A new update from Nintendo — issued to both the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 — has made some subtle random changes to Mario icons on both consoles. This is not the first time it has changed icons on either console, but it is the first time it has happened this year, and the first time it has happened to these specific icons. That said, users of the icons probably won’t even notice, as the changes are subtle, with the aim of clearly touching up the original designs rather than reworking them.
As noticed and relayed by dataminer Oatmeal Dome, the changes are to both modern and retro Mario icons, but unless you stare deeply at a side-by-side comparison, you are unlikely to notice much, and that is because most of the changes are just things like the removal of artifacts around the edges of the art, slight changes to positioning, or an enhanced coloring. Below, you can see the changes for yourself. Images on the right represent the new icons with the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 22.0.0 update. The images on the left represent the previous iteration.
Nintendo Fans Are Happy
Are these big and important changes? Not in the grand scheme of things, but Nintendo fans are happy with them, noting that while all the changes are subtle, that’s sometimes all it takes to improve an art asset.
“They’re better now,” writes one Nintendo fan of the changes. “The previous ones are slightly uncanny. Another Nintendo fan adds, “I noticed this when I was looking at icons a day or two ago. Mario looked noticeably better when posed in the pipe. Did not know it was actually changed!”
A third Nintendo fan drives the point home: “It really is the little things because the new ones are so much better.”
Nintendo has never said what its plans or goals are with any of these icon changes, so it’s unclear what’s next. In other words, it’s unclear if all core icons will be getting these updates or if they are cherry-picked examples. We don’t know, Nintendo hasn’t said, and probably won’t say. So far, it has prioritized non-Nintendo Switch Online-exclusive icons, which we expect to continue if this continues.
All of that said, and as always, feel free to leave a comment or two letting us know what you think, or join the conversation happening over on the ComicBook Forum.
