With rumors of the Nintendo Switch Pro floating around, it appears that the possibility of an upgraded console is becoming more and more likely. Features such as 4K graphics, an OLED display, and upgraded Joy-Cons have all been rumored to appear on a potential upgraded Nintendo Switch. However, one feature that's been lacking on all Nintendo Switch systems has been a UI update and hopefully, the Nintendo Switch Pro will signify an overhaul across all systems.
With the Nintendo Switch recently passing the four year mark in its lifespan, it's a little surprising to see that the UI remains so basic. Although Nintendo has never stated the reasoning for the lack of themes and home screen organization, fans believe that it's simply not prioritized given how successful the Nintendo Switch is. However, with the potential for the Nintendo Switch Pro right around the corner, it might be a good time for Nintendo to consider overhauling the UI.
Nintendo Switch's Design Philosophy
Although Nintendo hasn't gone into detail about the UI design choices on the Nintendo Switch, it's clear that it's a shift away from the Nintendo 3DS. It's likely that Nintendo thought the customizable UIs on previous consoles were too bloated and slowed down the systems considerably. With the Nintendo Switch, it takes on a more minimalist design so that the user experience is always responsive and snappy.
In a lot of ways, this design philosophy is good despite the fact that some fans would like to see the return of themes or Nintendo Badge Arcade. The Nintendo Switch functions similarly to a mobile device in that it powers on quickly and all of its animations are rapid. This reinforces the idea that it's also a portable device that players can pick up at any time to dive right back into their games. Including too many customization options in the themes would likely slow down the snappy feel of navigating the home screen. However, it seems that Nintendo might've gone a little overboard as the Nintendo Switch is also lacking important UI features which likely wouldn't affect performance.
The Strange Lack of Customization
Currently, the customization for the Nintendo Switch's home screen is extremely limited as players are only able to switch between two different themes: black or white. The Nintendo Switch also lacks a way to sort or organize the game library through folders or categories. Even if Nintendo was set on making the Nintendo Switch as responsive as possible, it makes no sense why players can't organize their home screen at the bare minimum.
Since the Nintendo Switch only displays twelve games or software on the home screen, players with a large library will find it frustrating to access games that they haven't played in a while. The ability to sort games alphabetically, by playtime, and by publisher isn't available on the home screen and this design can quickly become tedious as players must navigate to an entirely new screen to search for a game. Allowing players to create folders, resize the software tiles on the home screen, and sort the games wouldn't mark a drastic difference in performance so it's strange that the Nintendo Switch's UI remains so limited.
Optional Themes, Backgrounds, and Customization
While the design philosophy in the Nintendo Switch is certainly appealing, it's also odd that customization as a whole is ignored. As it stands, the Nintendo Switch's UI is responsive and snappy but players should have the option to change things up if they wish. The success of themes on the Nintendo 3DS proves there's a market for it and players even seem willing to pay money for the ability to customize their console.
While the Nintendo 3DS had detailed themes featuring panoramic and animated images, custom music, and custom icons, the Nintendo Switch doesn't necessarily have to follow that route. If the system's performance is affected by heavy customization, it can simply use a different background than the static black or white colors. At the very least, the Nintendo Switch should have the ability to use custom images as its background given the solid implementation of the screenshot function. But as it stands, players can't even use a different color for their backgrounds let alone a screenshot and this lack of customization is perplexing. On one hand, it's understandable that Nintendo wants to mirror a mobile device in their UI design but on the other hand, it lacks even the most basic customization options as a result.
Overhauling the UI
With rumors of the Nintendo Switch Pro becoming more solid as time passes, it might be a good idea for Nintendo to think about how to make the UI a little more customizable. While there has never been an official reason for the lack of customization, it's probably safe to assume that it simply isn't high on the priority list. After all, themes on the Nintendo 3DS didn't come until much later in its lifespan and it could very well be that Nintendo is planning some sort of update in the future.
As the Nintendo Switch Pro will supposedly have upgraded hardware, it might be a good time to consider overhauling the current UI design in favor of something more customizable. Striking the right balance between a clean, responsive interface and customization options is difficult but as it stands, the Nintendo Switch's UI is far too basic. Even if the original Nintendo Switch doesn't get a massive UI update, players should at least be able to sort or categorize their games better with the implementation of folders.
The Nintendo Switch's design philosophy is great in that it marks a shift away from the noisy, bloated home screens of previous consoles. At the same time though, it also feels a bit overboard given the lack of options that players have in customization. As the Nintendo Switch passes its four-year point, it's surprising to see that the UI hasn't received any sort of update and players still have to deal with the frustrating navigation of the home menu at times. Hopefully, with the Nintendo Switch Pro rumors gaining more traction, Nintendo looks towards giving the Nintendo Switch systems a much needed UI update.
The Nintendo Switch Pro is rumored to be in development.