Switch 2: Some initial thoughts –

Many people were very disappointed when Nintendo finally showed the Switch 2 in February – and loaded it up with a short video that really only confirmed that the new Switch did indeed look almost exactly like the old Switch and that Mario Kart 9 was on the way. Then it was said that we would learn more in April.

To say the least, an unconventional way to announce hardware, but we waited, speculated, persisted, read leaks and bided our time. Today, however, it was time to show off the device, and I was one of those who thought Nintendo had made a mess of it beforehand. On one hand, Switch 2 felt a little too much like Switch 1.5 rather than something new, and on the other hand, I wasn’t entirely impressed with the graphics in the case of Mario Kart World. The console was said to be as powerful as the PlayStation 4 Pro, and you know as well as I do what it spit out in the case of The Last of Us: Part II, for example.

So did Nintendo deliver? Unfortunately, I have to answer “no” to that question, because although there was a big bag of candy on offer, a little too much of it felt to me like that cheap off-brand that always ends up last in the loose bag. But let’s see what was there.

The event began with the only game we really knew was coming to the console, Mario Kart World. And as usual, it appeared that Nintendo had no plans whatsoever to just release a sequel with more tracks and new drivers. Here, the entire game system has been thoroughly revamped and racing now takes place in an open world. Instead of short laps, cups go between different parts of the world and 24 players can play.

There are also new game mechanics such as sliding along rails, wall jumping and the ability to ride on water. We also saw several returning power-ups, as well as new ones, such as the ability to throw Hammer Bros hammers, which we hope will be fun. Because the world and tracks are so much larger, there are some concerns that the local multiplayer may be a little less intense, but hopefully it will be as great as it was in Mario Kart 8. If I had to comment on anything, I would have to say that the graphical jump is a little less than I expected from a Switch 2 exclusive title.

Of course, the most interesting thing beforehand was the device’s release date and price tag. The former was revealed fairly early in the stream and it appears that the device will launch on June 5. However, no prices were mentioned, which is perhaps not surprising as they are downright outrageous. A physical version of Mario Kart World, for example, costs €90. The console will not launch at favorable prices either, costing €470 without games and €510 with Mario Kart World – which I assume will be by far the most popular package. If you add an extra set of Joy-Cons, a Pro Controller, two games, the new Switch 2 Camera (I’ll come back to it) and Nintendo Switch Online, about €1000 feels like something you can count on for a fairly normal starter package.

The console comes with about the same kit as the previous Switch, which in practice means the console, a docking station, two Joy-Cons with straps, a Grip (which allows you to use them as a hand controller), USB cable, HDMI cable and charger. This time the standard is a much better screen with a full 7.9 inches in 1080p resolution and 120Hz. This should obviously be considered a very big boost, and if you play the dock, you can run in both 4K and 120 frames per second.

Storage is also revised with 256GB of built-in memory. Granted, less than, say, the Xbox Series S, but games will generally require significantly less space than Xbox players are used to these days. Other things we applaud are dual USB C ports (one at the top allowing USB accessories to be connected even when docked), a significantly better stand, improved audio and overall compatibility with Switch 1.

Backwards compatibility deserves special mention, as some games will get enhanced support to really take advantage of the new console’s capabilities and performance. This includes, for example, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, both of which will have improved graphics and fluidity, as well as some minor gameplay news. In the case of Super Mario Party Jamboree, however, it is heavily loaded with new mini-games that take advantage of the new console that include camera mechanics and the fact that Joy-Cons for Switch 2 can be used as a kind of computer mouse. Nice – but these upgrades cost money. They should follow in Microsoft’s footsteps and offer old versions in an upgraded state for free instead of trying to hollow out loyal customers for more money.

Speaking of backwards compatibility, we can also mention Nintendo Switch Online getting a much-needed feature, namely the addition of Gamecube games. Added in a first round are F-Zero GX (finally, but where is our remake or sequel Nintendo?), The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and Soul Calibur II. Spontaneously a stingy selection and I have to wonder why they are exclusive to Switch 2? Seems like an artificial limitation since so many games from Gamecube and Wii have been released for Switch in updated state. However, more games will be added and when a Gamecube wireless controller is sold at the same time, it’s hard to complain.

One of the things that got the most time was the new features Nintendo calls Game Chat and Game Share. The former is conveniently used with the aforementioned Switch 2 Camera, a webcam that lets you see those you’re chatting with while they can see you. The idea is that you can play different games, chat while you play and watch what the others are doing. The setup looks pretty slick, but unfortunately I find it hard to see a real need for this and think it’s a feature that very few Switch users have asked for.

We’ve talked about Game Share before, but basically it’s the ability to play your games on more than one device so you don’t have to buy them twice. We suspect this will be a popular feature especially for families, making it a little cheaper and easier to run popular single-player titles.

So what should we play for Switch 2? Nintendo’s partners had a plethora of games in the pipeline, many of which are critically acclaimed games that have not been available on Switch before, not least Cyberpunk 2077, Elden Ring, Final Fantasy VII: Remake, Hogwarts Legacy and Street Fighter 6, almost all of which will be released on the first day. However. While this is good news, these are games that are at least two years old. That’s not why I buy a new console, and I would have liked more new titles, more from Nintendo itself, and less from what feels like leftovers (no offense to Yakuza 0, for example – but we still play that best on PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series S/X).

Fortunately there was some news, not least Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, which will certainly be fun but will also have the weaknesses of the Musou games, and the FromSoftware title The Duskbloods, which almost feels like a spiritual sequel to Bloodborne.

What about Nintendo itself? Well, in addition to Mario Kart World, the brand new Kirby Air Riders, created by Masahiro Sakurai (the father of the Smash Bros series) was also on display. Like its predecessors, this is a racing game, but I honestly find it hard to get excited. Couldn’t this have been F-Zero? The other major new game – and the last to be shown from Switch 2 – on display, however, was more exciting, namely Donkey Kong Bananza. Developed by EAD Tokyo (the Super Mario Odyssey team), it looked phenomenally beautiful and showed off the new Donkey Kong design we had seen before. Spontaneous feels very nice, but still not the big surprise that was needed and not the crescendo that the Switch 2 presentation was worth.

To some extent, the event suffered from the fact that so much had been leaked in advance, but unlike all the hardware Nintendo has released since the Nintendo DS premiered in 2004, the console doesn’t feel exciting, the games not as enticing as we know Nintendo can be, and the features are a little too often things that are more interesting to streamers than to the regular gamers who make up Nintendo’s core audience. In addition, it’s hard to see past the unreasonably high price tags where Nintendo still wants to charge money for upgrades to games.

I realize I sound very critical here, but I’m not really. Switch 2 is promising and I’m looking forward to playing Mario Kart World at its premiere, and I’m sure I’ll be buying a console. That said, I can’t say Nintendo blew me away, and I don’t think they’ve ever had so little to say about a new console that really made me drool. Too cowardly and not exciting enough, unfortunately, because Switch 2 deserves better and Nintendo knows we can certainly do better.