Nintendo Switch 2 Review – A Much-Needed Upgrade

Nintendo Switch 2 Review

The Switch 2 represents the end of an era for Nintendo. For decades, they were exclusively in the business of subverting expectations. Indeed, the Switch itself was a massive shock, a portable console in an era dominated by titanic hardware. Rather than shock us once again, the Switch 2 is exactly what we – and Nintendo – needed. They’ve always been amazing at portable game systems, and this is no exception. It’s just not a surprise, is all.

While the Switch was amazing, it had a lot of problems. The Joy-Cons were tiny, and they connected to the console in a weird, floaty way. The core hardware was old when the system was first released, which is never a good sign. Plus, the kickstand was wobbly, and the thumbsticks were extra vulnerable to drift. So far, the Switch 2 addresses almost all of these issues. The Joy-Cons feel bigger and better, and they connect to the console with a satisfying magnetic click. As for the console’s power, this is leagues beyond what the original Switch could do. As far as stick drift goes, it’s too early to tell. But the thumbsticks feel pretty good so far.

Looks Good, Feels Good

Power-wise, we’re in a whole new paradigm here. Games like Mario Kart World are running at a seamless 4k/60fps. This is a massive boost over the original Switch. On the other hand, first-party Nintendo games almost always look amazing. Cyberpunk 2077 tops out at 40fps, although the framerate is pretty stable. Street Fighter 6 runs well enough in Arcade Mode, but World Tour is a hot mess. Like the previous console, it seems like ports are a mixed bag. The real highlights will be the games actually designed for the hardware. On that front, the Switch 2 is a major improvement over its predecessor.

Launch is never a good time to showcase the raw power of a console, and the Switch 2 is no exception. It’s hard to grasp at this stage. The ports feel rushed, and even the first-party titles aren’t quite pushing the envelope, hardware-wise. It’ll be a while before we see what this new Switch can really do. Although one easy metric for improved performance is upgraded Switch titles. Pokémon Violet runs a lot smoother than it used to, for example. Both Breath of The Wild and Tears of The Kingdom received Switch 2 upgrades, albeit paid ones. If you lamented the persistent frame rate issues in those games, the upgrades will be a godsend. There are also free updates for a bunch of Mario and Zelda titles.

Shined-Up Switch Games

Another new feature on the Switch 2 is the GameCube Classics line. The selection is pretty sparse right now (Wind Waker, F-Zero GX, and Soulcalibur 2), but more are coming in the future. The games run great, and the controls map well to the Pro Controller/Joy-Cons. The wireless GameCube controller works beautifully, of course. It’s a neat little addition to the expansion pack online service, though I’m still not sure it justifies that extra cost quite yet. Maybe once some more GameCube games launch?

Nintendo made a big deal out of the Mouse controls in the most recent Directs. And you know what? It’s an excellent control system. You can operate the mouse on basically any flat(ish) surface, the inputs are responsive, and movement is smooth as silk. To be clear, I’ve only got an appreciable amount of mouse play time in Bravely Default. I messed with the Metroid Prime 4 demo back in April, along with Drag x Drive, but that was terribly brief. You can go mouse mode without any fiddling about, or you can click on the Joy-Con straps to make things much easier. As an added bonus, said straps are a major improvement over the ones for the original Switch. They click into place with little effort, whereas the old ones felt like you were breaking something every single time.

Gamechat feels like a weird, walled-garden version of a service that’s been ubiquitous for years. While the camera is easy to set up, the size of the chat space is the real prize. You can have four people’s current gameplay going at once, which rules. It feels like a lan party, like a communal gaming space that’s more tangible than I’m used to. It’s a friends-only experience, so you’re not subjected to the psychic damage that is dealing with stranger gamers. Watching what your friends are playing is rad, it feels like you’re just… hanging out with people. Camera placement is somewhat important, as you can end up with some weird cutouts of yourself onscreen otherwise.

Most of the original Switch library is compatible with the Switch 2. This has become the norm over the last generation or so, but it’s still nice to see. Especially during the very early days of the console, when there aren’t a ton of dedicated Switch 2 games kicking around. If you’re ready to leave your old Switch behind, you can do a complete system transfer when you first activate your new console. The downside is that this is the ONLY time you can do this. Which is something I found out several days later.

New And Improved

The Nintendo Switch 2 is a big improvement over the original Switch in a lot of important ways. Yet I miss the days when every new Nintendo console was a wild swing, a crazy move that no one in the industry could predict. Even the Switch caught us all flat-footed. A portable/console hybrid? Sheer madness! But those days of lunatic innovation might be behind us, at least for the foreseeable future. Like the smartphone, the Switch is the end result of a long evolutionary chain. Without some unforeseen technological leap, this is what gaming looks like going forward.

There’s a lot of ports in the Switch 2’s launch library. Original, dedicated titles are coming at a drip-feed pace. While this does feel underwhelming, it’s also a real kindness. First-party Switch 2 games aren’t cheap. Here in Canada, Mario Kart World is $109.99. That’s a 30-dollar markup compared to the last generation. So maybe it’s good that the next big Switch 2 game isn’t coming out for another month or so. While this won’t be the standard price for first-party games, they’re still more expensive than ever before.

Nintendo’s newest console is just what we needed. It’s a sleeker, more powerful, well-constructed successor to the Nintendo Switch. The Joy-Cons connect more cleanly, the mouse function is intuitive, and the screen is even bigger. Nintendo games can finally achieve some version of 4K, and at 60fps to boot. It’s a safer bet than I’m used to from Nintendo, but that’s what the moment calls for. The games come with a bit of sticker shock, to be sure. And the launch lineup is a little thin. But the Switch 2 has a lot of plainly obvious potential right from the start. I’m excited to see what this console can do, and what devs can do with it. If you can afford the upgrade, the Nintendo Switch 2 is the superior successor to the Nintendo Switch.

***A retail version of the product was provided by the manufacturer***