perfect year for Nintendo’s own take on an Anniversary Collection, as there are a couple of strong anniversaries in the mix. Although the NES released in Japan in 1983, it didn’t come out in North America until 1985, making 2025 the 40th anniversary of the system. Celebrating a Japanese release date might be more likely, however.The SNES can fill that role perfectly, as 2025 marks the 35th anniversaryof its 1990 release in Japan.

10 SNES Games That Need A Remake After Super Mario RPG

Super Mario RPG does a successful job bringing a classic SNES game to a new generation, and some other titles could benefit from a similar approach.

There’s one element of PlayStation’s approach that a Switch 2 doesn’t need to take, however. The 30th Anniversary Collection PS5 Pro is beingproduced in a numbered run, a collector-oriented strategy that will mostly serve to introduce artificial scarcity and likely leave some fans unable to acquire one. Nintendo might not want to put NES-styled Joy-Cons or Switches on every supermarket shelf, but it would be nice for them to be at least reasonably available for anyone with enough interest.

Nintendo Switch Poster

A lot of details about the Nintendo Switch 2 remain unknown, and it’s entirely possible that retro recolors wouldn’t end up looking as good as they would on the original Switch. Based on everything known and suspected so far, however, the design shouldn’t be terribly far off from what’s currently on the market. While it’s unlikely to need any kind of sales boost at launch, as NES and SNES anniversaries roll around later in the year, an anniversary recolor for theNintendo Switch 2or its Joy-Cons would be the perfect way to celebrate.

Nintendo Switch

The Nintendo Switch is the successor to 2012’s Wii U console. The Nintendo Switch allows gamers to easily switch between playing on a TV to a handheld console. The first model was released in 2017, followed by the Nintendo Switch Lite, which is strictly a handheld console. In October 2021, Nintendo released an upgraded Switch console with an OLED screen.