According to the Ask the Developer interview focused on the Nintendo Switch 2, the console was almost named the Super Nintendo Switch. When considering the name, it seems that looking back at the lack of backwards compatibility with the SNES is what drove the company to go the numbered route for the first time.
The Nintendo Switch 2 was almost named the Super Nintendo Switch
Kouichi Kawamoto, a producer on the Nintendo Switch 2 development says that because the Super Nintendo couldn’t play NES games, it “didn’t feel right” to use the same naming convention. Obviously, Nintendo also didn’t want to make the same mistakes made in the creation of the Wii U, which was very confusing to consumers who didn’t know it was a new console.
If they had named it the “Super Switch,” they also felt that would put too much focus on the power of the console itself and not the games. Senior director Takuhiro Dota says, “I also wanted to create an experience that as many players as possible could enjoy, rather than an experience made specially for those who prefer high-performance hardware. So, we wanted a name that would communicate simply to potential customers that, if you’re considering buying a Switch, Nintendo Switch 2 is the newest system.”
At the end of the day, the Nintendo Switch 2 is the best name for the new console because it directly lets people know that this is the next iteration of the console released 8 years ago. It also makes it a lot easier for Nintendo to name their next console the Switch 3 and not have to incorporate something like “Ultra Nintendo Switch” to keep the names in line. We like the name, considering it avoids the confusing naming conventions of Xbox.
