The Switch 2 was released nearly three months ago already, and has had plenty of time to get into everyone’s hands, if not for the shortages it has experienced in some regions. But it might not just be the consoles that have been struggling to get into the right hands, as it looks like developers aren’t able to get their dev kits either.

The latest podcast episode from Digital Foundry has them talking over what they learnt at Gamescom. Initially criticizing the performance of Elden Ring on the console, they talked with some of the developers at the convention and figured out why some games aren’t able to get on the platform.

It’s seemingly as though Nintendo is discouraging Switch 2 development, as devs asking about getting a dev kit have been told there aren’t any, and they should just ship on Switch 1 and use compatibility on Switch 2 to play on it instead of having a game for the handheld.

This can cause some performance issues as it’s not directly made for the console. But it also means games can’t take advantage of the better hardware and performance available on the Switch 2.

Why there might not be enough dev kits

One of the reasons for there not being enough dev kits could be the lack of Switch 2 stock. If the kits use the same or similar hardware, they might not be made into kits, but rather the consoles themselves. This way, Nintendo could be trying to get more of them into gamers’ hands.

It could have also been a similar situation where Switch 2s weren’t sent out for reviews early, and everyone scrambled to get them going on release day. Whether Nintendo was struggling to get them out or simply didn’t want the hardware to leak early, we can’t say. But this could suggest dev kits were limited too – only sending them to trusted sources to protect their IP.

But there is no reason to withhold dev kits now that the console is out. So instead, it might just be a hardware issue or Nintendo being slow going, and it might soon pick up the slack and start shipping them out, so more games can come out on the console, even if it takes some time.

Digital Foundry insight

About the Author

Sebastian Kozlowski

With a fascination for technology and games, Seb is a tech writer with a focus on hardware, news, and deals. He is also a tester and reviewer for the site. Contact him @ [email protected]