The Nintendo Switch 2 has been out for over a month, with two major first-party releases in that time, Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza. While the Switch 2 has already run into some performance issues with Donkey Kong Bananza, it's already the fastest-selling Nintendo console, outpacing the original Nintendo Switch. It might not reach the sales heights in terms of total sales as the original Switch, but there is clearly a huge appetite for the Nintendo Switch 2. The console seems primed to dominate the next console generation, with several clear advantages over Xbox and PlayStation, both of which have had lackluster console generations so far.

6 Xbox and PlayStation still don't have real handhelds

Both console makers had since 2017 to figure this out

Despite having since 2017 when the Switch launched to catch up, neither Xbox nor PlayStation have managed to release an actual, fully-functional handheld console. While both companies have an uphill battle compared to Nintendo, since both use more modern hardware in their systems. Still, in the time since the original Nintendo Switch launched, Steam and what feels like a few dozen other companies have released a ton of PC handhelds of varying power and price. Sure, PlayStation released the PlayStation Portal, a glorified remote play device, and Xbox has partnered with ASUS for a ROG Ally, which is just another PC handheld, but neither has managed to do what Nintendo has. Only one console maker made a handheld that lets me play Cyberpunk 2077 on a plane, and it's Nintendo.

5 Nintendo exclusives still reign supreme

Nintendo has both a healthy line-up of exclusives and those games aren't coming anywhere else

Nintendo has managed to gain an advantage by waiting out the competition, which is its exclusive library. Xbox has fully committed to selling its games on every platform that exists, taking away the main reason to buy an Xbox. PlayStation now brings its exclusives to PC within a reasonable timeframe, but there hasn't been more than one a year I actually care about since the launch of the PS5. Nintendo isn't releasing its games on PC or other platforms, and it's pretty clear that, based on the early success of the Nintendo Switch 2, it should be fairly simple for Nintendo to stay the course. I think if there was even a possibility that Nintendo games could come to other platforms, there would be a dip in Switch 2 console sales, but it's pretty clear that won't be happening anytime in this console generation.

4 Nintendo can make and release more first-party games than most

Not only are the games truly exclusive, but there's a ton of them

On top of Nintendo's games being truly exclusive, there is no shortage of them coming out in the near future. Within the first two months, you get Donkey Kong Bananza and Mario Kart World, and the rest of 2025 includes Metroid Prime 4, Kirby Air Riders, and Pokémon Legends: Z-A. Since the Switch 2 isn't getting every third-party game, nor is it the best place to play those games, it needs to have a steady cadence of releases. Even ignoring the Nintendo Switch Online GameCube games and Switch 2 upgrade for Switch games, there are still plenty of first-party Nintendo games coming out. PlayStation on the other hand, has Ghost of Yotei and Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, and that's about it. Xbox has plenty of games coming out, with Avowed, Doom: The Dark Ages, and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered already released, but since those games are releasing on PC as well, with some coming to PlayStation, taking away any reason to get an Xbox.

3 The only console maker creating games for children

If you want a gaming experience for a kid that isn't Minecraft or predatory, Nintendo is the place to be

An underrated aspect of Nintendo's success is the fact that it's one of the few developers consistently making games that appeal to children. In the current gaming landscape, children mostly play Minecraft, Roblox, and Fortnite, but all three of those games have microtransactions built-in, and Roblox in particular has some heinous stuff in it that children should not be seeing. Nintendo makes Pokémon, but in addition to that, most of its first-party games appeal to kids. Both Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza are both kid-friendly, and there are likely a ton of parents who would rather spend the extra money on a Switch 2, and its game than let their child loose into the wild west that is Roblox.

2 It's going to play most third-party games well enough

You aren't getting everything, but you are getting plenty

One of the major downsides of the Nintendo Switch is that third-party ports were rare, and well-done ones were even rarer. With the Nintendo Switch 2, it seems like the hardware isn't as far off from its competitors, allowing more third-party games to find their way to the console. Cyberpunk 2077, a game that ran disastrously on Xbox One and PlayStation 4, was a solid launch title for the Switch 2. Civilization VII and Hogwarts Legacy both run pretty well, and Borderlands 4 is coming to the Switch 2 just a few weeks after it launches everywhere else. It doesn't currently have some of the biggest releases of the year, like Monster Hunter Wilds or Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, but it seems likely that those games will get ported. Ever since the Wii, Nintendo has managed without major third-party support, but the Switch 2 seems like the best it has been in generations.

1 Nintendo makes some of the best games in the industry currently

Hard to argue that Nintendo doesn't make great games

Donkey Kong Bananza is the sixth highest-rated game of 2025 so far on Metacritic, with the Switch 2 versions of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom taking the top two spots. The original Switch was home to Mario Odyssey, the two-mentioned Zelda games, and tons of solid fun games like Kirby and the Forgotten Lands. Sure, it releases an Arms on occasion and Drag X Drive for the Switch 2 doesn't look great, but the floor is more often than not a very good game, with the ceiling being some of the greatest games of all time. If there are more Donkey Kong Bananza and Metroid Dread quality games than Arms quality games, the Switch 2 will have a must-play library.

Nintendo seems primed to continue succeeding

While there was some worry about Nintendo managing to keep its momentum from Switch to Switch 2, even just a month into the Switch 2 it seems like Nintendo isn't going to have any issues. Everything that made the Nintendo Switch a huge hit is still present in the Switch 2, and Xbox and PlayStation haven't managed to steal Nintendo's thunder in the past eight years. There are more handhelds on the market than ever, but Nintendo has one of the more affordable ones, and it's the only place to play brand-new Nintendo games.