"This Just Didn't Fit Into My Gaming Lifestyle" Hideki Kamiya Has 1 Criticism of the Nintendo Switch 2

The Nintendo Switch 2 has provided a problem for game designer and director Hideki Kamiya, who finds the lack of one hardware feature to be an issue, especially when playing in undocked mode. The Nintendo Switch 2 has proven itself to be one of the hottest video game consoles around, but despite that success, it hasn’t been free from criticisms, including those coming from inside the business.

Kamiya is one such highly respected name in the gaming industry, having designed or directed some of Capcom’s best games from the late 1990s and early 2000s. Games he directed during this timeframe include Resident Evil 2, Devil May Cry, Okami, and Viewtiful Joe, while he also holds an original game design credit for Resident Evil Zero. Since leaving Capcom in 2006, he helped found Platinum Games, where he remained until 2023, and he has since gone on to found Clovers Inc, which is working on an untitled sequel to Okami.

Hideki Kamiya Suggests All His Games Take Place in the Same Universe

Game director Hideki Kamiya, the mind behind Okami and Bayonetta, confirms all the games he’s directed exist in the same universe.

Hideki Kamiya has a Problem with Nintendo Switch 2 Hardware

While plenty of Kamiya’s games are available to play on Nintendo hardware, he has recently voiced some displeasure with the Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Con controllers, specifically pointing out that the lack of a D-pad makes playing a lot of classic games feel off. In an interview with 4Gamer, Kamiya reported that he has had a Nintendo Switch 2 since the console was first released, having won a lottery to pick it up on launch day, though that original model had been residing with his niece since he first bragged to her that he had bought one. Having only recently bought her a second Switch 2 and reclaiming his first one, he now finds that the lack of a D-pad on the left Joy-Con has been interfering with his enjoyment of games. “This just didn’t fit into my gaming lifestyle, where I usually play while lying down, so I have no choice but to use the Joy-Con when playing games,” he explained.

The lack of a D-pad isn’t a new issue for Nintendo. Released in 2017, the original Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons didn’t have a D-Pad either, which Kamiya also pointed out. And while players can mix and match Switch and Switch 2 Joy-Cons on the newer console, they cannot physically connect older Joy-Cons to the central unit due to their smaller size and lack of magnetic connectors. Optionally, players could choose to play with a Pro Controller, though playing in undocked mode still provides a challenge with that method, or they could purchase a third-party peripheral that comes equipped with a D-pad.

For Kamiya, this last option provided a window of opportunity for getting his daily dose of games like Tetris 99, but some additional elbow grease was needed. Having purchased a third-party peripheral for the original Switch, he said he was able to sand and modify it to make it work in undocked mode, though not every gamer would be willing to put in that much work just to have a customizable controller experience on Switch 2, and Kamiya seemed to indicate that he had more fun making the gadget than he did actually using it. “However, the fact that even talking about games turned into anecdotes about crafting is probably proof that I was more passionate about making plastic models than I was about games,” he said during the interview.

Despite some criticisms, the hybrid console has been doing phenomenally well on the market, with millions of gamers having picked one up since its release on June 5. Initial sales of the Nintendo Switch 2 hit 6 million units within the first 25 days of its release, outpacing the sales of the original Nintendo Switch by more than double. By the end of September, the most recently released official figures from Nintendo had moved that sales figure up to 10.36 million. Nearly three months later, and with the holiday season passing quickly, total sales of the Nintendo Switch 2 could easily balloon again after Nintendo releases its next batch of numbers, though some feel it could do even better with the addition of a D-pad.