The upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 is set to feature an array of innovative capabilities, but a notable omission that has caught many by surprise is the absence of analog shoulder triggers. This topic was a focal point during a recent press conference where Kouichi Kawamoto, the producer of Switch 2, along with technical director Tetsuya Sasaki and director Takuhiro Dohta, responded to inquiries about the design choices.
Tetsuya Sasaki explained that the decision to implement digital trigger buttons was influenced by feedback from developers. He stated, “from the hardware side, we worked on what we were asked to do. There were a lot of, let’s say, very fussy developers around us who wanted to go this route. That’s why we went the route we did.” Kouichi Kawamoto elaborated further, mentioning the pros and cons of analog buttons: “in terms of analog buttons on the shoulders, there are positives, but also negatives. You lose a little bit of instancy when they’re analog. We considered it and decided that instant input would be the better option. That’s why we decided to move forward with this decision.”