This column originally ran in Back Alley Games Issue 14, April 2025

Working at a game store in the mid-2010s, a coworker of mine, in reference to the Wii U , remarked Nintendo was “all out of Nintendium.” 

That specific moment played back in my head as I opened up my phone at nine in the morning, navigated to Nintendo’s YouTube page, and prepared to watch the Nintendo Switch 2 reveal.

The chat was madness; constant cries of “Silksong” and “Deltarune” whizzed past the screen. Everyone was there to catch a glimpse of the next big Nintendo console and the killer app that would say, “you can’t NOT buy a Switch 2.”

What I was looking for was a bit different, however. I was looking for the playful soul of the company, hoping and praying that it remained intact. I wanted to see the next innovation they had up their sleeves — as long as it wasn’t a repeat of the Wii U.

What I got was $90 Mario Kart and the nagging thought that, maybe, just maybe, Nintendo has run out of Nintendium.

No fun without Nintendium

For those not in the know, much of Nintendo’s early hardware output is nigh indestructible. The internet claims they’re made of Nintendium rather than plastic and metal.

There used to be an original Game Boy on display in Nintendo’s New York City store that was ravaged by bombs in the Gulf War that still runs Tetris today. 

Looking back at the genealogy of Nintendo’s consoles, not just the visual design but also the hardware’s functionality, we can see a company that understands their player base and wants to create innovative hardware and unforgettable experiences. From motion controls to gyroscopes, tablet controllers to 3-D without glasses, Nintendo has always done what others don’t.

That is, until the Switch 2, which is a straightforward upgrade rather than a new console. It can be compared directly to the Steam Deck, which proves they aren’t making toys for play anymore.

The Switch 2 seems to be just another portable gaming PC.

Honestly, it’s fantastic that Nintendo wants their hardware and software to be taken as seriously as their competitors’, but the soul of what the old pieces of hardware used to be and do has been abandoned here.

The many colors of Nintendium

The original Famicom, or “Family Computer,” was made for everyone to gather around the TV and play fun games. It was an indestructible system with controllers that still function pretty damn well to this day, and that is something that can also be said about the NES as well as the SNES.

As first forays into what was then the new world of computer gaming, these home consoles became the stuff of legend. They are the reason boomers call video games “the Nintendo.” When the N64 hit the scene, Nintendo upped the whimsy, with transparent neon-colored consoles, a smattering of controller colors, and a plethora of promised addons to the machine (some of which never saw the light of day).

We saw more peripherals and addons come with the GameCube, one being the Game Boy Player. The GameCube itself even sported a handle, insinuating Nintendo intended for you to carry it around with you to a buddy’s place or to an event. This philosophy continues with the Wii, where the base concept of the thing is “play.”

The controllers are specifically designed to capture your movement and interface with your games through that process.

Their handheld output was no different. They had pretty much every color under the sun available for the Game Boy and its successors. My time working at the video game store proves this, as back then there were several looks and color options for the 3DS and Switch.

Even at launch, Nintendo always offered at least a second colorway for their consoles. I turn to the single option offered to me for the Switch 2 and lament that the red and blue of the Switch’s joycons have been hidden behind the matte gray of the console. At time of writing, there don’t seem to be any colorful options available.

Have they run out of Nintendium before?

I can’t lie and say I haven’t been wishing for a high-definition screen on the Switch, bigger joycons that don’t get stick drift in a week, or to get rid of the rails that younger or more haphazard players rip and bend. There’s even a mouse function for the new joycons.

It’s nearly impossible to look at any of the Switch 2’s additions or adjustments as only bad. They’re all objectively good ideas, my favorite being the new “C” button. It activates a Discord-style interface, taken from their proprietary chat app on smartphones.

Calling back to my comments on the Famicom earlier, this harkens to a time where everyone would gather around the TV and play games. However, as much as these may feel like great additions, there really hasn’t been anything that screams “whimsy” or “fun” to me. It’s all function, every addition adding to the feeling of a “premium” next gen piece of gaming hardware.

What scares me about all of this is that I’ve seen Nintendo do this before, with the Wii U. It had a host of issues, like a bad name and unclear purpose. Some folks weren’t even sure if it was a new console or an add-on for the Wii. Nintendo has certainly avoided the “bad name” pitfall with the Switch 2 but seem to be courting third-party developers in the same way they did back then.

History repeats itself, and I’d be loath to see third-party developers jump ship from the Switch 2 like they did on the Wii U. Granted, the specs of the Switch 2 are more poised to handle third-party games, so those fears could prove unfounded.

My wish isn’t for this console to fail. I want nothing more than for it to succeed, but my well of optimism is running dry, especially when I’m being charged to “upgrade” a game I’ve owned for years just so I can see it run at a reasonable frame rate and resolution. Nor am I interested in Hyrulian Google Maps – the mobile app achievements are locked to – bafflingly only offered for Legend of Zelda titles.

To be honest, I’d much rather see Nintendo try something new and very different, but I’m sure they think that’ll result in another Wii U. This console is Nintendo saying, “you could buy this instead of a PlayStation,” yet Sony gave me free PS5 upgrades for most, if not all, of my PS4 library and bundled in Astro’s Playroom (Team ASOBI, 2020) for free instead of charging me 10 bucks.

When Sony is more magnanimous than you, maybe it’s time to recalibrate your values.