Nintendo Switch 2: The final preview

Nintendo Switch 2: The final preview

The gaming gods have trained us to expect a new Nintendo console every decade. The arrival of the Switch 2 on June 5th is a supernova of hype, combining birthday celebrations, graduations, and every holiday wish list ever known.

Perplexity: 35.4 | Burstiness: 0.94

However, before jumping on the bandwagon, it is paramount to understand that “claiming one’s share of the future” is a matter that extends far beyond mere fanboy fervor. After a stretch of combined 15 hours attempting to master the Switch 2 in two secret sessions, I allow myself to give you the final verdict on: should one shell out his last dime and reorder life around the latest from Nintendo, or should he restrain himself a tad?

Heads up; an in-hand preview is essential. Unlike other instances in previous years, these will not be sent to us for review before launch. That should just be the secret, as this will be the most thorough information available before they start selling later this week.

Design

Nintendo Switch 2 with its Joy-Con detached.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

The upcoming Nintendo console has not drunk much from the Switch magic. Think of the original Switch, only somewhat refined: the familiar tablet form factor for portable use, detachable Joy-Cons, a dependable kickstand on the back, and the ability to dock that goes to the TV. Yet, underneath the familiar facade, Nintendo appears to have scooped into every piece of it in one way or another to subtly but profoundly enhance the core experience.

Say goodbye to squinting, the Switch 2 boasts a much larger and more vibrant display, stretching 7.9 inches from the 6.2 inches in the original. With a crisp dimension of 1920×1080, this switch does away with OLED. Making use of the latest LCD technology delivers sublime visuals to the point where distinguishing between the two in well-lit environments is challenging. And the buttery-smooth gameplay with HDR support and a variable 120Hz refresh rate from the device itself awaits you.

HDR on the Nintendo Switch 2's screen.

A glint light from the rear wheel, bearing the full sign of HDR magic courtesy of the Switch 2.

(Sam Rutherford for Engadget)

Throw out all the preconceived notions about Joy-Con. Nintendo has secretly created a revolution with that familiar silhouette in hand. These controllers are not merely controllers; they are instruments of precision. In place of fiddly clips comes something much more satisfying: a magnetic snap that offered pure, unadulterated joy. Bigger, bolder, and with the option of a new massive release button, detaching them suddenly feels good. But that’s just surface deep. HD Rumble 2 isn’t just rumble; it’s an orchestra of sensation, a delicate language of feedback that puts youinsidethe game. Feel that gravel subtly shifting beneath tires, that ice barely clinking within the glass. This is not just a game; this is an experience.

Additional surprises wait in the wings. Get ready for a hardware shock: your Joy-Cons double up as mice! Nintendo put cameras in each Joy-Con’s entire edge so that, when turned sideways, they could serve as quite impressive pointing devices. I entered as a doubter, came out a believer. Right Joy-Con as a mouse, left one as a traditional controller is my new favorite thing, especially while flying through shooters like the upcoming Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. Oh, Game Chat also got a funny little “C” button, and that oddity will be getting our attention very soon.

You can activate mouse mode for the Switch 2's Joy-Con simply by turning them on their side in supported games.

You can activate mouse mode for the Switch 2’s Joy-Con simply by turning them on their side in supported games.

(Sam Rutherford for Engadget)

No mousepad, then. As a makeshift mouse, Joy-Con performed in all sorts of unconventional terrains very competently. Couch arm? Pants leg? It actually works well. But let’s be real, purists, Gifted with an almost mythical precision, the Joy-Con just does not match up to the old mouse. The tiny, sideways sort of mish-mash does feel novel but will feel wholly unsatisfying due to its wobbly edge of inaccuracy.

The million-dollar question, kept in strict confidentiality by Nintendo, is drift. Will these posh new Joy-Cons eventually suffer the same analog-stick ailments that affected their predecessors, the original Switch? Nintendo boasts of a new internal design that grants it higher resistance. But then, how do we take promises? The only way to know is through torturous button-mashing, thousands of hours of gameplay, and the ever-persistent aging of the hardware. Drift, therefore, seems to be that spectral entity that still haunts the corridors of Nintendo.

Performance

The Switch 2's home screen will look very familiar for anyone who owned the previous model.

Nintendo

The Switch 2 is the beast wrapped in dread and mystery. Intrepid souls would sell their firstborn to get hold of those specs. This powerhouse is based on a custom NVIDIA chip that supports real-time ray tracing, G-Sync, and DLSS. Nintendo boasts of not an incremental upgrade but an astonishing 10x graphics performance over the OG Switch.

Beyond raw muscle, the Switch 2 boasts a gargantuan 12GB RAM and 256GB of internal UFS storage (232GB is actually usable), affording games accelerated smoothness in loading. Need more space? Well, you can simply just pop in an Express microSD card. Hardcore audiophiles will be happy to hear that the 3.5mm jack is back, baby! Connectivity-wise, get blazing-fast Wi-Fi 6 and dual USB-C ports; however, the upper one does not output video. The future of handheld gaming has finally arrived, and it’s looking truly spectacular!

Why was the Switch 2 purportedly so powerful? Just look at the third-party launch lineup. Not upgrades, but an ocean of ports that were considered impossible before. Imagine the thrill of wading through neon lit vistas ofCyberpunk 2077in handheld mode, experiencing the gritty underworld ofYakuza 0 Director’s Cut, or going full incarnate inHitman World of Assassinationwhile on the move. These aren’t mere ports; they’re a statement. Saying the Switch 2 is for real. Titles the competitors of Nintendo considered impossible are here to stay.

Battery life

The Switch 2 has two USB-C ports, though only the one on the bottom supports video out.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

Nintendo states 2 to 6.5 hours of playtime for the Switch 2, thanks to its 5,220mAh battery. But is that really true in the real world? I decided to find out during my latest hands-on and I tested it with Mario Kart World. At max brightness and handheld mode, the system went from 100% to 81% in 30 minutes. So we’re looking at about two and a half hours of intense kart-racing action before it needs to be recharged.

I mean, numbers-wise, this sounds disappointing, but consider this: the test was a draconian torture. Wi-Fi blazing, and the screens very bright. Well, it’s basically running a marathon in full armor, eh? Further, we hear a few rustlings that some devices, Switch 2 being one of them, might charge fast if ever the battery’s practically full to the brim. The good news? An hour or more could be wrung out with a couple of smart changes, like dimming the brightness or turning off Wi-Fi. And if you’re playing a classic Switch game? Suddenly, six and-a-half hours, as Nintendo said, is very likely.

Nintendo’s launch titles and third-party games

It's important to note that the Switch 2 bundle with Mario Kart World comes with a digital download instead of a physical game cartridge.

It’s your moment to shine! The Switch 2 Mario Kart World bundle goes one step ahead in your journey by providing with an instant digital download right into the zip for-go, absent of an actual cartridge.

(Sam Rutherford for Engadget)

This original Switch was synonymous with Nintendo exclusives and adorable indies, often being sidelined from the spotlight by its Xbox and PlayStation should-have-been-stronger. The forthcoming Switch 2, however, holds great promise for great third-party titles such as Elden Ring and Borderlands 4. And yet, the early batch of first-party Nintendo titles feels so… thin. Apart from the exhilaration of Mario Kart World and the inaugural Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, the key titles on launch day just don’t fill you properly.

Late 2025 sees the arrival of the Switch 2, putting on an elaborate exhibition of adventures: “Donkey Kong Bananza,” the mysterious “Metroid Prime 4: Beyond,” and a slick-return for “Kirby Air Riders.” Then comes the huge ready-to-play library from your current Switch catalog. If your own backlog is a bit short of Mount Everest, don’t worry about Day 1. That is to say, the opening week might be more “meh” than “must-have” for you.

Nintendo Switch 2: The final preview

The Welcome Tour of Nintendo Switch 2 gets you shoved between tutorial frenzies and quizzes testing the user’s ability with the console! Afterward, it’s time for fun with bizarre mini-games wherein you should pilot a UFO through a storm of sharp space debris by using just some precise mouse-mode skills! Prepare for launch!

(Nintendo)

Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour? Well, a sort of preliminary demonstration of what one can expect on the new hardware. But charging $10 for something that should’ve been complimentary feels like daylight robbery! There is no “Astro’s Playroom” in this game-the PS5-maker of miracles. This is at best for far only-the-most-genteel-minded Nintendo afficionados.

Mario Kart World isn’t really just a sequel; rather, it’s this vibrant, crazy ambitious evolutionary step in the franchise itself. Nintendo admits the development started in 2017- five years of development and you can feel every little touch. No longer do you load isolated tracks; instead, you are presented with this gigantic interconnected world awaiting you for the brand-new free-roam mode. The roster is huge. The vehicles? The mind can’t comprehend. And about this new boosting mechanic: Forget drifting- almost everywhere, you can now click boosts, and I’m told it’s somehow an antidote for blue shell. Eh, I’m terrible at timing down that phone…

Cheep cheep might be my favorite new character in Mario Kart World.

Forget everything you think you know about Mario Kart. Cheep Cheep, the aquatic terror, is here to overturn the world of Mario Kart on its fins. This is not just an aquatic animal in a kart; it is a primal, humorous joy. Envision that blank stare, a tiny flipper on the steering wheel, and the absolute ridiculous joy of a banana peel being thrown out of the gills of a creature absolutely out of its element. Cheep Cheep in Mario Kart simply is not-a-character; it is a Dadaist masterpiece on wheels.

(Sam Rutherford for Engadget)

Mario Kart Party: The same addictive racing action, now with 24-player chaos! The gameplay is still fun and entertaining, but imagine how crazy this game must be when someone attempts to race down the mid-pack, complete with a barrage of shells and banana peels. Of course, fun forbids skipping Mario Kart World on your Switch 2. A heads-up for everybody buying the bundle: the game itself is purchased via a digital download; no physical cartridge is included. Other than that inconvenience, it’s a very good investment in that the bundle does nearly $30 off the price of the game.

Important add-ons and accessories

So, you got yourself a Nintendo Switch 2. Sweet! More onboard storage than the last one (256GB!), but before you gettoocomfy downloading, think about this: Mario Kart World clocks in at a hefty 23.4GB. Translation? That internal space can vanish faster than Bowser steals stars. Seriously consider getting a microSD Express card. Future you will thank you.

The Switch 2's camera can be used to capture your friends' faces and add them into a game.

Nintendo

Dust off those old microSD cards! The Switch 2 now wants speed, so they’re all for the new microSD Express format. Warp-speed file transfers and lightning-fast game loading might get a quadruple boost with it. Aspected performance boost means bad price. Something around $60 for a 256GB card. Just have a deep breath; if-lg-need-a-dent-in-your-budget 1TB comes in above $200! Have an appetite? Then, check out our Guide to Best microSD Express Cards for the Switch 2.

But the real shifting is a camera. It is used in switching 2 for video chatting, and on the other hand, it makes old-time classic new-generic-video-hilarity in “Mario Kart World” and “Super Mario Party Jamboree”. Picture your face slapped onto a Goomba, or a kart driven with your friend’s face on it! The official Nintendo camera is $50, but strange third-party options can be found. Case in point: Hori’s Piranha Plant camera, seductively cute and ready to indulge in jawsome gameplay.

The importance of Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack

Nintendo Switch Online: Your Gateway to Retro Bliss (and Future-Proofing!)

This is the ideal way to maximize your Nintendo Switch with the yearly price of just $20. Considering the value, the system is a bargain: online battles and trash-talking your friends (Game Chat, of course) and an honorable mention to classic Nintendo titles from NES, SNES, and Game Boy storage-galore on demand.

In other words, those pixelated pursuits and 8-bit Corsevale will be waiting for you.

And that’s not all! Nintendo Switch Online offers you that safety net. Cloud saves keep your progress intact, while seamless data transfer ensures that when you eventually upgrade to the Switch 2, your gaming legacy continues. Think about it: a necessity for recreating the past and setting up the future.

The Switch 2's Pro Controller comes with customizable paddles around back.

Say goodbye to the Joy-Con controllers and allow for your Switch to unleash its full power. Docked gameplay means that the Pro Controller is not optional but a direct conduit to gaming nirvana.

(Sam Rutherford for Engadget)

The $50-a-year Nintendo NSO + Expansion Pack isn’t just a sad excuse for nostalgic N64, Sega Genesis, and GameCube games; it’s an actual adrenaline rush for your existing Switch library. The VIP pass to enhanced versions of giants likeBreath of the Wild,Tears of the Kingdom,andPokémon Scarlet & Violetbasically means better framerates and additional features, like the Notes app for Zelda, and HDR support for a handful of games, giving a new coat of paint to cherished oldies. The launch lineup for Switch 2 got you worried? Can’t let NSO + Expansion Pack convert your current console into a den of upgraded adventures?

Game Chat

Enough of backroom whispers and convoluted workarounds. The Switch 2 just dropped the mic, and it was Game Chat. Yeah, yeah, maybe Nintendo just now discovered Discord. But hear me out; this is not some half-baked knockoff. With a dedicated button and dead-simple interface, Game Chat captivates me for the sheer convenience it offers. Sure, Nintendo’s late to the party, but by gosh, they just might have perfected it.

A screenshot from Nintendo of what Game Chat looks like in Mario Kart World with four other people sharing their video streams.

Nintendo

Dive into dynamic, colorful hangouts! Build a custom chat sanctuary or crash on your friends’ converted techno-parties. Finish adjusting your sharing setup, then jump into it for glorious collaborative sharing. Go voice-only for serious strategizing, or open a view to highlight the glorious crashing that your crew is indulging in, live. Juggle four video feeds, and start assembling your comrades – a total of twelve people can take the digital scene! Need some help keeping up with the chitchat? Engage live speech-to-text (or text-to-speech) supporting a wide range of global languages. Connect, communicate, conquer!

Alternate description: Picnic-style hangouts couldn’t be more customized! Build an ideal colocated chat environment or just drop in on your friend’s converted techno-party setup. A little more tweaking of your sharing setup, and then into the glorious collaborative sharing. Depending on the mood, go pure voice if you really need to strategize, or open the view that highlights glory crushing your crew’s indulging might in, live. Juggle four video feeds, and start assembling your comrades – there’s room for up to twelve people to take the digital scene! Need some help keeping up with the chitchat? Turn on live speech-to-text (or text-to-speech), supporting worldwide languages. Connect, communicate, conquer!

If Nintendo gives the parents control, we say, “Goodbye, stranger danger! With Parental Control, you select who partners your child online, giving her a safe and joy-filled digital playground.”

To a certain extent, the video stumbles. Enabling face cutout or background removal introduces noticeable jagged edges-a minor visual hiccup in an otherwise smooth performance.

TV compatibility

Don’t let the TV stand in the way of Switch 2’s graphical muscle. Make sure that the display is 4K/60Hz or capable of 1440p/120Hz to unleash this visual smorgasbord. The Switch 2 may have serenaded VRR at a slippery 120fps, but restricting its grace to the built-in screen only does seem like a tease.

On each of the Switch 2's Joy-Con, there's a small sensor that allows each controller to serve as a mouse.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

Well, actually, Force stopped with the fact that Switch 2 might not eclipse PS5 and Xbox Series X in terms of raw power-for native 4K, that is. But then again, rumors have it that it could be looking at smooth-as-butter 120 frames per second at 1440p. Remember the age-old Switch? It did not even aspire to 4K. For a handheld hybrid, it is quite serious progress, indeed, and the truth? I’m here for it.

Budget considerations

The Switch 2 hits the shelves at $450 (or $500 with Mario Kart World), a price that might make your wallet really sing, especially when you compare it with the $300 original Switch debut. Is $450 too much? Let’s just skip the debate and look at the numbers. That original Switch of 2017? Well, thanks to inflation, it’s about $400 in today’s dollars. And that figure doesn’t account for tariffs and taxes that shade the waters even more.

But the sting comes when you calculate thetruecost. This way, it’s more than just Switch 2. There’s that Switch Online subscription, those compelling launch-day games, some cool looking new Joy-Cons. Are you all about that multiplayer, family fun, and pitching for more than one console? Well, wallet-weeping is about to commence.

Future outlook

Way back in 2017, when my launch-day Switch was taken out of the box, I never would have visualized it becoming a steadfast companion for the next eight years. Now, with a gleam in my eye and an empty wallet waiting to be filled, I anticipate what looks to be a monumental upgrade. I have no doubt that those fast enough to pre-order are busy counting down the days until release as well.

Just like its predecessor, the Switch 2 comes with a built-in kickstand.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

The Switch 2 isn’t an elevation in tier but rather something that exists in a different dimension. It is the essence of the original infused with adrenaline rush in every pixel and polygon. The price does stand tall and proud with its premium label. From another perspective, though, you are not buying a game console but more like a gateway to the gaming nirvana: both on the TV and on the go. When compared with the walled gardens of Microsoft and Sony, the Switch 2 offers freedom and flexibility, with the genuine gaming experience worth every cent.

With a sketchy launch lineup, the Nintendo Switch 2 could feel underwhelming at first glance. The genius move of backward compatibility allows us to keep entertained with the classics whilst awaiting the real heavy-hitters. And I have to say, this surge in third-party support is a game-changer. Sure, we all look forward to the upcoming Donkey Kong Bananza and the eventual Metroid Prime 4, but the huge pile of games available makes that wait a lot less painful. It’s a clever strategy that is really coming to fruition.

Missing out on the launch of the Switch 2? No worries. Mario Kart World is a system seller, and the game will keep us busy for just about a decade, but there is no ultimate experience missing from your life yet. Consider your strategic pause. The real grounds for victory will be the securing of your Switch 2 by year’s end, when the real heavy hitters arrive. Trust me-that Switch 2 magic is good already from previews but really explodes with mates. And let’s be real, the blast will die out. Use the time to plan, save, and prepare for the real sprint: qui est le mieux placé pour get-their ultimate multiplayer squad set up.

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