This is going to sound weird, so stick with me here: I think sometimes people forget theSwitch 2can do everything the originalSwitchcould. Well, almost everything. If you want to shove your Switch 2 into a cardboard piano, you’re out of luck. You should probably learn on the real thing anyway. Or with the literally dozens of slop piano games in the eShop.
I’ve already spent more time talking about theLabopiano here than anyone has in the history of Earth. But of the legacy features the Switch 2doesstill have, one that I think we’re not talking enough about is Tate Mode. And, baby, you do not want to sleep on Tate mode on the Switch 2.
If you don’t know what Tate Mode is, yes you do. You might also call it Portrait Mode or Vertical Mode or Picture Go Sideways. Essentially, the screen is turned 90 degrees. I know a lot of you know this, so I’m sorry for going over it again. If you’re bored, skip to the next paragraph, and I’ll be sure to name some games you like.
Tate Mode allows certain games with a more narrow, vertical play space to fill the screen. Some old arcade games - and bullet hells especially - use this orientation. When playing on a big TV, this hardly matters, but when playing on a handheld, your playable screen space often shrinks to the size and shape of a small bookmark.
Three things make the Switch 2 perfect for this. Let’s run through them, middle school essay style. One, there are a lot of very, very good games that already use Tate Mode on the Switch.Downwellin a horizontal orientation and a vertical one is night and day on the Switch 2 screen. Games like Space Invaders Invincible Collection, Demon’s Tilt, and a whole lot of the Arcade Archives have this mode available, too.
Hell, theSNK 40th Anniversary Collectioneven allows you to set all the menus to Tate Mode, which definitely makes it easier to choose games. The one downside to most Tate Mode games is that the menus themselves are horizontal so you have to snap your own neck to change settings. Not important.
I’ve still got two more reasons to go, so let’s hop to it. Two, the Switch 2 has a bigger screen than the Switch. Yes, I know this is obvious. But all that extra real estate matters. There’s more to look at and that makes it easier to actually see what’s going on. Why not use all that screen space when playing Sol Cresta?
Three, like the Switch, you can take off the Joy-Con and actually prop the console up with a stand or 3D-printed holder. Again, this is all obvious with the Switch 2, but actually doing it is magic. I know not everyone loves the Switch 2 screen for a variety of reasons, but playing a vertical game of Nitro Ball made me love it. Old arcade games look incredible up close. Even small indie games like Switch ‘n’ Shoot benefit from the massive upgrade in visual room.
And if that doesn’t quite sell you on using your system for something good for once in your life, maybe this will: some of those games it works with are classic Nintendo arcade titles. Remember those? When Nintendo made arcade games? If you’re in theDonkey Kongmood afterBananza, the Arcade Archives version of the original has a Tate Mode.
Because, you know, the game had a pretty vertical orientation that was later squashed to a box on the NES. You really get more of that original brick and mortar, black light, mall fun zone feeling seeing most of the screen taken up by it.
You sickos want more? Great. One of the best uses of Tate Mode is in the Arcade Archives port of the originalPunch-Out!!. Not the NES one, the arcade one which essentially had one monitor on top of another, showing you both the fight and information from a fight. Like the old Game & Watch toys, it feels like a predecessor to the Nintendo DS.
But when playing in the regular, horizontal orientation, the game places one box next to another. This isn’t really a problem, but it’s a little distracting and if you want to experience the first Punch-Out!! even close to the way it was back in the ‘80s, you’ll want that sweet, sweet Tate Mode. And, not for nothing, none of these throwbacks cost that much in the eShop.
Side note, if Nintendo ever goes back to adding DS games to their consoles, we really, really, really need the ability to run them verticallyandan official holder. Because there is more than enough screen space here to do that and papa is too lazy to pull out hisDSto play Phantom Hourglass. This is a tangent but, still. DS. Vertical. Let’s make that happen as soon as possible.
