The Nintendo Switch 2 has been officially announced - and Sony is showing an unusual interest in the handheld. While Nintendo is currently the talk of the town, a new survey among PlayStation users is making people prick up their ears: Sony wants to know what its fans think about the Switch 2. Yes, you read that right - not about the PS5 or the future of its own platform, but about the competition from Kyoto.
Screenshots of the survey were published by Leaker eXtas1swho has already shone with well-informed insights in the past. The questions range from the general perception of the PlayStation brand after Nintendo's recent presentation to the infamous pre-order strategies. You'd think someone at Sony had pulled out a notepad and pencil to learn from Nintendo.
Lessons from the past?
Particularly noticeable: the interest in Nintendo's direct sales model. After the Nintendo Direct, Switch online subscribers were able to express their interest in the new console without obligation - a clever move to keep bot purchases and eBay profiteers at bay. Sony probably remembers the PS5 launch disaster well, when even loyal fans were left empty-handed and scalpers made the big deal. Perhaps people in Japan are asking themselves: "How do they actually do that at Nintendo?"
The topic of handheld gaming doesn't seem to appear in the survey by chance either. The PS Vita is long gone, the PlayStation Portal is just a streaming offshoot - but what if Sony really is planning its own handheld again? Microsoft is obviously working on one, Valve has shown the way with the Steam Deck, and Nintendo remains the king of portable consoles anyway. So perhaps Sony's survey is more than mere curiosity - perhaps it is a quiet harbinger of what is to come. Because after the PlayStation Portal according to reports a genuine handheld will follow.
A new togetherness? Or a calculation?
The question of multiplatform strategies is a curious one. In recent years, Sony has cautiously begun to release its games outside of the PS5 - "LEGO Horizon Adventures" even appeared on the Switch. If this trend continues, the Switch 2 could soon offer more PlayStation content than some expect. And in times of exploding development costs, that's not a stupid idea.
The Nintendo Switch 2 has now been officially announced and is apparently already causing some nervousness. Sony is watching closely - perhaps out of respect, perhaps out of envy, perhaps out of strategic calculation. The gaming industry promises to be more exciting than ever before. And this time, even the industry giants are looking over the fence at their neighbor.
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