The Nintendo Switch 2 Is Incredible... But I’m Not Sure You Should Buy It Yet
A deep dive into the upgrades, the magic, and the strange launch situation
The Nintendo Switch 2 is a console I was waiting on for a while, since its first early leaks. Not only because I was excited to see a brand-new console from Nintendo, but because I needed to get a new Nintendo Switch as mine was fighting demons while my little brother was playing on it.
My older brother wasn’t looking to get it when the pre-orders dropped around the end of April, but I had to lock in with Walmart. Shoutout to Jake Randall on Twitter/YouTube because his tips on how to get a console helped immensely. It helped so much that the console came to my house on release day before 9 a.m., Walmart did not lie!
Unfortunately, I did not get lucky with getting the free snacks like everyone else was getting.
🎮 Getting Started with the Console
I made an unboxing video for the Switch 2, that’s how excited I was. When I got the Nintendo Switch 2, it was a sad day for my original Switch because I was going through the system transfer process. It felt bittersweet, and I just know my original Switch was sick to its stomach.
Nintendo made it seem like everything on the original Switch would be deleted and reset to factory settings, but everything actually stayed the same for me. Some games that I did transfer, like Breath of the Wild, didn’t fully go through. I remember beating that game, but my save file didn’t show that at all, and I had way fewer hearts than before.
It’s fine by me though because I was going to replay the game anyway. The setup was nice with the little music that they had in the background. And I loved the way that all the icons popped into place… but after that, there’s no music.
That’s really something that I miss from the previous game consoles Nintendo created, like the Wii, Wii U, and 3DS. The only things you will hear are the sounds moving around the OS and clicking on a game or app like GameChat… but I digress.
The operating system is familiar, pretty much exact to the Switch 1. They recently updated the OS for both Switch 1 and 2, adding things like GameChat, Game Share, Virtual Game Cards, and more, which in turn brought in a lot of color pop into the white or black background.
That’s also something that stayed the same… no themes. They changed the themes from Basic White and Black to Light and Dark. Same thing. Hopefully in the future they bring out something new.
🛠️ Hardware, Build Quality, and Handheld Wins
The hardware for the Nintendo Switch 2 is actually a great feature. Not only is it so durable (thank you JerryRig for testing!), but it is very sleek and I love the magnetic feature of the controller.
It removes and snaps on so good, and it’s really durable! I also like the screen size of the Switch, it makes games look so grand on the screen, and the brightness is nice, especially coming from the original Nintendo Switch. I had the Animal Crossing one.
What I am very happy about is the stand for the handheld. The original Switch had this small stick that had to hold up the entire console that broke off a lot, but this one is much more sturdy and feels a lot better to play games portable on a table with friends, especially with the bigger screen.
The sound of the handheld mode really is great, it is loud as heck and I appreciate that a lot. I love the feature of using the Joy-Con as a mouse, although I don’t have a game yet to use it on (maybe I can try it with Splatoon 2), it feels very responsive with navigating the menu and scrolling.
The fact that you can just switch immediately from controller to mouse is like magic. I also really like the fact that they included peripherals like the Joy-Con controller handle rather than having us buy it separate (although the charging one you have to buy) and the Joy-Con straps that can also be used for the mouse feature.
⚡ Internal Wins for All of Us!
Two of the biggest changes that I appreciate immensely, and that guarantee its spot next to the Xbox Series X|S and PS5, are the new internals like CPU and GPU and the SD Card Express requirement.
With the SD Card Express, games load sooo much faster than before. I wasn’t expecting to load and play Super Smash Bros so quickly and the game running smoothly no matter how many characters were on screen. Not only that, but games that took a while to load do an amazing job this time around, so fast traveling in Breath of the Wild or getting into free roam in Mario Kart World is almost instantaneous.
The internal storage of the Switch is a lot more too, thankfully, because the 32GB of the original Switch didn’t cut it at all!
Now, with the new Nvidia chip for the Switch 2, it has done wonders not only for awesome graphics for Fast Fusion or Donkey Kong Banaza but for older games as well, making the Switch 1 games run at 60fps if the frames were unlocked and actually be playable!
I played Pokémon Scarlet/Violet on the original Switch, and it didn’t run well at all. It felt like it was a low framerate a lot, many pop-ins, and it just felt like I literally had to skip the game for a bit because it just didn’t feel fun, even when docked.
Now on the Switch 2? It’s like night and day, so many Pokémon pop up on screen that you can catch, it is a smooth 60fps, and you can literally see the difference. Not only that, but it looks like a new game at times with the updated resolution that Nintendo has done, so it’s just amazing.
🌐 How Nintendo Switch Online Adds to the Experience
I am in the Nintendo Online Membership with the Expansion Pack with my brother and others, we got it recently for the Switch 2. For a while, we were fine with just the regular Nintendo Switch Online, but it was cool to upgrade because we were all excited to play the games they were going to introduce like Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness and Super Mario Strikers. Unfortunately, what Nintendo does is slowly introduce the games, so there are only three games on the GameCube list: Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, F-Zero GX, and Soulcalibur 2.
Granted, I enjoy those games a lot, especially Soulcalibur 2, but I just wish the games shown were all available. But the ones they put are great enough to wait out for the rest of them. Another thing I really liked about the Nintendo Switch Online service was that it included the Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom upgrade packs. I feel like they should add more upgrade packs like that to give more value to the subscription. It would make me revisit my games for sure, especially Kirby and the Forgotten Land!
I also enjoy the fact that you can get new profile pictures and create a new one from Mario Kart World, Splatoon 2, and more! We also have access to the other older consoles, which is great, but if someone doesn’t buy into the subscription, a person would only have access to a couple of games if they purchased them.
🧩 Game Share, GameChat, and Virtual Game Cards
When the Switch 2 was ready to release, they released an update that introduced GameChat, Game Share, and Virtual Game Cards.
They sounded like great additions, but some didn’t work as intended at first. Virtual Game Cards was cool, being able to share games with the console that was linked. But when the consoles were updated, it caused issues playing your own games, especially when I transferred my Switch 1 data to Switch 2. But when it worked as intended, it felt nice being able to easily share games and DLC.
Game Share is something that’s been there before on the DS/3DS, which was called Download Play. So, if a friend doesn’t have a game but you have it and it supports the feature, you both can play with the one copy, which I am so happy is back.
I wish Mario Kart World supported that feature, but I know Nintendo needs their money.
GameChat I got to try out a little bit, but not too much, but I do enjoy it! You and your friends can yap while playing the game, which brings the Switch up to par with Xbox parties and Discord.
I enjoy the fact that you can share gameplay and even have a camera to show your face! I do wish that games like Mario Kart World had in-game chat though, to trash talk. I am happy that you don’t need an extra microphone for someone to hear you, as the Switch 2 has its own internal mic, so Nintendo gets their props for that one!
💰 The Pricing and The Launch Lineup
Now that is the thing with the Nintendo Switch 2. The console is like $450, or $500 for the Mario Kart World bundle. If that is the only game that you got for the Switch 2, you will be playing that for a bit, and the other new game is Fast Fusion, which is also a racing game. I personally wouldn’t get the other games like Cyberpunk 2077 or Hogwarts Legacy since I already own those games, but I am happy that the Switch 2 can run these games really well.
Unfortunately, this is the new age Nintendo - so there is no pack in game like there was for the Nintendo Wii. There is a game though that does show off what the Nintendo Switch 2 can do, called the Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour but you better make sure to pay your $10 extra on top of what you already paid for the console itself. Not only that, but if you’re someone who doesn’t like dealing with subscriptions, you lose out on the upgrade packs. This means you would have to pay $70 or $80 just for rereleased games like Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom, and that is not cool at all.
🤔 Should You Buy It Right Now?
Right now, the Switch 2 may be a hard recommend for someone who played a lot of the Switch 1 games already, as there aren’t many new Nintendo first-party games for the Switch 2. Only Mario Kart World, Fast Fusion and Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion. There may be other games, but those may have already released on other consoles that you have already played like Cyberpunk 2077.
But if you’re someone new to the Switch and like portable devices to play games on, the Switch 2 is a great console to get right now! It has great backwards compatibility so any Switch 1 game you get, you can play it on the Switch 2 with better framerate and resolution. Not only that, but the games on top of Mario Kart World that are releasing like Splatoon Raiders, Fast Fusion, Donkey Kong Banaza, and Metroid Prime 4 are insane!
🧠 Final Thoughts
The Nintendo Switch 2 is a great console, although it can be expensive coming into it because a lot of the games range between $60–$80, with a couple of games being anomalies.
And there isn’t really something like Xbox Game Pass or PlayStation Plus in terms of getting your bang for your buck.
But it is a durable, fun device that I know will get amazing games, and I’m sure in the future we’ll get a lot of things like more Nintendo Switch Online features, themes, and maybe something like Miiverse!
I am really enjoying the Switch 2, even though I was having a sort of buyer’s remorse in the beginning, it really grew on me, and I am playing it every moment I can take, especially with Fortnite, because finally an actual portable way to play it and it looks great!
So, if anyone else has a Switch 2 or thinking of getting one, definitely leave a comment or send a DM about your experience or questions!