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May 27, 2025 - How I'm coping without a Switch 2
In 9 days, I'm once again gonna fall behind the current gaming experience and feel the class divide. AKA people will finally get their hands on the Switch 2 and I will not be one of them. Why? Short answer: I'm broke. They are not kidding when they say that your 20's are all about financial struggles. Even if you have "stable" income, you still haven't built up the economic foundations to budget effectively. I've seen countless examples of my peers adhering to their impulsive spending habits. As cheap as I am, I still succumb to my these temptations here and there.
Long answer: During this turbulent economy, I've never seen such discourse over an seemingly overpriced product like the Switch 2 take over the internet. Earlier in the year, I had already set aside a budget way before this console was announced, but the sticker shock even exceeded my limit and I began questioning if I TRULY needed this shiny new console just because I was so plugged into the Nintendo ecosystem.
I remembered how painful it was to miss out on the original Switch's first two years of hype. I missed out on BOTW, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Mario Odyssey, Splatoon 2, and many more up until the release of Smash Ultimate, which is when my sister graciously gifted me a Switch for Christmas. And since then, I've never taken this console for granted. I have loved every single moment, even with its flaws over the years. It represented a completely new lifestyle as I grew up into an adult. Because of this system, I've met new people, formed new friendships, and even rekindled old ones.
So now that it's 2025, a new Nintendo console was inevitable. I couldn't latch onto the original Switch forever. But the Switch 2's $450+ price tag really put things into perspective about how my gaming consumption has changed. Ever since I got my Switch back in late 2018, I've acquired SO many more games than I used to get beforehand. Much of that stemmed from earning income for the first time, but also convincing myself to play more and more new games, even if I haven't finished what I was currently playing. While this greatly expanded my horizons, I also got swept up in the dreaded backlog epidemic.
So now that I'm intentionally opting out of this new generation for a while, admittedly I'm mourning the thought of no longer being able to keep up with the latest Nintendo games because my finances simply didn't make the cut. When I didn't have an original Switch yet, I was able to steer clear of any spoilers for Switch games I wanted to play. But now, it's gonna be infinitely harder to browse YouTube or Twitch WITHOUT get blasted with free Switch 2 advertising. I'm calling it right now that I'm gonna be bitter and jealous for the first couple of months of the Switch 2 launch.
But in a strange way, I'm starting to reclaim an old way I used to play games. When I was younger and had less control over my finances, I played the games I had to death. Even with the occasional shovelware I was given, I still took the time to see what they had to offer. Each game had their dedicated period to shine until I had my fill. I took the time to unlock everything on my own terms, which is why I know a lot of my childhood games front to back. I could never do that during the Switch era because I kept bouncing around multiple games without establishing many meaningful connections to each one.
To kick off this return to my slower, but more fulfilling gaming habits, I'm going back to the games I never got around to completing. A shining example is Super Mario Galaxy 2. I already beat this game back when I first got it, but I didn't have the skills or patience to nab every Power Star. But now with years of platforming experience, nothing is more satisfying than finally being able to complete a previously impossible challenge because of all this growth. And who could forget my backlog of unbeaten games that I've accumulated over the year? I have countless other titles that still have some juice in them and instead of worrying about my wallet with a new console, I would rather take a detour and tie up some loose ends...for free!