With new times come new ways for people to entertain themselves, video games being one of the most prominent. As technology improves, so do the games that people have access to, but as games become increasingly more complicated, new consoles are needed in order to keep up with the intricacy of the games. This would make buying a more modern gaming system seem like a necessity for any avid video game enjoyer, but are they always as beneficial as they may look?

The new Nintendo Switch 2 has sparked this controversy and if it is worth getting has been a question that has been up in the air for a while.  Though it has the advantages of a bigger screen, more storage space and higher graphics, its significantly higher price of $450 compared to the old Switch’s price of $340 has made people doubt if it is really worth its price.

While the Switch 2 is technically a new console, it is more so an improved version of the previous Nintendo Switch. Unlike previous Nintendo products that were successful because of their differences from the previous console, the Nintendo Switch 2 functions incredibly similarly to the original model. Because of this, it seems like an improved version of the Nintendo Switch rather than its own console.

Another console that seemed more like an upgraded  version of the previous console is the Wii U, adding on a screen based gamepad that the original Wii didn’t have. But this change was so small that many consumers thought that the gamepad was just an add on to the original Wii. Because of this, the Wii U was one of Nintendo’s lowest selling consoles, only selling about 13.56 units worldwide by 2019, which was 7 years after it was originally released.

Similar to the small change that the Wii U made, the Nintendo Switch 2 offers controllers that click onto the console rather than sliding onto it like the previous Switch. But the add-on failed to address prominent problems in the original switch like joystick drift and button unresponsiveness, ultimately not making it reason enough to get the console for some.

Despite these reasons, the Nintendo Switch 2 is still valuable to have for its console exclusive games like Donkey Kong Bananza, Mario Kart World and Pokemon Pokopia. This, along with the Nintendo Switch 2’s graphic upgrades and exclusive versions of Nintendo Switch games like Pokemon Legends ZA and the Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom, still make it a worthwhile console for those who want a new look on a game they’ve played before.