Former Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida recently shared his candid thoughts on the Nintendo Switch 2, and while he didn’t outright dismiss it, his reaction was far from enthusiastic.

This insight comes from an interview conducted by Easy Allies, where Yoshida reflected on various topics—including his perspective on the Switch 2 reveal. Here’s what he had to say:

"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—designing hardware and games together to create something that's 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. And because it's a better Switch, the core premise of the whole Switch 2 is 'We made things better'—and that's something other companies have been doing all the time."

Yoshida continued by noting that for exclusive Nintendo gamers, the Switch 2 could be exciting—it allows access to titles like *Elden Ring* that weren’t available on the original platform. However, for those who play across multiple systems, the upgrades feel less groundbreaking.

"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 expressed appreciation for *Drag x Drive*, calling it “very Nintendo,” before shifting focus to the console’s pricing structure and regional price differences. He concluded with a nuanced take:

"Anyway, with some of the things Nintendo is doing—like 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."

As the conversation progressed, Yoshida acknowledged that the Nintendo Switch 2 is likely a sound business move, built with technical improvements by highly skilled designers. The overall sentiment echoes a broader discussion within the gaming community: while the system may be playing it safe, that could still be the pragmatic approach. Still, fans of Nintendo’s quirky innovation might find themselves longing for more experimental design choices. That said, features like mouse support hint that Nintendo’s playful DNA hasn’t disappeared entirely.

Although Yoshida touched on the topic of pricing during the interview, the exact U.S. retail price of the Switch 2 remains unknown. Nintendo temporarily paused North American pre-orders following news of new tariffs introduced the very same day the console was announced. With the global release date set for June 5, the pressure is on for Nintendo to finalize details before launch day arrives.