Key Takeaways
- Buying a Switch in 2024 offers more game options each year, making it a solid choice for those eager to play.
- You can find better deals, like second-hand consoles and discounted games, due to the breadth of Switch options available.
- Waiting for details about the Switch 2 is wise; if it’s backward compatible, purchasing a Switch may not be necessary.
As we get deeper and deeper into a console’s lifecycle, an interesting dynamic plays out. On one hand, you will have more incentive to purchase it as time goes on, but wait too long and you will start to wonder if you should just wait for the next piece of hardware. The Switch is crushing the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S in total sales right now but also came out much earlier in 2017. It has been underpowered from the start, and we know that Nintendo has its next piece of hardware on the way.
All signs point to what we’re calling the Switch 2 launching early to mid-2025, so is this a good time to grab the current Switch if you haven’t jumped in already? There are pros and cons on both sides, but also a little bit of guesswork since we don’t know some important details about the next console. If you’re on the fence about grabbing a Switch in 2024, let’s run through the pros and cons.
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Why you should buy a Switch in 2024
Patience pays off
Starting off with the positives, every year there are more reasons to buy a Switch than the last. And by that, I mean the games. The longer you wait to pick up any console, the more games you have to pick from to play. Seven years after the Switch launched you have some of the best games of the generation waiting for you. There are two massive Zelda titles, both a 3D and 2D Mario game, multiplayer fun with Splatoon, and that’s only scratching the surface. You will have no regrets about having nothing to play on your Switch in 2024.
While Nintendo itself seldom discounts its console or software, you are in the best position to find deals. Buying a console second-hand can save you plenty of cash, as well as picking up used copies of games. If you’re thrifty, you can get some great deals for your patience.
Besides the host of games, you also have the greatest spread of Switches to pick from. You can go with the standard model in a wide selection of colors, the Lite, or even the OLED for the best screen quality possible.
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Why you shouldn’t buy a Switch in 2024
The (joy)cons
The elephant in the room that makes buying a Switch now not necessarily the smartest idea is the existence of the Switch 2. We know for certain Nintendo will announce it by early 2025, and it will no doubt launch soon after. If you care about having the latest and greatest Nintendo hardware—especially when the Switch is already struggling to run many games—you will probably have some buyer’s remorse if you end up replacing it within a year.
The next major consideration is not confirmed, but heavily rumored. That is, of course, backward compatibility. If the Switch 2 can play all (or most) Switch games on it, and maybe even run them better, then there would be no reason to have a Switch at all. If you were looking to grab a Switch now because all those exclusives looked so good, waiting for the Switch 2 could give you a better experience and let you keep up with new releases.
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Should you buy a Switch right now?
It depends
Buying a Switch in 2024 all comes down to how badly you want to play the current Switch library and how much you care about having the newest, shiniest toys. If you just want a console to play amazing games and don’t particularly care about how good they look or run, or are giving it to a younger gamer, there’s no reason to wait for the Switch 2. The current Switch has enough games on it, and probably another year or two of games ahead, that it won’t go to waste the second the Switch 2 comes out.
On the other hand, if you’re a stickler for framerates and resolution and want to be as future-proof as possible, we’re so close to the Switch 2 that you should at least wait until we get details about it. If it turns out that it somehow isn’t backward compatible, then yes, grab a Switch now. The games on there should not be missed. But if it is, then save your cash and hope you can score yourself a preorder for launch.
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