For the last eight years, Nintendo has charmed consumers worldwide with the Nintendo Switch, a gaming system that is essentially two devices in one — a console that can sit in your living room and a portable device that you can easily take with you anywhere.
The $450 Nintendo Switch 2, which arrived in stores this month, is simply a bigger and better Switch. Its overall hardware design and software interface are the same as its predecessor’s. The trade-offs also remain: compared with bulky PlayStation and Xbox consoles that stay plugged in, the Switch 2 is less powerful in order for it to be portable. Its graphics and speed are not on par with the latest gaming technology.
Still, based on my week of testing, the Switch 2 will be another hit that will satisfy plenty of gamers, especially families. As a hand-held device with a roomy, bright screen and sped-up computing power, it made zipping around a racetrack in the new Mario Kart World game delightful on the go — until the battery died. When the Switch 2 was placed in its dock to connect it to a TV, its graphics looked vibrant.
The main difference now is how much more we have to pay to play games. At $450, the price of the Switch 2 is a big jump from the original Switch, which cost $300. Future games are also likely to cost more; Mario Kart World, which was released alongside the Switch 2, costs $80, a sharp increase from previous $60 Nintendo Switch titles. Games for Sony’s $450 PlayStation 5 and Microsoft’s $600 Xbox have seen a similar price creep in the last few years.
Gaming is becoming a significant long-term investment, which could pressure many households to pick only one console. Is the Switch 2 right for you? Here’s what to know.
Getting started
The best way to get acclimated is by playing the Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, a mini game that acts as a demo to teach you about the game system’s basic controls and new features. Annoyingly, it costs $10, even though it feels like it should be included.
The Welcome Tour shows that the sides of the Switch 2, which look like strips with physical buttons and a miniature joystick, are two wireless controllers known as Joy-Cons. They attach to the console via magnets. To detach them, you press a small trigger and yank them off.
New to the Joy-Cons are miniature cameras built into each controller. Laying a controller camera-side down against a surface will let you use it as you would a computer mouse to move around a cursor on the screen. Owners of the Switch 2 can look forward to games that take advantage of this new input, such as more typical PC shooter and strategy games that rely on sensitive movements.
Larger screen
The Switch 2’s 7.9-inch screen is significantly larger than the original Switch’s 6.2-inch screen, which adds to the system’s bulk. I had no issues carrying the Switch 2 in a backpack, and it didn’t feel too heavy playing at a cafe. The quality of the Switch 2’s screen, in terms of brightness and colour accuracy, is noticeably better than the original’s.
What makes the Nintendo Switch 2 a no-brainer upgrade is its jump in speed and graphics performance. Everything, from navigating the system’s menus to playing games, feels smoother and snappier. A bonus benefit is that the Nintendo Switch 2 can still play most games made for the older Switch, and those also run better on the new hardware.
In my tests, some older Switch games, including the Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, loaded much faster.
Nvidia, which produced the graphics processor for the Switch 2, said its chip would deliver 10 times the graphical performance of the first Switch. I tried Cyberpunk 2077, a high-production game with intense graphics, and I was impressed with how well it ran. In the older Switch game Super Mario Odyssey Mario’s movements looked less stuttery.
Battery not great
As with many portable devices, battery life leaves much to be desired. The Switch 2 had enough juice to get me through roughly two hours’ worth of Mario Kart races while waiting at a laundromat, about the same battery performance as the original.
Bottom line
Because the Switch 2 is so similar to its predecessor, we can make a safe bet that this is the ideal console for families. Many games produced by Nintendo, including Mario, Zelda and Donkey Kong titles, are suitable for children. Parents who want to play will also have plenty more adult-themed games from third-party studios.
While the Switch 2’s price is higher, the included Joy-Cons mean the system arrives with two controllers. PlayStation and Xbox consoles typically include only one. All told, the Switch 2 is still a relatively good value.
