Forget the PS5 Pro, I'm saving for 2025's most important console instead

Now that January is over and all that financial planning and paying off tax bills is done and dusted, I was moving my miniscule cash savings around and the banking pot titled 'PS5 Pro' just got a rude awakening. Despite my T3 colleague recently finding a new love for his upgraded PlayStation 5, I've decided to reassign my buying power to what I think will be 2025's most important console instead.

I'm talking, but of course, about the Switch 2. Nintendo's incoming console sequel became official in the middle of a very busy January – just before, unrelated, I went to Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked event – and since my feet have barely touched the ground since, I've not had tonnes of time to really think it over.

But then, with pre-orders live on ShopTo, I registered my interest – which you can do with a single penny of card authorisation.

What's tipped me over the edge already, despite Nintendo having not announced any of the official Switch 2 games? Well, I've just really loved playing original Switch titles throughout December and the late Christmas period – with Mario Party: Jamboree being a total (and joyous!) time sink.

Then Nintendo dropped the free demo of Donkey Kong Country Returns HD for the Switch and that was it – I was taken back to school-age times and it just reaffirmed my Nintendo love-in. I've played more games on the Switch than on any other platform – especially my Xbox Series X, which I thought could lure me away from the PS5, but which has remained unplugged for some time – which goes to show what Nintendo is getting right.

Sure, the Switch 2 isn't going to be a patch on the PlayStation 5 Pro's supercharged power and top-notch frame rates for games. But what the new Nintendo will certainly do is fix the choppy nature of some Switch titles – which is why I'm so glad it's backwards compatible – and bring a new level of graphical prowess to Nintendo's first-party titles.

Nintendo is staunchly protective of its IP, and rightly so – sometimes I wonder how some get away with it, mind, having recently stumbled upon Dubtendo (yes, classic Nintendo tunes 'bassified' in mega DJ sets) – as it's those precious games that create value. It's the number one reason I think the Switch 2 will be 2025's most important gaming release.

Sure, I do think there have been some wobbles with some releases: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was a major disappointment for me, with broken build mechanics that I just didn't find welcome in a game of that type. But then, out of nowhere, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom was released, and that was one of my favourite games last year – beautifully nostalgic, yet very contemporary and complex at the same time.

So my major hope is that the Switch 2 will quickly capitalise on Nintendo's sheer excellence in game design and get to work releasing some unmissable titles. I'm convinced there'll be a new Mario title on day one – we'll find out come April – and it's worth the punt pushing my savings into Switch 2 pre-order up front. Especially as the suggestion is the new console will be 'affordable'. My only slight disappointment is the lack of an OLED panel... but I guess I'll have to buy a mid-generation upgrade come 2027!