Today is the brand-new day! Last evening, world gamers got a big hit with the release of the Nintendo Switch 2. Lucky pre-order buyers are already into the game, and apparently, Walmart customers got their hands on the golden ticket delivery in the morning, with impromptu snacks and drinks. I guess they were not among the few that got to pre-order in April! No worries! Many have been lucky in their hunting bouts at physical stores, so the Switch 2 hype is far from over. The game is on.
Day two unleashed! We’ve peeled away the plastic cover of Nintendo’s $449 portable powerhouse-The Switch 2. New software, unrestricted access. Forget the play-by-plays from yesterday; they were just appetizers. Dive into the liveblog for a reverse-chronological deep dive-the real impressions begin now.
At dusk, time to have a little session in retrospect following the Switch 2 saga in full view. The search for Nintendo’s recently announced console is an experience with two sides. The days in the elements have treated the buff very well, with considered few hits on the Switch 2 without the assurance of a pre-dated order. And the online hopefuls, in contrast, have been drying out in a drought: even our team members who patiently pre-ordered are stuck in delivery limbo. Take, for example, Aaron Souppouris. What’s arrived to taunt him are…controllers. The presence of the peripheral has been a taunt in the absence of the Switch 2, absent in its journey.”
Our senior reviewer, Sam Rutherford, stays up late to present the ultimate verdict upon the Switch 2. Meanwhile, dropping early impressions in the live blog is another pressure Sam has shouldered, and when it comes to brightness, this is yet another hit: The lightmeter clocked brightness levels at 450 nits with ambient brightness kicking in and this level dips to 400 without. Now, some might few these numbers with raised eyebrows when considering an HDR-equipped unit, yet the actual test of performance is in gaming. The good thing is that, based on our findings, certain titles are way overachieving in pushing that brightness level to the upper end of the scale. The full story will be soon available.
Sam’s really been testing the new console, and so far, it has shown no signs of overheating – not to the failure of the dock’s built-in fan. He finds it sleeker and more premium in design. The dock only has three USB ports, one less than the original. However, the console gains one port itself, meaning they’re even.
Still, the dock is not without a catch: a single USB-C port, and it is occupied by the power cord. That leaves only two USB-A ports, thus sending you on a mad rush for adapters for the latest USB-C accessories, like the alleged Switch 2 camera. OK, well, the accessory can be plugged in directly onto the console, but that’s going to be another dance of wrangling for the users constantly docking and undocking.
Missed the buzz? Sam Rutherford and Devindra Hardawar broke down the juiciest tech news on the livestream of the Engadget Podcast! Go to YouTube to check their unfiltered impressions and a sneak peek of the live Q&A with the audience.
When are your ready button it? Burrow yourself in all of our past coverage, as you breeze through highlights of this confirmed bounty of information up to this point.
Nintendo Switch 2: An Impression – A Glimpse Behind the Curtain. Nintendo held a private event for us to view their latest platform a month ago. This is still not the final verdict, but here comes your front-row seat to listen in on our first impressions.
The Nintendo Switch 2: still a whisper in the wind, yet the search is ON. Amazon’s mysteriously silent, but we’re hustling to find any sign of life in Walmart, GameStop, and Target’s virtual shelves. Want to get your piece of the action?
Your treasure hunt starts here:
- (Walmart):[Link to Walmart’s Nintendo Switch page]
- (GameStop):[Link to GameStop’s Nintendo Switch page]
- (Target):[Link to Target’s Nintendo Switch page]
However, savvy gamer, remember, the product page DOES NOT secure you one. Good fortune with your clicks!
Forget everything you know about memory cards! The Switch 2 calls for a whole new microSD format for expandable storage. Jeff Dunn goes boldly into the future of gaming storage to look at the choices that will power your next adventure.
And now our liveblog of our second day with the Switch 2.
Live
6 updates
Switch 2 Pro Controller
(Devindra Hardawar for Engadget)
Cherlynn, my mind’s whirling with thoughts about Switch controllers, and it’s all about the joy of that satisfying “thunk” sound of the Joy-Con 2. It’s actually therapeutic ASMR for gamers. But before that, let’s shower some love upon the new Switch 2 Pro controller, OK? The original Pro controller? An insult! Far too flimsy and plasticky… un-Nintendo, really. This iteration, however, looks as if Nintendo took some cues from the Xbox Elite and PlayStation DualSense Edge. Oh, at long last, a Pro controller worthy of its title!
The remapping of two rear buttons is my plus one; it just elevates all other things that make the Switch 2 Pro controller feel premium, which right now is a downside to many of the offerings on the market. Think sleek, smooth plastic; responsive, comfortable joysticks; and face buttons that feel imbued with an unbreakable spirit. Honestly? I’m hooked. Tune in next week for a full review after a weekend deep-dive from me.
The old Switch Pro Controller was fine, but it felt like a true premium experience-genuine upgrade. Devindra hit the nail on the head with it: the difference is plainly audible in my own voice. Rear buttons? Game-changer.
Not just a step ahead but a bridge between generations. Keep calm and carry on, Switch loyalists! Your old game library goes with you, and the accessories that you have passed down through generations are also still worthy of use. Now that should save you some money because one might have thought on replacing every single Pro Controller just to have all members of the family engaged in fragging. Bigger on dusting off that Ring Fit Adventure! New Joy-Cons will not work with the old straps, however, with the original Joy-Cons, you will be able to carry on with your fitness journey on the new console.
What win for gamers everywhere! If the Switch 2 could be charged with just any portable battery pack, that would be something marvelous! Ever since original Switch’s quirky USB-C charging, with many so-called universal chargers being refused, such compatibility feels like an absolute win.
You can use an iPhone as a camera for your Switch 2
Nintendo Switch 2 is here already; however, the internet has already gone mad with criticism against it. Let us not think of gaming-the real fun lies in the autopsy. Now, gamers are deep diving into controllers and really pushing the limits of this console. We already knew USB-C cameras worked, but the kicker here is that with right cable wizardry you could have the iPhone camera on the other side; who needs such expensive streaming hardware?
More on that from Kris Holt:
“YouTube channel Will It Work? has demonstrated how to use an iPhone as a camera for the console.
Forget about connecting your iPhone directly to the Switch 2 via USB-C. That won’t work. Trust me, I tried it. Want to make the iPhone into a makeshift camera for the Switch 2? Get ready for some real cable gymnastics. You’d need a USB-C to HDMI adapter combined with an HDMI capture cable to link the whole set to your new console. Even then will the Switch 2 know the phone as a camera. Bonus points: This Frankenstein setupjust mightalso be usable for Android.
Read more:You can use an iPhone as a Nintendo Switch 2 camera*
The Switch 2 battery life: down in real life, drained out with Mario Kart! At 100%, battery was drained the whole night for a God-locked excess of Mario Kart. What came out of it was two hours and twenty-three minutes of frantic karting. That playtime perfectly fits my previous hands-on comments, suggesting consistent performance.
So, the Switch Lite didn’t do too well on its Endurance Test-the charm lasted roughly two hours on this device. Before you do grab your pitchforks, I want to share the details with you: brightness was set at supernova levels-with 400 nits-and auto brightness was off. Why the torture test? Because I’d rather tell the real battery life story rather than construct some rosy story that shepherds you into disbelief as soon as you really sit down and play.
Talk about the hottest new product of the season! The next-generation Switch is impending, and we are thrilled to give you our first impressions. Consider this more of a behind-the-scenes view into how the Engadget team is weighing in to arrive at the final impressions. Our definitive version will be prepared by Sam Rutherford and will surely be worth the wait, but for now, enjoy the ongoing discussion with various members of our team weighing in on Nintendo’s potential next big hit.
Thanks for reading Nintendo Switch 2: Early review thoughts from our first days with the gaming system
