The average lifespan of a housefly is 15-30 days. For giraffes, it’s 20-27 years. A Galápagos tortoise gets to around 100-200 years, and home video game consoles reach somewhere between 7-8 years. The original Nintendo Switch launched in 2017, and so tradition dictates that it’s time for a successor. Enter the Nintendo Switch 2: the console destined to become a fixture in homes around the world.
This is the console a whole generation kids will develop formative gaming memories with, and compare all future consoles to. No pressure, Nintendo.
While it does have a lot in common with the original Switch – a similar form factor, and backward compatibility with most games and accessories – it does have many upgrades. It’s capable of 4K/60fps or 1080p/120fps when docked, the Joy-Con connect with magnets, and there’s a new C-button for GameChat.
Chatting and connection are at the heart of the Switch 2. Aside from the greater technical power, the most touted advancement is that players can video chat with friends and family while playing the same or different games.
It’s very much an evolution instead of a revolution. That’s a big risk for Nintendo, as their evolution consoles don’t tend to sell as well. For example, the Nintendo DS is the second highest-selling console of all time, but the 3DS sold almost exactly half as many consoles. Then there’s the Wii (101.63m sold) and the Wii U (13.56m).
That said, it comes down to the merit of the console. The Wii U wasn’t explained well and was too expensive, and the gimmick of 3D didn’t land with a lot of people (though, the 3DS still sold better than any Xbox console other than the 360).
But, all that inside baseball stuff aside, is it any good? I originally wrote this review when I’d only spent a decent chunk of time with the Nintendo Switch 2 at preview events. That was enough to leave me with a positive feeling. Now that I’ve spent over a week with it, I also have the positive feeling of being right about the Switch 2 being so good.
Table of contents
- First impressions
- Specifications and price
- Handheld performance
- Docked performance
- GameChat, camera play and mouse mode
- Navigation and the home screen
- Who is the Nintendo Switch 2 for?
First impressions
My first impression of the Nintendo Switch 2 is that it’s the Nintendo Switch 1 grown up and in a tux. It looks more refined and distinguished than its younger sibling. The screen is clearly larger, and the lack of OLED isn’t as noticeable as I expected.
The Switch 2 feels more solid in my hands, more premium. The plastic body almost feels metallic because of how solid it is, and the additional heft. The Switch 1 always felt a bit like a toy, whereas the Switch 2 feels like a gadget.
I do miss the bold pops of colour of the original Joy-Cons. The subtle red and blue accents around the sticks are a nice throwback to the original console. Plus it acknowledges that the original Switch players are now all grown up and will likely be playing this device on planes while they wear suits going on business trips.
But, for me at least, part of the fun of being a grown-up is that I can now have all the colours I could want and no one can stop me. Hopefully more colourful accessories will be available soon.
All up, just looking at it it’s clear that this is the Switch all grown up.
The setup process was super easy. I moved everything from my original Switch to the new one with zero issues. I remain frustrated that cloud saves aren’t just shared between Switches, as they are on every other modern console, so I can’t keep my Switch OLED as a travel Switch, and keep my Switch 2 for more home-based use. But that’s just Nintendo being Nintendo.
Nintendo Switch 2 specifications and price
| Size | 116mm x 272mm x 13.9mm (with Joy-Con 2 attached) 534g (with Joy-Con 2 attached) |
| Screen | Capacitive touch screen 7.9-inch wide colour gamut LCD screen 1920 x 1080 pixels HDR10 support VRR up to 120 Hz |
| CPU/GPU | Custom processor made by NVIDIA. |
| Storage | 256GB Compatible with microSD Express card |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6 Bluetooth Can connect to a TV with Nintendo Switch 2 Dock Two USB-C ports 3.5mm audio jack |
| Video output to TV | Output via HDMI connector in TV mode 4K resolution at 60 fps Supports 120 fps at 1920 x 1080 or 2560 x 1440 Supports HDR10 |
| Internal battery | Lithium-ion battery 5220mAh Between 2 – 6.5 hours of battery life |
| Warranty | 12 months |
| Price | $699.95 (console) $769.95 (Mario Kart World bundle) |
| Official website | Nintendo Australia |
To start with the negatives, the two big disappointments are that the Joy-Con don’t have Hall Effect sticks, so stick drift will likely be a problem again, and that the screen is LCD instead of OLED.
Given there’s already an OLED version of the first Switch, it seems like a weird downgrade. Because of how expensive the console already is, I question whether it was worth the slight cost savings to cut these two corners. The battery life also seems a bit low. Battery packs are going to be a very popular accessory.
That said, the rest of it is all good news. The Joy-Con are easier to take off and put back on because of the magnetic attachments. They have still felt pretty sturdy when attached during my time with the console. That, and the improved frame rates make a huge difference.
Let’s take a look at the Switch 2 from four main areas of performance to see how it stacks up.
Handheld performance
In handheld mode, I found that the slightly larger body and higher weight actually made it more comfortable than the original Switch. While I wish it were slightly thicker and ergonomic (I will absolutely be using the CRKD Nitro Deck 2 with it when it eventually exists), it seems well-suited to decent play sessions.
I’m not sure how it will go in the smaller, weaker hands of a child. Alas, I don’t have an appropriately aged child on which I can test that. I tried handing the Switch 2 to my one-year-old, but she just wanted to chew it. In my larger-than-average adult female hands, the console fit well.
The choice of a 1080p LCD screen in 2025 is an interesting one. Downgrading from OLED was a big call. However, as much as I judged that choice harshly, the LCD screen looks great. The light control isn’t quite as good as OLED, to a noticeable degree, but better than I expected for LCD. When playing, I wasn’t immediately thinking about the quality of the screen, but what the game was doing, which is generally a sign of a good screen.
The Joy-Con felt well laid out when attached; it’s easy to get to all the buttons. Again, for my adult hands, I wish they were a bit thicker. That would’ve made them more comfortable. They’ll be familiar to everyone who’s played with an original Switch, all the good and the bad.
Docked performance
Connecting the Switch 2 to a TV makes the increased power of the console more apparent.
It’s frankly a bizarre move to not include the Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour game with the console, because it’s the perfect tech demo, educating people about all the different features of the console and what everything means.
One of the mini-games in Welcome Tour shows people the difference between various frame rates. It’s the best tool to demonstrate what the Switch 2 is capable of compared to the Switch 1. For those who don’t know a lot about games or the technology behind them, something esoteric like a frame rate sounds like just a number on a spec sheet. Putting the frame rate comparison in front of people helps them realise why it matters.
The original Switch is capable of up to 60fps, but it largely hovered around 30-45fps depending on the game. When docked, the Switch 2 does 4K 60fps, or 1080p at 120fps, and already that improvement more than justifies the upgrade for me. The difference it makes to comfort and enjoyment is huge. I love using it on my 85-inch 8K TV, which is not something I usually say about Nintendo consoles.
Now, whether it has sufficient cooling to allow the console to maintain those numbers over extended play sessions remains to be seen. I have played the Switch 2 for a pretty long time, and it’s gotten warm, but my longest session was only about six hours, and it maintained performance better than I expected. Still, that’s not exactly a marathon play session.
The Switch 2 also has significantly better graphical performance, which is frankly long overdue. Fortnite players can enjoy the game as though they were playing on an expensive home console rather than a potato, and isn’t that all we’ve ever wanted? I’ve actually found myself playing more Fortnite on Switch 2 with my friends than on my other consoles just because I like the way it plays so much.
Mario Kart World predictably loads quickly, but it also has a tonne going on, and up to 24 players. Just thinking about that caused my Switch 1 to spontaneously combust. Whether the Switch 2 can keep up with third-party developer performance expectations for the whole console generation remains to be seen, and I have some doubts. But for now, I am impressed.
Every game I’ve thrown at it so far looks amazing and plays well. That’s what you’d hope for with a new console, but it’s not guaranteed.
GameChat, camera play and mouse mode
I love GameChat with voice. But it’s not perfect. This is the area I have the most complaints with.
Let’s start with the camera. I love the idea of the camera, but I find that I have to position it really close to me and turn an alarming amount of lights on before I stop looking like a shadow demon when playing at any time other than noon. That might just be because I’m in my 30s and shadow demon is just how I look now, but it’s meant that I’m less likely to reach for the camera when the time comes to chat.
It’s also frustrating that there isn’t another USB-C port on the dock so I can plug in my wireless headset receiver and the camera, so I have to choose whether I want my friends to see or hear me. It wouldn’t have been hard, or too expensive, to just add another port and all my problems would have been solved.
I also hate how you can’t just invite more people to chat while you’re in an existing chat. Presumably, friends can just join your room if you have your visibility set to public. But what if (for example) I don’t want my cousins to know I’m playing, yet want my friend who just jumped on to join my existing chat? On any other console party chat, you just invite that friend. On Switch 2, you have to end the chat, and then start a new chat inviting all the people you want to be in there.
It’s not a huge deal, it’s just clunky and frustrating for something that should be seamless.
Unfortunately, I don’t have any games that use the camera motion controls yet. However, I played Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV at preview events. I maintain that is the most convoluted name of all time. The experience was significantly better than the name. It reminded me a lot of the good ol’ days of Xbox Kinect, only if it worked a bit more consistently.
I can’t wait to play Just Dance using this thing, and playing Mario Party with friends is going to be absolutely hilarious. The camera did occasionally stop tracking me out of nowhere, but given this was at an event with a bunch of people walking around, I’m going to give it the benefit of the doubt.
While I haven’t used it much outside of preview events, mouse mode lacked the precision I would want from a mouse in a PC gaming situation, but was more precise than a Joy-Con, so it struck a decent balance. Using it in Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV to play air hockey was a real highlight, and I can see myself becoming addicted to that.
Mouse mode was in its element in Drag X Drive, though, where controlling each Joy-Con as a wheel on a wheelchair to play basketball was such an innovative way to show off the console’s capabilities. I hope more developers get creative with mouse mode in this way, because if they do, we are absolutely in for a treat.
Navigation and the home screen
The home screen and navigation are pretty similar to the Switch 1. There’s no huge revelation here. No feature that’s made me go “ooh”. It just looks a bit newer and cleaner, yet functions basically exactly the same.
Who is the Nintendo Switch 2 for?
The Switch 2 is for anyone who likes Nintendo games – so pretty much everyone. Nintendo has such a strong launch window line-up of games for this one that I’m quite confident that there’s something for everyone here.
While it is missing some features I wish it had, like an OLED screen and better ergonomics, it is a worthy successor to the original Switch.
The high price tag for both the console and games, while justifiable from a commercial standpoint, is going to put some people off in this economic climate. Given the huge install base of the Switch 1, the older console will get support for a while. So, the Switch 2 isn’t something most people will need on day one.
However, fans of Mario Kart are going to want to jump in sooner rather than later, given how good Mario Kart World is. Plus with new Donkey Kong, Kirby, and Pokemon games coming this year, and huge updates to games people already own, it’s going to be great for new Nintendo players and longtime fans whenever they’re ready.
The post Nintendo Switch 2 review: Exactly what you want from Nintendo appeared first on GadgetGuy.
0 comments:
Post a Comment