Rumors of a Nintendo Switch successor or upgrade have been around for almost as long as the console itself. Still, reports have started to solidify around the idea that a Nintendo Switch 2 will launch later this year. The new console is expected to come with a big performance leap, along with an 8-inch LCD display.

But while the upgraded performance is more than welcome — especially considering the Switch is nearly seven years old and never received a mid-generation refresh — I'd argue better graphics aren't what needs to change the most with a Switch 2. Nintendo needs to fix some big existing issues with the current console iteration to ensure the next one stays ahead of the best PC gaming handhelds.

Improve the controllers' Bluetooth connectivity

Playing on my TV can be very frustrating

Easily, the biggest pain point for me, especially as time goes on, is the Bluetooth connection between the Joy-Con controllers and the console itself. The more I've been playing my Switch in TV mode, the more I've noticed just how easy it is for the connection to fail. I'm not sitting at an unreasonable distance from my TV, and there aren't huge obstacles in the way, but I always have to make sure to sit in the right position if I don't want to have problems, especially with the right-hand Joy-Con.

The Joy-Con controller will very often experience huge delays or dropouts while I'm playing a game, which results in some inputs being registered a second or so after I've pressed the button, and sometimes not registering at all. It's very noticeable when using the analog stick, where the console will sometimes keep moving the camera in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom for a good while after I've released it, forcing me to fix it. This is much more prevalent with the right-hand controller, despite being physically closer to the console, and it's happened to me across multiple sets of controllers. Something is clearly wrong with the connection, and Nintendo really needs to address it for this to be a console you can comfortably use with your TV.

Joy-Con durability and build quality

Stick drift needs to be a thing of the past

Another issue with the Joy-Con controllers on the current Switch is the infamous stick drift, where an analog stick will sometimes register inputs despite being in the neutral position. This was a heavily discussed topic a few years ago, and it got to the point where Nintendo started repairing this problem for free, but it should have been properly fixed. If not, the next-gen Switch 2 needs to be when it happens. Nintendo does use very small analog sticks to fit inside this controller, but the company will have to figure out a way to improve the reliability of the analog sticks. Making the controller slightly thicker and more curved could be a benefit too, since the Joy-Con are not known for being particularly comfortable for bigger hands.

I also believe Nintendo needs to improve the physical attachment between the Joy-Con and the console's body. The rails aren't tight enough, and the controllers wobble slightly in place. It's not enough for it to feel flimsy, but it makes me worried that it might break easily over long periods. I've had no real issues coming from this, but something that feels really solid would be preferred.

Faster storage

Load times are a bigger problem than visual fidelity

Like I said at the top, improved visual fidelity is definitely welcome for a Switch 2, especially when you consider the Switch is as old as it is and was never that powerful to begin with. But when you look at the latest generation of consoles, the big upgrade we've seen is the storage. By leveraging PCIe SSDs and DirectStorage, these consoles offer incredibly fast loading times, which removes a big pain point with games. Whether it's opening a game for the first time or loading things inside a game, faster storage can significantly cut back on the time you spend just waiting for things to happen.

Again, a good example is The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, where the Ascend ability almost always takes you to a loading screen as the console loads what's on the other side of the ceiling you're going through. This can sometimes take over five seconds, and while that's not much by itself, you'll be using this ability a lot throughout the game, and it adds up.

The Nintendo Switch uses eMMC for its internal storage, and even if you consider the latest version of that standard, the maximum read speeds go up to 250MB/s. I don't believe Nintendo will use proper SSD storage, but if you look over at the smartphone world, UFS 4.0 promises total bandwidth up to 5800MB/s, and even UFS 3.0, which is six years old at this point, goes up to 2900MB/s, more than ten times faster than the Switch. There's room for improvement here, even if we don't get to the same level as Sony and Microsoft offer. It needs to compete mostly with other Steam Deck alternatives, which this should do well enough.

The good news is that the reports we heard coming from Gamescom last year already indicate we'll see improvements here. Nintendo was reportedly showing a version of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild with improved loading times, which would be great to see.

Faster CPU and more RAM

Make multitasking easier

Finally, while this may seem somewhat related to graphics, the Switch also needs more power on the CPU front and more than the 4GB of RAM we have today. We live in a world where most mainstream phones have at least 6GB, and for a gaming device, I'd say 8GB is the bare minimum at this point. Not just for gaming performance, but also because the Switch can get notoriously slow when accessing the home menu while playing certain games. Nintendo already limits what you can do on the Switch, but even the lighter "apps" can sometimes struggle, particularly the Nintendo Switch Online hub.

As for the faster CPU, of course, it could contribute to better graphics, but Arm technology has also consistently improved in efficiency, and the CPU will probably still play a pivotal role in taking advantage of faster storage, assuming the Switch 2 doesn't use GPU decompression. Even if the storage itself is fast, being able to decompress assets requires a fast processor, so it's an important piece of the puzzle.

Of course, better graphics are still coming

To be clear, the Switch 2 still has a lot of room for better graphics, too, especially because most games don't even render at 1080p. The low resolution can sometimes be a noticeable problem in games with more intricate worlds. But as someone with limited time to play games on my Switch, I'd rather have my games look the way they do while loading faster and without any connectivity issues on my controller. When I play a game, I want to be able to focus on it without any external frustration. That's much more important than having games look more realistic.