The Nintendo Switch 2 feels like a victim of Nintendo's own history, having set decades-long expectations that new hardware will always be, if not always revolutionary, at least deeply strange. The Wii, DS, 3DS, Wii U, and Nintendo Switch each relied on some central gimmick that was new and novel. Nintendo made a name for itself creating not just games but entirely new ways to play. The Switch 2, by comparison, is an iterative step--a more powerful successor to its wildly popular predecessor. While some may lament that this isn't the system to change the game once again, it does feel like Nintendo has found a form factor that fits its design philosophy and development culture like a glove. And so, the Switch is likely the new normal.
It's within that context that I feel the Switch 2 needs to be evaluated: as what it is rather than what it isn't. By that metric, it gets high marks. It's a well-made Switch successor with lots of little thoughtful touches and design improvements to make it feel like a more premium product. That means it's less toy-like than the original Switch, which makes me that much more nervous about handing it off to my kids. But in many ways, it feels like the Switch has grown up.
Of course, the primary upgrade is pure hardware power. The Switch did not launch as a powerhouse system in 2017, and technology has since started to far outpace its capabilities. That made it increasingly unusual to receive third-party games with any kind of parity alongside PlayStation and Xbox, and even Nintendo's own development needs were starting to get more ambitious than the hardware could handle. More on that later.
So the Nintendo Switch 2 is first and foremost a power upgrade. Nintendo promises a big increase in performance, and while I'm not equipped for deep technical hardware analysis, signs from the launch library feel somewhat promising. Nintendo's own banner first-party game, Mario Kart World, looks far and away better than anything the old Switch could offer. The third-party Cyberpunk 2077 serves as another positive demonstration: While not perfect, it looks good and plays reasonably well, something that would not have been possible on Switch 1. But the results across the board do seem somewhat mixed, as the performance of Hitman: World of Assassination is disappointing, particularly in docked mode where you can't benefit from support for variable refresh rate.
Mario Kart World shows what Nintendo can do with increased horsepower
Nintendo hasn't usually attempted to design hardware that is the absolute best in class, but the Switch 2 feels so far like it's at least keeping pace with the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S--not quite a match for those competitors, but at least in the same ballpark. Time will tell how future-proofed it is as hardware demands grow even further in the coming years, but as a handheld system that seems roughly on par with the increasingly competitive handheld PC market, it succeeds. And in and of itself, the increased horsepower already makes the Switch ecosystem more pleasant to use. The eShop, in particular, seems to be benefitting, going from near-unusable to quite smooth.
In many ways this is a continuation of the Switch, which is evident in everything from its form factor to its user interface being almost an exact replica of the original--right down to its more frustrating foibles like a lack of folders and no real download management queue. So while the increased horsepower benefits software in some areas, in most other respects this is a continuation of the Switch ecosystem. Nintendo wants this to feel familiar and homey, and for better or worse, it does.
Then there's the build of the system itself. In some ways, this is where the hardware has been most notably improved to have that more premium fit and finish appeal. But in other ways, the form factor feels limited by its own expectations.
The newly designed Joy-Cons are larger and have a matte finish that feels very nice against your hand. They're also now magnetic, which I was skeptical about, but I've since turned into a magnetic Joy-Con believer and evangelist. The ability to quickly snap them into place and then hit the release button to snap them off just feels immediately better than gliding the controllers along the rail, and seems likely to avoid some of the unfortunate wiggle that would set in on the old Joy-Cons.
The new Joy-Cons also introduce mouse functionality, which works shockingly well. Like with the magnetic connectors, I had low expectations for the mouse function, and it easily surpassed them. Particularly if you take the moment to attach the new Joy-Con strap, it controls incredibly smoothly and just works with a minimum of fuss and setup. You can, honestly and for real, even use it on your pants, if the need arises. (I can't recommend it too highly, though, since your leg naturally has a small surface area to work with.) I don't know how many games will actually use the mouse functionality, but it's nice to know it's there if a developer wants to take advantage of it.
The new magnetic Joy-Cons are a big upgrade over the rail-based Switch 1 controllers.
Unfortunately, while the Joy-Cons are larger, their fundamental shape hasn't changed. They're still relatively thin to match the profile of the system itself, which means holding it can feel awkward in long play sessions. Competing devices have started to introduce more rounded handles similar to a standard controller, and that would have been nice here. Like many people, I ultimately replaced my original Switch Joy-Cons with third-party controllers (or at least used a grip), but it would be nice if Nintendo had a first-party option that packs all of the Joy-Con features like the magnetic connectors, NFC reader, and HD rumble, with a more ergonomic shape. This may be mostly a problem for adults with larger hands, but I suspect that smaller kids may have the opposite problem--able to deal with the skinny, awkward shape better, but more prone to struggling with the new Joy-Cons' larger size.
(Also, in an apparent gift to parents and slobs everywhere, the Joy-Cons can now be pinged remotely to vibrate or emit a beep, in case you've lost them under a chair. It's a small quality-of-life touch but the kind that exemplifies a thoughtful approach with lessons learned from the original Switch.)
Like the rest of the system itself, the optional Pro Controller feels like a nicely premium upgrade with the same matte finish. It now sports two mappable back buttons like many other premium controllers on other hardware, which makes it a nice upgrade, and those buttons have a satisfying clicky feeling without bulking up the profile of the controller itself. Still, the presence of these back buttons on the Pro Controller makes the less-ergonomic Joy-Cons feel that much more lacking. As someone who has always played his Switch mostly in handheld mode, it's a shame that the difference between them is so stark.
The kickstand was a cute idea when introduced in the first Switch, but it always felt too flimsy to be truly useful. The Switch 2 kickstand by comparison is substantial and solid, and has been the unsung hero of the system. I've actually now used it almost exclusively while traveling, because it's just a great way to prop up the system on a desk and play with detached Joy-Cons or a Pro Controller. I still expect to play mostly in handheld mode or docked, but playing with the kickstand feels like a viable option like it never did before.
The Switch 2 Joy-Cons can each double as a mouse.
Having used my Switch 2 heavily for more than a week now, I've been pleased with the battery life. Mario Kart World seems to be the most taxing game I played at launch, and I still got a few hours out of it before seeing a low-battery indicator. The most helpful aspect for maintaining battery life, though, is the presence of a USB-C port at the top of the system, in addition to the one at the bottom. This has made playing with the kickstand and the system plugged in a viable option for the first time, and just makes plugging it in more convenient in any event.
Finally, there's the LCD screen, which is now noticeably larger than that of the original Switch. The bigger size looks very nice and feels more substantial, especially as noted, in kickstand mode. With the increased horsepower making lots of fine details in games like Mario Kart World, the larger screen looks crisp and beautiful and helps highlight the visual flair of its games.
That said, the original Switch OLED does have noticeably better contrast in a side-by-side comparison. The difference is less stark than I expected, but there is a difference, so the Switch 2 LED display is a slight downgrade from that higher-end Switch 1. The difference is negligible enough that the increased size may be an acceptable trade-off, depending on your priorities. Personally I prefer the larger screen size, which is also noticeably bigger than my first-gen Steam Deck. Also notable is that some at GameSpot have experienced ghosting issues in handheld mode, even complaining that it made them feel sick. That could vary by game.
Plus Nintendo has made some peculiar choices in its implementation of HDR. It applies HDR to everything by default, and hides the paper-white setting deep in the menus. Those can both be changed, but I suspect many casual Switch 2 owners won't know where to look and just have a less than optimized experience. The lack of VRR support or 40hz mode in docked mode, similarly, is disappointing.
The Switch 2 kickstand is solid, substantial, and useful.
When you buy a new video game system, naturally, you want to play some video games. At launch, the Switch 2 library is relatively thin, with a few absolute standouts. That means that early adopters will mostly be investing in the potential it holds for the future.
That is not to say that the game library is without its bright spots already, though. Mario Kart World is the banner launch game and the long-awaited follow-up to one of Nintendo's most successful games to date. It's a spectacular entry in the series with loads to do and lots of mechanical nuance, and it's just a nice visual showpiece for what Nintendo's expert art direction can do with increased horsepower.
Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, the other big first-party offering at launch, is less a game than a detailed tech demo. And while I maintain that it should have been free, that is mostly because it's a neat little oddity that more people should get a chance to play. It's a great way to familiarize yourself with Switch 2 features and little quality-of-life tricks you may not have otherwise known about.
As for third-party offerings, there are some standouts there as well. Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remastered is a gorgeous-looking port of one of my favorite recent-ish RPGs, and decouples it from the DS, where it may have been difficult to find and play. Cyberpunk 2077 takes the lauded futuristic RPG and gives it a nicely tuned handheld home. Other ports are starting to trickle in and while I can't vouch for all of them, it is a good sign that a Nintendo platform is starting to get relatively recent third-party games ported to it.
But the real treat for many Switch 1 owners is that the Switch 2 is backwards compatible, and with a similar hardware architecture and form factor, the vast majority of the games can run on Switch 2. Some of them offer paid "Switch 2 Edition" upgrades for extra features and a performance boost, while others have gotten free updates to just run a bit better on the new hardware. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are two particular standouts, as those massive open worlds sometimes strained against the limitations of the Switch hardware. They look incredibly detailed with the upgrades, creating a rich world that feels like the culmination of what Nintendo always intended them to be. Similarly, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet were well-made Pokemon games, and they were done a disservice by trying to cram their world onto a Switch. They're among the games to have received free Switch 2 updates, and the revised versions run smoothly and look much better, even if some of their art design feels like the simplicity was a concession to old hardware.
Somewhat frustratingly, the Switch 2 launched just after Nintendo introduced a new Virtual Game Card system. This is purported to streamline the method of sharing a single game across multiple consoles in your household, but the set-up process is mildly frustrating. The major use-case for sharing a game is to let my children play on the non-primary Switch, and having to fetch both Switch systems to initiate sharing was an annoying hurdle. I've also now had to unlink two Switch consoles to link my Switch 2 to another original Switch, so the options for a multi-Switch household seem limited. This is all optional, though, and you could just turn on license checks instead, if that option is a better fit for your household.
If Nintendo has offered one major software update as the marquee feature for Switch 2, it's GameChat. After a half-hearted effort at social hooks managed through the Nintendo mobile app on the original Switch, this represents a built-in option for talking with friends, including the theoretically whizbang option to see your friends' games in addition to hearing their voices.
While the feature looked rough in Nintendo's own debut footage, and it certainly is slightly choppy in practice, I've been pleasantly surprised with GameChat. The system-level integration means it's very quick and snappy to turn options on and off, letting you toggle any mixture of camera, microphone, and screen sharing. The Switch never felt like a very sociable console to me--and thanks to its friends list continuing to rely on Friend Codes, the Switch 2 might not either--but this is a step in the right direction. The ability to quickly start up a chat with a buddy and simply have it running in the background as we team up or even play separate games is a nice feature.
The camera functionality works well too, whether grabbing your surroundings and filtering out the background by default in the system-level chat or focusing in on your face for an icon that will follow your player around in Mario Kart World. The Screen Sharing feature lets you view up to three friends' screens simultaneously in paneled windows, letting you peek in on their progress in whatever game they're playing, even if it's not the same as yours. While certainly not clear as day, this actually ran reasonably well. After a brief several seconds where a friend's game appeared an odd, sickly green, it suddenly looked normal, and viewing it full-screen let me watch their play session in more detail. The video feed doesn't run as well as your own game running on native hardware, of course, but as a way to quickly peek in on your friends' games it actually works, even in less than ideal conditions like hotel Wi-Fi.
Along with the ease of use for toggling the various chat functions, there are also little touches that help flesh out the experience. You can use a text-to-speech function that, in my testing, worked well and captured the words on both ends of the conversation. You can highlight a game your friend is playing and hop right into its page on the Nintendo eShop, which may help discoverability.
That ease of use does make it stand out when finding small hiccups that don't work exactly the way you'd think. The GameChat menu does not shortcut to the Friends menu, so to add a new friend, you need to back out into the Home menu entirely and add a friend the way you always would--only after that are you able to invite them to a GameChat. The placement of the GameChat button is also a little confusing, since it's so close to the much-more-often-used Home button. I've definitely pressed Home when I meant to press GameChat, and vice-versa, more than once. This will probably just be a matter of adjustment, and Nintendo did make the buttons different shapes to help your fingers learn the difference, but mine haven't yet.
The Nintendo Switch 2, docked with grip
Over the last several consoles, Nintendo has been the scrappy underdog. Its experimental approach was an apparent way to compensate for the fact that it was getting outpaced in hardware by the likes of PlayStation and Xbox. The Wii Remote controller, the 3DS's glasses-free 3D feature, and even the original Switch's hybrid console-handheld approach were all borne out of an attempt to take on the juggernauts without matching their power. But now, the Switch is one of Nintendo's most successful pieces of hardware of all time. For the first time in a long time, the rest of the industry is following Nintendo's lead--as evidenced by the emergence and growing popularity of handheld PCs and re-exploration of handheld gaming by Sony and Microsoft.
So it shouldn't come as a surprise that Nintendo is a little less daring this time around. The Switch 2 is fully a successor to the original Switch, with many of the same high highs and low lows of the original. It does feel like a more premium piece of hardware, and some thoughtful improvements like the magnetic Joy-Cons and GameChat are nice to have. But as always with Nintendo hardware, the real treat is Nintendo's own software. Thanks to its increased horsepower, the Nintendo Switch 2 should be able to reasonably handle high-end third-party games like Cyberpunk 2077 alongside Nintendo's exclusives like Mario Kart World. That's a major advantage that its competitors can't match, and more than reason enough to make me a happy Switch 2 owner.
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It's within that context that I feel the Switch 2 needs to be evaluated: as what it is rather than what it isn't. By that metric, it gets high marks. It's a well-made Switch successor with lots of little thoughtful touches and design improvements to make it feel like a more premium product. That means it's less toy-like than the original Switch, which makes me that much more nervous about handing it off to my kids. But in many ways, it feels like the Switch has grown up.
Now you're playing with power
Of course, the primary upgrade is pure hardware power. The Switch did not launch as a powerhouse system in 2017, and technology has since started to far outpace its capabilities. That made it increasingly unusual to receive third-party games with any kind of parity alongside PlayStation and Xbox, and even Nintendo's own development needs were starting to get more ambitious than the hardware could handle. More on that later.
So the Nintendo Switch 2 is first and foremost a power upgrade. Nintendo promises a big increase in performance, and while I'm not equipped for deep technical hardware analysis, signs from the launch library feel somewhat promising. Nintendo's own banner first-party game, Mario Kart World, looks far and away better than anything the old Switch could offer. The third-party Cyberpunk 2077 serves as another positive demonstration: While not perfect, it looks good and plays reasonably well, something that would not have been possible on Switch 1. But the results across the board do seem somewhat mixed, as the performance of Hitman: World of Assassination is disappointing, particularly in docked mode where you can't benefit from support for variable refresh rate.
Mario Kart World shows what Nintendo can do with increased horsepower
Nintendo hasn't usually attempted to design hardware that is the absolute best in class, but the Switch 2 feels so far like it's at least keeping pace with the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S--not quite a match for those competitors, but at least in the same ballpark. Time will tell how future-proofed it is as hardware demands grow even further in the coming years, but as a handheld system that seems roughly on par with the increasingly competitive handheld PC market, it succeeds. And in and of itself, the increased horsepower already makes the Switch ecosystem more pleasant to use. The eShop, in particular, seems to be benefitting, going from near-unusable to quite smooth.
In many ways this is a continuation of the Switch, which is evident in everything from its form factor to its user interface being almost an exact replica of the original--right down to its more frustrating foibles like a lack of folders and no real download management queue. So while the increased horsepower benefits software in some areas, in most other respects this is a continuation of the Switch ecosystem. Nintendo wants this to feel familiar and homey, and for better or worse, it does.
It just clicks
Then there's the build of the system itself. In some ways, this is where the hardware has been most notably improved to have that more premium fit and finish appeal. But in other ways, the form factor feels limited by its own expectations.
The newly designed Joy-Cons are larger and have a matte finish that feels very nice against your hand. They're also now magnetic, which I was skeptical about, but I've since turned into a magnetic Joy-Con believer and evangelist. The ability to quickly snap them into place and then hit the release button to snap them off just feels immediately better than gliding the controllers along the rail, and seems likely to avoid some of the unfortunate wiggle that would set in on the old Joy-Cons.
The new Joy-Cons also introduce mouse functionality, which works shockingly well. Like with the magnetic connectors, I had low expectations for the mouse function, and it easily surpassed them. Particularly if you take the moment to attach the new Joy-Con strap, it controls incredibly smoothly and just works with a minimum of fuss and setup. You can, honestly and for real, even use it on your pants, if the need arises. (I can't recommend it too highly, though, since your leg naturally has a small surface area to work with.) I don't know how many games will actually use the mouse functionality, but it's nice to know it's there if a developer wants to take advantage of it.
The new magnetic Joy-Cons are a big upgrade over the rail-based Switch 1 controllers.
Unfortunately, while the Joy-Cons are larger, their fundamental shape hasn't changed. They're still relatively thin to match the profile of the system itself, which means holding it can feel awkward in long play sessions. Competing devices have started to introduce more rounded handles similar to a standard controller, and that would have been nice here. Like many people, I ultimately replaced my original Switch Joy-Cons with third-party controllers (or at least used a grip), but it would be nice if Nintendo had a first-party option that packs all of the Joy-Con features like the magnetic connectors, NFC reader, and HD rumble, with a more ergonomic shape. This may be mostly a problem for adults with larger hands, but I suspect that smaller kids may have the opposite problem--able to deal with the skinny, awkward shape better, but more prone to struggling with the new Joy-Cons' larger size.
(Also, in an apparent gift to parents and slobs everywhere, the Joy-Cons can now be pinged remotely to vibrate or emit a beep, in case you've lost them under a chair. It's a small quality-of-life touch but the kind that exemplifies a thoughtful approach with lessons learned from the original Switch.)
Like the rest of the system itself, the optional Pro Controller feels like a nicely premium upgrade with the same matte finish. It now sports two mappable back buttons like many other premium controllers on other hardware, which makes it a nice upgrade, and those buttons have a satisfying clicky feeling without bulking up the profile of the controller itself. Still, the presence of these back buttons on the Pro Controller makes the less-ergonomic Joy-Cons feel that much more lacking. As someone who has always played his Switch mostly in handheld mode, it's a shame that the difference between them is so stark.
The kickstand was a cute idea when introduced in the first Switch, but it always felt too flimsy to be truly useful. The Switch 2 kickstand by comparison is substantial and solid, and has been the unsung hero of the system. I've actually now used it almost exclusively while traveling, because it's just a great way to prop up the system on a desk and play with detached Joy-Cons or a Pro Controller. I still expect to play mostly in handheld mode or docked, but playing with the kickstand feels like a viable option like it never did before.
The Switch 2 Joy-Cons can each double as a mouse.
Having used my Switch 2 heavily for more than a week now, I've been pleased with the battery life. Mario Kart World seems to be the most taxing game I played at launch, and I still got a few hours out of it before seeing a low-battery indicator. The most helpful aspect for maintaining battery life, though, is the presence of a USB-C port at the top of the system, in addition to the one at the bottom. This has made playing with the kickstand and the system plugged in a viable option for the first time, and just makes plugging it in more convenient in any event.
Finally, there's the LCD screen, which is now noticeably larger than that of the original Switch. The bigger size looks very nice and feels more substantial, especially as noted, in kickstand mode. With the increased horsepower making lots of fine details in games like Mario Kart World, the larger screen looks crisp and beautiful and helps highlight the visual flair of its games.
That said, the original Switch OLED does have noticeably better contrast in a side-by-side comparison. The difference is less stark than I expected, but there is a difference, so the Switch 2 LED display is a slight downgrade from that higher-end Switch 1. The difference is negligible enough that the increased size may be an acceptable trade-off, depending on your priorities. Personally I prefer the larger screen size, which is also noticeably bigger than my first-gen Steam Deck. Also notable is that some at GameSpot have experienced ghosting issues in handheld mode, even complaining that it made them feel sick. That could vary by game.
Plus Nintendo has made some peculiar choices in its implementation of HDR. It applies HDR to everything by default, and hides the paper-white setting deep in the menus. Those can both be changed, but I suspect many casual Switch 2 owners won't know where to look and just have a less than optimized experience. The lack of VRR support or 40hz mode in docked mode, similarly, is disappointing.
The Switch 2 kickstand is solid, substantial, and useful.
But what about the games?
When you buy a new video game system, naturally, you want to play some video games. At launch, the Switch 2 library is relatively thin, with a few absolute standouts. That means that early adopters will mostly be investing in the potential it holds for the future.
That is not to say that the game library is without its bright spots already, though. Mario Kart World is the banner launch game and the long-awaited follow-up to one of Nintendo's most successful games to date. It's a spectacular entry in the series with loads to do and lots of mechanical nuance, and it's just a nice visual showpiece for what Nintendo's expert art direction can do with increased horsepower.
Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, the other big first-party offering at launch, is less a game than a detailed tech demo. And while I maintain that it should have been free, that is mostly because it's a neat little oddity that more people should get a chance to play. It's a great way to familiarize yourself with Switch 2 features and little quality-of-life tricks you may not have otherwise known about.
As for third-party offerings, there are some standouts there as well. Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remastered is a gorgeous-looking port of one of my favorite recent-ish RPGs, and decouples it from the DS, where it may have been difficult to find and play. Cyberpunk 2077 takes the lauded futuristic RPG and gives it a nicely tuned handheld home. Other ports are starting to trickle in and while I can't vouch for all of them, it is a good sign that a Nintendo platform is starting to get relatively recent third-party games ported to it.
But the real treat for many Switch 1 owners is that the Switch 2 is backwards compatible, and with a similar hardware architecture and form factor, the vast majority of the games can run on Switch 2. Some of them offer paid "Switch 2 Edition" upgrades for extra features and a performance boost, while others have gotten free updates to just run a bit better on the new hardware. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are two particular standouts, as those massive open worlds sometimes strained against the limitations of the Switch hardware. They look incredibly detailed with the upgrades, creating a rich world that feels like the culmination of what Nintendo always intended them to be. Similarly, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet were well-made Pokemon games, and they were done a disservice by trying to cram their world onto a Switch. They're among the games to have received free Switch 2 updates, and the revised versions run smoothly and look much better, even if some of their art design feels like the simplicity was a concession to old hardware.
Somewhat frustratingly, the Switch 2 launched just after Nintendo introduced a new Virtual Game Card system. This is purported to streamline the method of sharing a single game across multiple consoles in your household, but the set-up process is mildly frustrating. The major use-case for sharing a game is to let my children play on the non-primary Switch, and having to fetch both Switch systems to initiate sharing was an annoying hurdle. I've also now had to unlink two Switch consoles to link my Switch 2 to another original Switch, so the options for a multi-Switch household seem limited. This is all optional, though, and you could just turn on license checks instead, if that option is a better fit for your household.
Have a chat
If Nintendo has offered one major software update as the marquee feature for Switch 2, it's GameChat. After a half-hearted effort at social hooks managed through the Nintendo mobile app on the original Switch, this represents a built-in option for talking with friends, including the theoretically whizbang option to see your friends' games in addition to hearing their voices.
While the feature looked rough in Nintendo's own debut footage, and it certainly is slightly choppy in practice, I've been pleasantly surprised with GameChat. The system-level integration means it's very quick and snappy to turn options on and off, letting you toggle any mixture of camera, microphone, and screen sharing. The Switch never felt like a very sociable console to me--and thanks to its friends list continuing to rely on Friend Codes, the Switch 2 might not either--but this is a step in the right direction. The ability to quickly start up a chat with a buddy and simply have it running in the background as we team up or even play separate games is a nice feature.
The camera functionality works well too, whether grabbing your surroundings and filtering out the background by default in the system-level chat or focusing in on your face for an icon that will follow your player around in Mario Kart World. The Screen Sharing feature lets you view up to three friends' screens simultaneously in paneled windows, letting you peek in on their progress in whatever game they're playing, even if it's not the same as yours. While certainly not clear as day, this actually ran reasonably well. After a brief several seconds where a friend's game appeared an odd, sickly green, it suddenly looked normal, and viewing it full-screen let me watch their play session in more detail. The video feed doesn't run as well as your own game running on native hardware, of course, but as a way to quickly peek in on your friends' games it actually works, even in less than ideal conditions like hotel Wi-Fi.
Along with the ease of use for toggling the various chat functions, there are also little touches that help flesh out the experience. You can use a text-to-speech function that, in my testing, worked well and captured the words on both ends of the conversation. You can highlight a game your friend is playing and hop right into its page on the Nintendo eShop, which may help discoverability.
That ease of use does make it stand out when finding small hiccups that don't work exactly the way you'd think. The GameChat menu does not shortcut to the Friends menu, so to add a new friend, you need to back out into the Home menu entirely and add a friend the way you always would--only after that are you able to invite them to a GameChat. The placement of the GameChat button is also a little confusing, since it's so close to the much-more-often-used Home button. I've definitely pressed Home when I meant to press GameChat, and vice-versa, more than once. This will probably just be a matter of adjustment, and Nintendo did make the buttons different shapes to help your fingers learn the difference, but mine haven't yet.
The Nintendo Switch 2, docked with grip
Switch hitter
Over the last several consoles, Nintendo has been the scrappy underdog. Its experimental approach was an apparent way to compensate for the fact that it was getting outpaced in hardware by the likes of PlayStation and Xbox. The Wii Remote controller, the 3DS's glasses-free 3D feature, and even the original Switch's hybrid console-handheld approach were all borne out of an attempt to take on the juggernauts without matching their power. But now, the Switch is one of Nintendo's most successful pieces of hardware of all time. For the first time in a long time, the rest of the industry is following Nintendo's lead--as evidenced by the emergence and growing popularity of handheld PCs and re-exploration of handheld gaming by Sony and Microsoft.
So it shouldn't come as a surprise that Nintendo is a little less daring this time around. The Switch 2 is fully a successor to the original Switch, with many of the same high highs and low lows of the original. It does feel like a more premium piece of hardware, and some thoughtful improvements like the magnetic Joy-Cons and GameChat are nice to have. But as always with Nintendo hardware, the real treat is Nintendo's own software. Thanks to its increased horsepower, the Nintendo Switch 2 should be able to reasonably handle high-end third-party games like Cyberpunk 2077 alongside Nintendo's exclusives like Mario Kart World. That's a major advantage that its competitors can't match, and more than reason enough to make me a happy Switch 2 owner.
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