The leap from one console to the next used to be so pronounced that it was impossible to ignore. It only took a glance to see the world (or dimension) of difference between SNES games and Nintendo 64 games, and understand exactly what the new system was offering. I’m cherry-picking that specific generation as the greatest gap in power we will likely ever experience, but I believe that the leaps in power throughout the entire video game console generation timeline spoke for themselves right up until the Xbox 360 and PS3 era. It isn’t that technical advancements have leveled off after that, but the edges are blending together more with each generation.
As we approach our fifth year with the PS5, and rumors continue to swirl about the PS6, I don’t believe Sony can rely on a marginally more powerful box being enough to justify whatever price it demands next time around.
Diminishing returns
It’s no surprise that the main selling point for new hardware is its technical capabilities. It is easy to show off shinier graphics, bigger worlds, and more realistic physics to a mass audience. We all knew we had to get that PS1 or N64 to experience that level of 3D graphics, or get a PS3 or Xbox 360 to experience full HD games. I’d argue that the last time the general consumer saw a noticeable gap between one generation and the next was going from the PS3 to PS4. I’m not embarrassed to admit that even I could be fooled if someone told me some PS4 games were actually on PS5 or vice versa.
Check out this screenshot of Uncharted 4 — a game released almost 10 years ago — and tell me this couldn’t pass for a PS5 game.
Naughty Dog
If you were to analyze and pick apart this game compared to a PS5 game, yes, I’m certain the PS5 game would come out on top. But more detailed shadows or faster rendering times don’t necessarily make a game more fun to play. I’m also confident that every boost in power is a godsend to developers working to squeeze every bit of juice out of the hardware. Even in this regard we are starting to see developers praising the efficiency of new hardware above any graphical leap. Kojima Productions’ chief technical officer Akio Sakamoto commented on the transition from PS4 to PS5 for Death Stranding 2 to Edge Magazine saying, “The most obvious improvement from a technological point of view is the reduction in loading times, but to be honest, the difference between the two hardware systems isn’t so great,” he says. “It’s more a case that on PS5 there are more efficient ways of arriving at similar goals.”
I won’t deny how important it is to make the creation of games as frictionless as possible for the developers, but the fact is that those are diminishing returns for a large group of players. All we care about is whether or not we feel justified investing in the box we spend our hard-earned cash on.
The trend of introducing Pro models doesn’t help the issue as they further blur the lines between proper generations. The PS5 Pro reveal is a prime example, where the differences had to be zoomed in on to be conveyed. We’re breaching the level of what the average consumer can even understand as an improvement. Ray-tracing isn’t exactly common parlance, and I doubt most people could tell you what a teraflop is. Compounding it all is the fact that many, if not most, people don’t own the types of displays that can even show it off to experience that difference.
Sony Interactive Entertainment
I’m not saying that we should be content with where graphics are today. Someone at every stage of gaming has proclaimed that “graphics can never get any better than this,” and has been proven wrong each time. PlayStation absolutely needs to make the PS6 as powerful as it can, but it can’t rely on that as its main selling point like past generations. Sony could get away with it with the PS5 Pro, but the general public isn’t going to be impressed if they can’t see a difference between a PS5 and PS6 game side-by-side without a magnifying glass. To be fair, the PS5’s SSD was another touted upgrade over the PS4. Outside of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, however, this hasn’t amounted to doing much that couldn’t be done previously except for loading games a little faster.
So, where does that leave the PS6 and other future consoles? Convenience has to be where PlayStation pivots next now that any technical advancement will only appeal to developers and the most hardcore fans. It has already started this process with a tempered PC release cadence that doesn’t infringe on the core console sales, as well as by adding cloud functionality to the PS Portal without the need for a PS5. The rumors of a dedicated handheld is another necessary gamble to meet players where they are. Like it or not, we’re living in a world of instant gratification and PlayStation has to remove as many barriers as possible between its players and its games.
Whatever the PS6 ends up looking like, it’s the games that have to be at the heart of it. Introducing new experiences, new ways to play, and the freedom to play however we want will matter far more than throwing around terms like PSSR, terraflops, and CPU clock speeds. Most of all, I want the PS6 to give me what I don’t know I want yet.
Looking back at the entire video game console timeline lets us get a clear picture of how the industry has evolved. It is fun to rank the best consoles of all time and look at things like the best Nintendo launch games to remember what we were playing when we first got our hands on those new systems. Those kinds of subjective lists are fun, but there are some equally interesting objective things to explore as well. Game sales don’t necessarily represent the best games of all time, but do show what was most popular at the time for one reason or another. There’s typically a disconnect between what sells the best and what is the highest rated, which is fun to see. This isn’t the kind of thing most people know off the top of their head, so we dug through all the financial reports for as far back as we could to find the best selling games on every video game console.
Note: We are only covering the major home and handheld consoles and leaving out the more niche systems that few people owned or remember.We are also only able to account for officially released sales data. It is possible some of these numbers have changed or are in the wrong order, but as of 2025, it is as up-to-date as possible based on the latest official data.
The best selling Atari 2600 game: Pac-Man – 8 million
Giovanni Colantonio / Digital Trends
The early consoles were mainly a way to play the best arcade games at home, so it makes sense that Pac-Man would be the top seller for the Atari 2600. What is a little surprising, though, is just how many copies this game sold in the end. Despite how niche video games were in the early 80s, Pac-Man on the Atari 2600 sold over 8 million copies. Space Invaders comes in at a distant second place with just over 6 million with Donkey Kong rounding out the top three with a little over 4 million.
The best selling NES game: Super Mario Bros. – 40 million*
Nintendo
We have to put a small asterisk on this entry because, despite being one of the best Mario games and certainly would’ve sold millions on its own, Super Mario Bros. was a pack-in game with the NES. That game was probably why most people bought the console, but we will never know for sure how many copies the game would have sold if it hadn’t been included with the system. However, bundle or not, the sales figure of over 40 million copies is nothing to sneeze at. Even Duck Hunt and Super Mario Bros. 3, which were also included in bundles, only sold 28 million and 18 million copies, respectively. If you don’t count bundles, the top selling NES game would then fall to Tetris with 8 million copies sold.
The best selling Sega Genesis game: Sonic the Hedgehog – 15 million*
Sega
Just like Nintendo’s main mascot topped the charts for the NES, Sega’s own Sonic was easily the best selling Genesis game with 15 million sales. However, we have to put the same asterisk on Sonic as we did with Mario because it, too, was bundled with the console. If we look at second place, it is none other than Sonic the Hedgehog 2 with around 7.5 million copies. These are great numbers, but really goes to show just how dominant Nintendo was at the time over Sega.
The best selling Game Boy game: Pokémon Red & Blue – 31 million
Adobe Stock / Digital Trends
What else could be the best selling Game Boy game than the franchise that took over the world and hasn’t let go? The monster-catching games rocketed the franchise into the stratosphere and gave the handheld a second life almost 10 years after it first game out. Some might think it is a little unfair to bundle the sale of both games together, but that’s how Nintendo has always done it. Besides, the second best selling game is Tetris, but that was a pack-in game, and third place is PokémonGold and Silver with 23.7 million, so you have to go pretty far down the list to not have any kind of asterisk.
The best selling SNES game: Super Mario World – 20.6 million*
Nintendo
Act surprised, but another Mario game is at the top of the list. Again, we have to put a disclaimer on this game’s huge sales milestone for being part of a bundle with the console. Just like with the NES, though, Super Mario World is one of the best SNES games made and would likely have sold about as well regardless. If you want to find the next best selling game that isn’t a bundle, we have to go all the way to ninth place, where we get Street Fighter II Turbo at 4.1 million copies sold.
The best selling PS1 game: Gran Turismo – 10.85 million
Sony
This was a very close race between first, second, and third place, but the first entry in Sony’s own racing game franchise squeaks out the win at 10.85 million copies. Besides just being a great game, Gran Turismo was, and still is, always a graphical showpiece for Sony consoles that draws a huge crowd just to show off what the system can do. Nipping at its heels in second place is Final Fantasy 7 at 10.02 million, followed by Gran Turismo 2 at 9.37 million.
The best selling N64 game: Super Mario 64 – 11.91 million*
Taylor Frint/Digital Trends Graphic / Nintendo
Stop us if you’ve heard this one before, but a Mario game was the best selling game on a Nintendo system. Shocking, we know, but this is yet again a pack-in situation. In fact, first through fourth place all have that asterisk attached, including Mario Kart 64, GoldenEye 007, and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Fifth place, however, is Super Smash Bros. with no asterisk at a respectable 5.55 million. While there were tons of great N64 games, this console didn’t sell as well as Nintendo’s others so these are still great numbers considering the install base.
The best selling Dreamcast game: Sonic Adventure – 2.5 million
Sega
It almost isn’t worth it to include the Dreamcast on this list, but we wanted to acknowledge its loyal fans and that it did have some great games. Sadly, not even Sonic could save this system and its premier 3D adventure only managed to sell 2.5 million copies. Soulcalibur was second best with >1.3 million, and Shenmue took third with 1.2 million.
The best selling GBA game: Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire – 16.22 million
Just like Mario will keep showing up at the top of home console sales, Pokémon remains the king of the handheld market. Ruby and Sapphire make perfect sense, but second place belongs to Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, remakes of the first generation games with 12 million copies sold.
The best selling PS2 game: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas – 17.33
It’s a little surprising how few copies the best PS2 games sold considering it itself is the best selling console. Don’t get us wrong, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreasselling over 17 million copies isn’t chump change, but a little underwhelming when you consider there are around 160 million PS2s out there. Going down the list, Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec gets the silver medal with 14.89 million, and GTA: Vice City holds bronze with 14.2 million.
The best selling Xbox game: Halo 2 – 8.46 million
Micorosft
Microsoft’s first console attempt went way better than expected, and that was largely due to launching with a Halo game. The sequel, Halo 2, was one of the most heavily marketed games at the time and revolutionized online play, allowing it to put the original Halo in second place at 6 million. The drop off to third place is huge, with Fable selling a still impressive 3 million copies.
The best selling GameCube game: Super Smash Bros. Melee – 7.41 million
Nintendo
Sadly, Nintendo’s grip on the console market continued to slip with the GameCube, but Super Smash Bros. Melee played a big part in keeping the system relevant at parties and in competitive scenes. It is also the first system where Mario was shoved to third place, though only technically, since Mario Kart: Double Dash is second with 6.88 million, and then Mario Sunshine comes in with 5.91 million.
The best selling DS game: New Super Mario Bros. – 30.80 million
Photo by Dids from Pexels / Nintendo
Meanwhile, the handheld side of things continues to print money and, in a rare twist, sees Mario on top and Pokémon way down at number five. 30.80 million are numbers Nintendo hand’t seen since the original Game Boy, followed by Nintendogs next with 23.96 million and Mario Kart DS only just losing out with 23.60 million.
The best selling Xbox 360 game: Kinect Adventures! – 24 million
Xbox
Be honest, did you see this one coming? You probably would have guessed Halo 3, Call of Duty 4, Skyrim, or one of the other common best Xbox 360 games would be the best seller, but no, 24 million people purchased Kinect Adventures! That sounds even crazier when you see that it sold more than GTA Vat 22.95 million and Minecraft at 22 million.
The best selling PS3 game: GTA 5 – 29.52 million
Photo by Nikita Kostrykin on Unsplash
This probably looks more like what you were expecting. GTA 5 absolutely crushes all other PS3 games in terms of sales by a huge margin, as one would think. Even Gran Turismo 5 in second place only sold 11.95 million copies, and Uncharted 3 in third at ~9 million. Despite its rough launch, the PS3 did end the generation with a lot of big sellers, but nothing compared to GTA.
The best selling Wii game: Wii Sports – 82.90 million*
Nintendo loves to bundle games with its hardware, and no example is more famous than the Wii and Wii Sports. This pack-in game was the only game a huge number of people ever got for the system, which explains its astronomical sales. Mario Kart Wii, which was also a bundle, is second at 37/38 million, and Wii Sports Resort at third with 33.14 million. The first non-bundled game is fifth place’s Wii Play at 28.02 million, which still blows away most other consoles’ best sellers.
The best selling Wii U game: Mario Kart 8 – 8.46 million*
Nintendo
This would be a tough one to talk about if Nintendo didn’t manage one of the greatest turnarounds in video game history right after. 8.46 million copies for a Mario Kart game is abysmal, and this was also a bundle game. In fact, the top nine Wii U games were all part of a bundle at one time or another. The first game you can say sold the most without an asterisk is Mario Party 10 at just 2.27 million copies. Of course, many of these games would end up selling way better when ported to a future system.
The best selling PS4 game: Marvel’s Spider-Man – 22.68 million
Sony
This is the generation PlayStation really blasted ahead of the competition. Marvel’s Spider-Man was the perfect storm of a massive IP and a perfect development team to hit 22.68 million sales, but it wasn’t a complete blowout. God of War was almost the winner with 21.02 million sales, and GTA 5 somehow managed to sell almost as many copies on the PS4 as PS3 with 20 million.
The best selling Xbox One game: PUBG: Battlegrounds – 9 million
We don’t need to remind anyone how dismal the Xbox One generation was, but seeing PUBG: Battlegrounds as the top seller says it all. No offense to that game, but it selling more than Black Ops III at 7.37 million copies and COD: WWII at 6.23 million shows how small the audience was on this system.
The best selling Switch game: Mario Kart 8: Deluxe – 68.29 million
Nintendo
If you didn’t think the platform could make a big difference, here’s your proof. Despite being an upgraded port of the Wii U game, Mario Kart 8: Deluxe sold more copies on the Switch than the total number of Wii U consoles. And these numbers don’t get any less crazy when you look at Animal Crossing: New Horizons selling 47.82 million, or Super Smash Bros. Ultimate selling 36.81 million. In fact, you have to go to the 22 best selling game on the Switch before sales drop below 10 million.
The best selling Xbox Series X/S game: ????
XboxMicrosoft
Sadly, there is no official data available for what the best selling Xbox Series X/S game is. Microsoft has stopped reporting a lot of its sales data for hardware and software units in favor of players and engagement, making it impossible to know for sure how many copies of games have actually sold.
The best selling PS5 game: Marvel’s Spider-Man 2: 11 million
Sony
We’re still in the midst of the PS5 generation, so these numbers are likely to shift, but there’s no doubt that Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is the clear game to beat with 11 million copies. Second place is a surprise hit: Black Myth: Wukong selling 5 million copies, and then an old familiar franchise taking third place in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, selling 3.97 million copies to date. We’ll keep an eye on this list as things evolve and more sales data comes out.
China has finally agreed to open negotiations with the Trump administration as the tech industry warns that tariffs could soon spike Americans’ costs for the 10 most popular consumer technology products by more than $123 billion annually.
On Wednesday, the Chinese Embassy in the US announced on X (formerly Twitter) that “China’s lead on China-US economic and trade affairs,” He Lifeng, will meet with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent from May 9 to 12 to open talks. For those talks to go smoothly, China’s Ministry of Commerce told reporters Wednesday, the US must “demonstrate sincerity” and come ready to “correct its wrongdoings,” including facing “the severe negative impacts of its unilateral tariff measures on itself and the world.”
Previously, China had demanded that President Trump drop all tariffs to begin negotiations, which Trump refused while seemingly holding out on making a deal on TikTok to keep the potential bargaining chip.
The origins of PlayStation are a direct result of a deal gone bad with Nintendo. To make a long story short, Sony was planning on making a disc-based Nintendo console, but Nintendo backed out of the deal at the last minute and partnered with Phillips. After that betrayal, Sony launched the PS1, and the rest is history. We’re now enjoying the best PS5 games, with new and old PlayStation franchises keeping the console popular. But which of Sony’s consoles had the greatest impact on the gaming industry? We need to take more into consideration besides great games when ranking a console, and the result is by no means scientific. Based on the cultural impact, reception, and nostalgia, these are all the PlayStation consoles ranked from worst to best.
7. PSP
Photo by sell on Unsplash
The first PlayStation handheld had an uphill battle to climb. Nintendo had been crushing the handheld market since the late ’80s with the Game Boy, and the PSP had to go up against the DS. This ended up being a lesson that more powerful hardware and graphics weren’t enough to sell a system. Technically speaking, the PSP was amazing. It had almost all the power of a PS2 in your hands. The controls lacked two analog sticks, making a lot of games somewhat awkward to play, but those that were designed around it played great. The real issue was that it had no killer app. It had a ton of great games, no doubt, but nothing that made the system a must-buy.
6. PS3
Wikipedia / Wikipedia
Where better to start with the PS3 than its reveal? Right out of the gate, Sony killed all sense of momentum it had from the PS2 generation by revealing the now iconic $599 price tag. But even ignoring the price, the PS3 had much bigger issues. The launch controller felt cheap, had unsatisfying triggers, and ripped out rumble in favor of barely functioning motion controls. The real nail in the coffin was the cell processor. This machine was notoriously difficult to make games for, even within Sony first-party, and nearly all multi-platform games ran worse on the PS3. We do have to give Sony credit for turning the generation around with a price drop, revision, and closing the generation strong with some amazing games, but most will look back on this system as the company’s greatest blunder.
5. PS Vita
PlayStation
The world wasn’t ready for the Vita. On paper, this should’ve been the perfect handheld. It addressed every complaint there was about the PSP by adding a second analog stick, access to the PSN, even better graphics, and tons of great games. In fact, there were a ton of Vita games that had cross-buy on PS3, which is almost unheard of. It did include some touch-control gimmicks, but they didn’t detract from games that didn’t choose to use them. The only real reason the Vita failed to find a massive audience, even against the underpowered 3DS, was Nintendo’s stranglehold on the market.
4. PS4
PlayStation
After the PS3 generation, Sony couldn’t afford to make another misstep. The PS4 is a very safe console, but a needed return to form for the company and way to refocus on what had turned things around for it during the PS3 era. That, of course, was exclusives. The PS4 library is one of the strongest in PlayStation history, both in terms of existing franchises like Ratchet, Uncharted, and God of War releasing their best entries, but also new favorites inHorizon and Ghost of Yotei. The PS4 wasn’t afraid to get weird, either. Tons of experimental games were released, but Sony even made a huge bet with PSVR. While it didn’t set the world on fire, it was the best-selling VR unit at the time and had a lot of cool experiences.
3. PS1
PlayStation
It is hard to divorce nostalgia from how impactful the PS1 really was, but maybe we don’t have to. This was the first time anyone heard the name PlayStation, meaning it had to start from nothing against the titans of Sega and Nintendo. Thanks to Nintendo opting to stick to cartridges for the N64, PlayStation games were able to look and sound better than anything else on the market. Outside of Nintendo’s exclusives, all the big games were on PS1, such as Final Fantasy 7, Metal Gear Solid, and Tomb Raider. The amount of freedom that CDs gave to developers led to tons of games rushing onto the system in every genre. In terms of hardware, the PS1 gave us the template for all modern controllers, and the system itself doubled as a CD player.
2. PS5
Giovanni Colantonio / Digital Trends
At first, we were going to put the PS5 lower on this list for being not much more than a better PS4. However, that feels a little disengenuous. Outside of graphics, the main improvement of the PS5 on the technical side is its SSD that, to be fair, we don’t think we could live without now that loading times are all but eliminated. Games are coming out a bit slower, so the library might not be as strong by the end as the PS4’s, but we also need to recognize that the PS5 can play every PS4 game. In fact, thanks to PS Plus, you can play a ton of PS1, PS2, PS3, PSP, and VR games. Add in the ability to stream games from the cloud on your console, phone, or PlayStation Portal, and you realize just how great this console is. If you are a fan of PlayStation, the PS5 feels like a celebration of its entire history.
Nothing will ever rock the world like the PS2. This was a perfect storm of timing, technology, games, price, and competition that will never be replicated. It wasn’t quite the cheapest console at the time, but it was the cheapest DVD player by a long shot. Sony wanted to replicate the value it gave the PS1 beyond just a game console as a CD player with the PS2 and made the genius choice to make it also play the newest video format, DVDs. This gave gamers around the world the perfect sales pitch to get a PS2 into the house with non-gamers. The PS2 would’ve sold okay just for that, but it got to 160 million because it was the golden age for game development. This generation might be the time when budget and technology were at their most balanced. Major games could be developed in around two years, look and play great, and not cost hundreds of millions of dollars to produce. The PS2 library might still be the best of any single console to this day.
Each video game console generation is getting longer and longer, with the Switch hanging on for 8 years before we got official information about the Switch 2. Over that time, we got a couple of different versions of the original Switch with some distinct differences, but how does each one stack up against the Switch 2? We can look at the Switch 2 vs. Switch for a baseline, but what about the Switch 2 vs. Switch OLED and Switch Lite? With this console costing quite a bit more than the current systems, and upcoming Switch 2 games also getting a price increase, should you hold on to your Switch Lite, or is the Switch 2 worth the heavy cost?
If you’re more of a PC player who likes playing handheld, we have also compared the Switch 2 vs. Steam Deck to see which is the king of the handhelds.
Switch 2 vs. Switch Lite specs
Nintendo Switch Lite
Nintendo Switch 2
Size
8.2 x 3.6 x 0.55 inches
4.5 x 10.7 x .55 inches
Weight
0.61 pounds
TBD
Screen
5.5 inch LCD Screen / 1280 x 720
7.9-inches, 1080p HDR, 120Hz.
CPU/GPU
NVIDIA Custom Tegra processor
Custom Nvidia chipset
Storage
32 GB of internal storage (microSD card expandable)
256GB
Wireless
Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac)
Yes
Video output
No video output
4K docked via HDMI, 1080p handheld
Audio output
No audio output
3D audio
Speakers
Stereo
Stereo
USB connector
USB Type-C
2 USB Type-C ports
Headphone/mic jack
3.5mm 4-pole stereo (CTIA standard)
Built-in mic with noise-cancelling tech, but an audio jack is included in the new Pro Controller
Game card slot
Nintendo Switch game cards
Nintendo Switch game cards
microSD card slot
Compatible with microSD, microSDHC, and microSDXC memory cards
Supports microSD Express
Internal battery
Lithium-ion battery / battery capacity 3570mAh
Lithium-ion battery/522mAh or ~20Whr
Battery life
Approximately 3 to 7 hours
2 – 6.5 hours
Charging time
Approximately 3 hours
TBD
Availability
Available now
Launching on June 5
In nearly all aspects, the specs of the Switch 2 completely dwarf those of the Switch Lite. Even though we don’t have the full specifics of what chips the Switch 2 is using for the CPU and GPU, we do know that it is a newer Nvidia chipset that allows it to hit resolutions of up to 4K while docked and 1080p while handheld. Because the Switch Lite cannot be docked, all it has is its handheld screen that, at best, can reach 720p.
Beyond raw graphical output, the Switch 2 also has HDR support, DLSS, and ray tracing capabilities. This is all at the discretion of developers to take advantage of, but none of these are possible on the Lite.
Frame rates are another huge gulf. While we can’t predict how every Switch 2 game will run, we do know that it at least has the potential to display at up to 120fps in docked and handheld modes. Odds are that most games, such as Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, will offer quality and performance modes as has been the standard. Still, that is a much higher ceiling than the Switch Lite, which, in rare cases, did get up to 60fps.
The Switch Lite has the same internal storage as the base Switch, which is a pitiful 32 GB. On the other hand, the Switch 2 has 8 times that amount with 256 GB built in. Games on the Switch 2 will be larger than the original, but almost certainly not 8 times larger so this is a substantial improvement. The Switch 2 also loads games far faster as a bonus. Both can be easily expanded with SD cards, but once again, the Switch 2 has the edge by using the faster microSD Express cards.
Battery life is more important on the Lite since it cannot be played dock, but is still a major factor for the Switch 2. In this area, both systems are on almost equal footing. The Lite tends to run for 3 to 7 hours, while the Switch 2 is estimated at 2 to 6.5. This will all depend on how intense of a game you are playing, but neither has a particularly impressive battery life.
The Switch 2 doesn’t reinvent the wheel and is basically just a larger version of the Switch. Comparing it in handheld mode to the Lite, the Switch 2’s screen is over two inches larger but is exactly the same thickness. That makes the entire system more comfortable to use without changing up the form factor.
Obviously, the Lite has no dock so there’s no comparison there, but the Switch 2 dock is just a slightly larger version of what the regular Switch uses.
One area where the Lite has a major leg up on the Switch 2, at least for now, is in colors. There are tons of Switch Lite colors to pick from to express yourself through your console, while we only have one default Switch 2 color scheme for now. While that is certain to change over time, the Lite does come out on top in terms of fashion right now.
Switch 2 vs. Switch Lite controllers
Nintendo
Of all the Switch variants, the Lite is the weakest in terms of controllers for the simple fact that the Joy-cons cannot be detached. That doesn’t make it bad, but it does limit your options and make the appearance of stick drift much worse. Besides missing out on cool controller features, it also prevents you from playing a handful of games that require that functionality. You can still pair other wireless controllers to it, however.
The Switch 2 Joy-cons are improved in every way. They’re bigger, more durable, and magnetic so connecting and detaching them from the console is easier and safer. They also now have mouse functionality that allows you to play certain games with one Joy-con placed on a flat surface to use like a computer mouse.
With the new C button, the Switch 2 controllers also give you access to a new chat feature with a microphone built directly into the system.
Switch 2 vs. Switch Lite games
Nintendo
It isn’t a ton, we did hint that there are a few Switch games that don’t work on the Lite. Still, most of the best Switch games are all on the Lite as well, and it is one of the best libraries in Nintendo history.
Similarly, there are a select number of Switch games that don’t work on the Switch 2, but the vast majority can be inserted and run on the new hardware with no issues. Besides a few games getting Switch 2 Editions, Nintendo and other developers will start to focus more heavily on the new hardware going forward so you shouldn’t expect many big, unannounced games coming to the Switch Lite going forward.
Switch 2 vs Switch Lite price
Nintendo
The major selling point of the Switch Lite was its price. This made it a great second Switch for many households or a cheaper option for kids. A new Switch Lite only costs $200.
On the other hand, the power of the Switch 2 isn’t cheap. The system was announced to be $450, though there may be an adjustment made due to recent tariffs that have already delayed preorders.
In what may go down in gaming history as the worst-kept secret of all time, we finally have concrete information about the Nintendo Switch 2. This is the latest Nintendo console that succeeds the Switch as the premier system. However, not everyone is convinced that this new system is worth the price, somewhat like the PS5 vs. PS5 Pro. Unlike comparing the Switch vs. Switch OLED, the Switch 2 is a full generational leap with better specs, a new design, updated controllers, and, of course, games. Let’s compare every aspect of these two systems so you can make a fully informed decision on whether or not the Switch 2 is for you.
Switch 2 vs. Switch Specs
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Nintendo Switch
Nintendo Switch 2
Size
Approximately 4 inches high, 9.4 inches long, and .55 inches deep (with Joy-Con attached)
3.9mm thick
Weight
.66 pounds (.88 pounds with Joy-Con controllers attached)
32 GB of internal storage (microSD card expandable)
256GB
Wireless
Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac)
Yes
Video output
Up to 1080p via HDMI in TV mode and up to 720p via built-in screen in tabletop mode and handheld mode
4K docked via HDMI, 1080p handheld
Audio output
Compatible with 5.1ch Linear PCM output with output via HDMI
3D audio
Speakers
Stereo
Stereo
USB connector
USB Type-C
2 USB Type-C ports
Headphone/mic jack
3.5mm 4-pole stereo (CTIA standard)
Built-in mic with noise-cancelling tech, but an audio jack is included in the new Pro Controller
Game card slot
Nintendo Switch game cards
Nintendo Switch game cards
microSD card slot
Compatible with microSD, microSDHC, and microSDXC memory cards
Supports microSD Express
Internal battery
Lithium-ion battery/4310mAh
TBD
Battery life
Approximately 4.5 to 9 hours
TBD
Charging time
Approximately 3 hours
TBD
Availability
Available now
Launching on June 5
Switch 2 vs. Switch design and features
Nintendo
Nintendo didn’t want to reinvent the wheel with the Switch 2. In most ways, it is almost identical to the original Switch in terms of design. The handheld mode has the same ergonomics of two Joy-cons flanking the screen in the middle, with the option to detach them. The big difference here is the size of the entire device. The screen is now a 7.9-inch LCD display that supports HDR and 4K output while docked, or 1080p HDR in handheld. The screen can run at 120Hz, meaning it can support 120fps on games that allow it.
Storage is another huge improvement for the Switch 2. Now with 256GB of internal storage, it has 8 times more space than the standard Switch.
While the Joy-Cons are slightly larger and connect magnetically.
The dock also appears very similar, although a bit larger to accommodate the bigger unit.
Because it is essentially a larger version of the Switch, the Switch 2 easily comes out on top in terms of design. The only place it lags, for now, is in its color options, but there’s a good chance Nintendo will offer more Joy-Con and console designs as the generation goes on.
Switch 2 vs. Switch controllers
Nintendo
The Switch 2 brings back a new and upgraded version of the Joy-Cons that has all the same functionality as the original. That includes the HD rumble and the ability to slide them on and off the screen for handheld play, though now the controllers attach via magnets. The big upgrade to them for the new console is the ability to use them similar to a computer mouse. We don’t know how many games will take advantage of this functionality, but it does open the doors to a ton of new games that could work on the Switch 2, or even alternate control schemes for future games that could benefit from the more precise control scheme.
Switch 2 vs. Switch games
Nintendo
At this point in its life, the list of the best Switch games is almost endless, so that should give it a natural edge over the Switch 2. But, thanks to nearly full backwards compatibility, the Switch 2 isn’t forcing you to leave those titles behind. On top of all those older games, the Switch 2 launches with a lineup of games you won’t be able to play on the old console. These include Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza.
In short, the few games you won’t be able to carry forward onto the Switch 2 are so small that there is nearly no reason why you shouldn’t upgrade since most people’s entire libraries will carry over. However, to take full advantage of the new hardware you will need to either purchase the Switch 2 Edition of supported Switch games or buy the upgrade.
Switch 2 vs. Switch price
Despite launching in 2017, there has never been a permanent price drop for the Switch. You can get the base unit for $300, the Switch Lite for $200, or the OLED for $350.
The Switch 2 currently only has one model available and costs $450, but you can also get a bundle that includes Mario Kart World for $500.
