Nintendo Switch 2 review in progress

When the original Nintendo Switch launched in 2017, it shook up the very notion of what a gaming console could be, offering unprecedented versatility by allowing players to experience true console-quality gaming both at-home and on the go. Eight years later, the experiment has proven a success. Switch is one of the best-selling gaming systems of all time, boasting a staggering library of both first and third-party games, so it makes sense that Nintendo would choose to iterate on the platform rather than reinvent the wheel for its next console. Enter the Nintendo Switch 2, which finally landed in the hands of players nearly eight years after the launch of its predecessor, boasting more power, a bigger screen, and a few quirky new features.

The system has only been out a few days, and media outlets (including us) did not receive the console early like we did with the original Nintendo Switch. We don’t want to rush out a review just for the sake of it, but while we work on that over the next week or two, we did want to share some details of what our initial experience with the console has been like. We’re planning to put the system through its paces to thoroughly test things like battery life, traveling with the console, backwards compatibility, GameChat, and more, so check back here for our final, scored review soon.

As someone who has been actively playing the original Nintendo Switch since launch, on paper Nintendo Switch 2 is exactly what I wanted to them to make. It’s the same concept as the original, but with a more refined build quality, and the horsepower to keep up with more demanding modern games. I loved my original Switch (and the OLED model revision was even better), but over the past few years the console has struggled to keep up with the graphical demands that modern ports require, and even some Nintendo games have had performance issues. The original Switch also had several issues with build quality, and so at this point there were many people hankering for a more “premium” feeling console from Nintendo.

Taking the system out of the packaging for the first time, I was immediately impressed by the look and feel of the new console. Nintendo Switch 2 is a slick-looking machine, with it’s sleek, matte-black finish accentuated with understated pops of color. Both the tablet portion of the device and the Joy-Con 2 controllers are built of a soft-touch plastic with just the subtlest bit of texture to it, and it feels excellent in the hands. I’m hopeful that these new Joy-Con will be more resistant to sweat and grime as a result, although only time will tell on that one.

The bigger size of the controllers makes them much more adult-friendly – they fit much more comfortably in my hands, although they’re still not quite as ergonomic as the Steam Deck. All the buttons are just a bit bigger, too, most noticeably the triggers and the SL and SR inputs on the inner rails of the Joy-Con 2. We still don’t have analog triggers on Nintendo Switch 2, which is a disappointment. The PlayStation 5’s adaptive haptic triggers are best-in-class and add a considerable amount of immersion for me when their features are fully implemented, so I would have liked to see comparable tech in these new controllers, but oh well.

The face buttons feel satisfyingly clicky with just the right amount of travel, and the larger analog sticks have a little bit more range of motion to them, which I’m optimistic will allow for more precise character movement in games. That said, I’m a little concerned that the new control sticks will be more prone to issues. My concern lies in the fact that that the black rubber at the base of the sticks does not seem to extend far enough down over the pivot mechanism – so when the stick is fully moved to one side, it’s actually possible to glimpse into the mechanism of the stick itself. It seems like it’s just waiting to collect dust in there, although I hope I’m wrong.

Beyond that, the other big new change with the Joy-Con 2 controllers is how they attach to the system itself. The sliding rail mechanism of Nintendo Switch 1 has been replaced with a magnetic attachment system, and the new controllers simply snap on and off with a very satisfying sound. It’s a massive improvement, because while the process of attaching and detaching the controllers now feels effortless, when they are attached they also now feel significantly more sturdy. No longer do I have to worry about the cheap plastic of the original Joy-Con wearing down, causing my controllers to slide off my system during a play session (a common issue with the launch Nintendo Switch models). When attached, these new controllers have zero wiggle or give, so playing in handheld mode feels significantly better. The Joy-Con 2 controllers also feel very good in the included grip attachment, and the new wrist straps are also much easier to attach.

The final big change to the new controllers is the optical sensor on the inner rail of each one, which allows players to use the new controllers akin to a computer mouse. This is exciting as in theory, many game genres—from first-person shooters to complex building and management games – can benefit from the precision a mouse brings to the table, as PC gamers are well aware. I haven’t had the ability to test this thoroughly yet, but in Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, it feels very easy to use. As soon as you place the Joy-Con 2 down on its side, mouse mode automatically activates, and it only requires very small movements. I was able to easily use the control scheme on various surfaces: my leg, a couch cushion, the armrest of my sofa… so having a desk in front of you doesn’t seem necessary at all to use the new features. 

Moving onto the tablet portion of the device, we now have a noticeably bigger 7.9 inch LCD display on the front, clocking in at a wonderfully crisp 1080p. While initially I was disappointed that Nintendo didn’t splurge for an OLED panel, now that I’ve actually played some games on this thing, I can confidently say that this is the nicest display I’ve ever seen on a dedicated handheld gaming device. It’s sharp, very bright, and has the ability to reproduce very vibrant colors that honestly don’t have me missing my Nintendo Switch OLED at all. Games simply look immaculate on it, and the sheer size of the thing combined with higher resolution absolutely results in a more immersive experience when playing in handheld mode. The screen also supports HDR, allowing for more realistic lighting in supported games, and additionally has a 120hz refresh rate, meaning that games that run at high frame rates will look buttery smooth on the display.

I look forward to testing out the experience of playing in tabletop mode a bit more. The new kickstand looks flimsy, but feels quite sturdy, requiring a decent amount of force to extend. As someone who enjoyed placing my Nintendo Switch 1 on a tray table during a long flight to crank out some gameplay hours, I’m also grateful for the addition of a top-mounted USB port, which I expect will come in handy more often than some may expect. I have a trip coming up soon, so I’ll report back on the travel experience with the device shortly.

In docked mode, Switch 2 is even more a powerhouse – finally, after what feels like an eternity, we have a Nintendo console that can output games at 4K resolution with HDR support. While we’re still actively testing out games on this thing, the new releases that this reviewer has been playing have been nothing-short of stunning. Mario Kart World is one of Nintendo’s best-looking games ever, packed with charming details and vibrant locations that pop off the screen, and the HDR support and high frame rate (in most gameplay modes) makes it a joy to play. No Man’s Sky, which required major graphical concessions on the original Nintendo Switch, looks like a completely different game on Switch 2, with vastly improved textures, models, lighting and draw distance. And Fortnite, which I would argue was borderline unplayable on the original Nintendo Switch, now largely looks and plays like its PlayStation and Xbox counterparts, minus perhaps a few missing effects here and there. I can’t wait to dive into more launch games over the coming weeks, like Fast Fusion and Street Fighter 6 to see how performance holds up with even more demanding titles, but the fact that CD Projekt Red was able to fit the entirety of Cyberpunk 2077 on this thing is a great sign for what this system can do.

That being said, I am a bit concerned about the battery life. As with Nintendo Switch 1, it will very much fluctuate depending on a variety of factors, including what game you’re playing, how bright the screen is, whether you’re on a wireless network, and more. Nintendo estimates the battery life to be between 2 and 6 hours, which is a pretty big range. This is something I’ll be testing more over the coming weeks, but my preliminary impression is that for more demanding games – which is of course, a big part of the appeal of a console like this – we are likely looking at the lower end of that range in many cases. I hope I’m proven wrong here, as later versions of Nintendo Switch 1 (especially the OLED Model) had great battery life, but time will tell.

I do also think it’s possible the system’s 256gb of onboard storage will fill up more quickly than some may hope. Some games are already pushing 80 GB, like Split Fiction, although there are plenty that are closer to 25-30 GB (or less). I would have liked even more storage onboard, but luckily the system has a MicroSD express slot under the kickstand, so there’s a way to affordably add more storage over time as needed.

Still, the fact that I can take my console out of the dock, throw it in my bag (in a case, of course) and continue playing these modern games on the go feels more impressive than ever considering the power this thing holds. And as much as I love my Steam Deck, the way Nintendo Switch 2 suspends and resumes games so effortlessly makes this sort of hybrid device experience unmatched. Can you get more power by buying a Lenovo Legion Go S or something similar? Probably, but the actual experience of using the darned thing just doesn’t compare with the level of polish that has gone into the Nintendo Switch 2. Right now, it just doesn’t feel like there’s a more effortless way to play console-quality games on the go. 

I’ll caveat this by saying that I’m currently a bit mixed about how Nintendo has implemented backwards compatibility. I’m very grateful that it’s here, and that the vast majority of Nintendo Switch games are not only supported, but can run better in many cases. Titles that were intended to run at a solid 30 or 60 frames per second on Nintendo Switch 1, but experienced frame drops, seem to often have those stutters smoothed out automatically thanks to the additional horsepower of the new system. This was the case for me in Bayonetta 2 and 3, which were among the first games I tested on the system, and it is very nice. That said, I’m concerned is that blowing up a 720p game to 1080p on Nintendo Switch 2’s handheld display is a poor implementation of backwards compatibility, as it seems to (at least in some cases) increase aliasing and make existing visual defects more noticeable. I feel like there was a missed opportunity here; shouldn’t it be possible to run Nintendo Switch 1 games using their original docked settings in handheld mode on Switch 2? It’s certainly powerful enough to do exactly that, and having it as a toggle would make it a non-issue for games with weird docked-mode control schemes. Regardless, that feature currently doesn’t exist, so my first impression of backwards compatibility is that there are trade-offs that may make some players be tempted to keep previous system around for certain games.

To be fair, Nintendo Switch 2’s OS is almost identical to the previous device’s OS from both a visual and functionality standpoint, although there are plenty of small tweaks to improve usability. Basic things that should have been there on the original Nintendo Switch, like the ability to set a passcode on the lock screen, have been added, and the eShop is now significantly faster (and, dare I say it, even fun) to navigate. Overall, though, there’s nothing fussy about it – it just wants to show you your games and let you start playing as quickly as possible. And I appreciate that, even though I do miss some of the whimsical OS theming of Nintendo’s older consoles, like the Wii and 3DS.

One additional improvement I noticed right away (and am very grateful for) is that Bluetooth audio support is so much better this time around. When that feature was patched into Nintendo Switch 1 after launch, it came with some technical limitations: playing with detached Joy-cons while also using Bluetooth earbuds would result in severely degraded audio quality, making it sound hollow and tinny. That is no longer the case on Switch 2, meaning I can now comfortably kick back for a late night gaming session with my AirPods without feeling like I’m sacrificing a key part of the experience.

There are a few new hardware-level features that we still need to put through their paces before this review is finalized. The big one is GameChat, Nintendo’s new hardware-integrated solution for communicating with friends. Finally, we no longer need an app, and can use voice and text to talk with friends, and even video call them by hooking up a camera. Nintendo has made some pretty big claims here, including face-tracking technology and voice isolation in loud environments, so we’ll be testing that out soon. The other big new feature is GameShare, which almost seems to function like DS Download Play did back in the day, allowing owners of select games to play local multiplayer across multiple Nintendo Switch 2 (and Switch 1) consoles. I look forward to trying this out with Split Fiction, which feels like the perfect use case for this type of experience.

Overall, Nintendo Switch 2 makes a remarkably strong first impression. It’s not perfect – no tech device is – and like Nintendo Switch 1, I’m sure the platform will continue to evolve over time. At the end of the day, a console is only as good as the games it can play, so my hope is that the extra juice this machine is packing will result in a generation of must-play games. We’ll be updating this review soon with our final thoughts, but for now, I’m very impressed with what the Nintendo Switch 2 can do, and I can’t wait to play whatever I can on this polished (but pricey) piece of tech.