Nintendo finally lifted the veil on Switch 2 just a week ago today, putting a temporary lid on the drip of leaks over the last month about its new hardware bet, the console that succeeds the mega-successful Nintendo Switch.
The trailer, which you can watch below in higher quality, focused mainly on the features of the device itself, almost all of them an evolution or improvement of those seen on Switch and with a couple of new features (such as the Switch 2's microphone or the mouse function of the Joy-Con controllers).
However, as with Apple or Xbox, with Nintendo it's always curious to look at the audio-visual language used in the narrative of such a momentous video for its future product strategy, and while on this occasion they don't seem to hint at secret projects, the details are directly aimed at the hearts of fans.
The first thing we noticed live on Gamereactor on 16 January, and to which we jumped like Leo DiCaprio in his meme, was the nod to the Wii Remote reveal video. You may not have been born, but if you were a gamer and followed Nintendo news back in 2005, you'll remember the trailer for the Tokyo Game Show that would revolutionise the industry. A strange, futuristic controller, reminiscent of a TV remote, emerged from a thick milky liquid to reveal Nintendo's innovative idea of motion control and separate hands. That concept was renamed from Nintendo Revolution to Wii and the rest is history, but aren't you familiar with the liquefied visual effect that coated the Wiimote and Nunchuk?
Those who know, know, and would spot the reference when they saw the new Joy-Con 2.0 take shape in the Switch 2 trailer with its blue and pink coloured parts rendered like Terminator clay. And if Nintendo didn't want to make this on purpose, we'd like to think they did.
But for nods and references, the ones caught by popular Spanish pianist Elesky in the following X post:
Though it's in Spanish, it's easy to understand. In the short video, the musician and influencer, much loved by the community for her concerts and video game tributes, analyses note by note the score that plays in the Nintendo Switch 2 trailer, from phrases taken directly from games like Super Mario Bros. (main theme, pause or mushroom music), to a technique that you have to look for in every Nintendo and especially Zelda video: playing the music backwards.
As Elesky rightly says, "this is not chosen by chance", and in the times of marketing and audiovisual communication that we live in, every detail is studied to the maximum to achieve the biggest and best impact... even some time after the initial publication.
What curious details did you find in the first look at Nintendo Switch 2?