The Nintendo Switch 2: One Month Later

Like most folks, the Switch 2 game I’ve put the most time into is Mario Kart World, though not as much time as you might think. A lot of my time with the Switch 2’s launch line-up has also involved booting up Cyberpunk 2077, being like, “Oh wow, this works pretty well,” then closing it out. Cyberpunk 2077 on a handheld is the kind of sicko shit that should have me glued to my Switch 2, but once the novelty wears off, I remember I’ve played it fairly recently and it can’t maintain my attention for that long. Funnily enough, the game I’ve spent the most time playing on my Switch 2 is a Vita game from 2015. Shout-out to Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth. It’s a bit telling that Switch 2 games aren’t really what I’m playing on my system. While it’s certainly not set up to fail in the same way, the launch line-up of mostly older games that put the system’s jump in power front and center is giving Wii U. These games are great, they run well, and it’s nice to have them on something I can play on a plane. But I’m waiting for Donkey Kong and the Switch 2 version of Pokémon Legends: Z-A. — Kenneth Shepard

Mario Kart World is really, really good! It’s a blast to play with friends or by yourself. It looks sharp, performs perfectly, and even includes a nifty open world that’s fun to explore. And uh, well, ummm, I guess there were some other games, too. But nearly every game available on Switch 2 at launch was something I’ve played or could play on another, more powerful platform. Yes, Cyberpunk 2077 looks nice on a Switch 2, but I’ve got it on PC. And Xbox Series X. I think when the dust settles and we look back on the Switch 2’s launch, it will be clear that it’s one of the weakest debut line-ups in Nintendo history. -Zack Zwiezen

The launch lineup always felt weak, but a month with the new hardware has made that fact inescapable. My Mario Kart World excitement (and that of my kids) petered out after the first couple of weeks. I think Cyberpunk 2077 and Hitman: World of Assassination both run decently—much better than PS4/Xbox One games did on the Switch 1. Street Fighter 6 plays well on the Switch 2 as well. It’s far from ideal-looking, but I hope many more people now experience last year’s excellent Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess thanks to the Switch 2 port. But between Game Pass (Rematch/The Alters) and Elden Ring: Nightreign and Death Stranding 2 on PS5, I’ve barely touched the new console this last week. Does Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom look better than ever? It sure does, but I already played over 100 hours of it on Switch 1. — Ethan Gach

Though I bought Street Fighter 6 for my Switch 2 and am still looking forward to playing through its RPG-lite story mode, World Tour, at some point, the two games in heaviest rotation on my Switch 2 have definitely been Mario Kart World and Cyberpunk 2077. MKW is a delight. Every time I fire it up and see Mario or Wario or Wiggler or some other character tooling around in that bright, inviting landscape, I just feel good, ready to hit the open road. Still, now that I’ve gotten gold in most of the game’s single-player cups and knockout tours, I’m not playing it as regularly as I did initially. I do still enjoy jumping in sometimes to try to defeat another Nintendo-provided ghost racer in a time trial or to tackle a few more P-Switch challenges, though. And I’m always down to hop into online action with friends, where the game really shines.

But, oddly, it’s not a Nintendo game that’s keeping me most occupied with my new Nintendo console—which definitely makes this a departure from a typical Nintendo launch for me. Instead, it’s Cyberpunk 2077. I have my issues with this game but it plays great on Nintendo’s handheld hybrid, and I love smoothly shifting from a Night City session on my TV to a bit of gameplay in bed. As much as I’m in awe of the port, though, which indicates to me that the Switch is capable of some very impressive things, it is odd and arguably not great that the strongest thing available out of the gate on the Switch 2, for me at least, is a game that’s several years old and available on numerous other platforms. Of course, it’s early days yet, and Donkey Kong Bananza is just a few weeks away. But I hope Nintendo has a few other surprises up its sleeve to give these first few post-launch months a little more oomph. — Carolyn Petit

There were launch games? I don’t think I can count five-year-old ports in that category, so we’re pretty much left with Mario Kart, and…ehh. It’s quite something when adding an entire open world still leaves the game feeling far too much like other recent entries, and as such, it has made the Switch 2 itself feel so utterly unessential on launch. That’s the word I keep coming back to, when friends ask if it’s worth buying one for themselves or their kids. Honestly, right now, it’s just inessential. I really hope that will change once DK is out. — John Walker

The Switch 2 feels hefty, but also, maybe too hefty. The original Switch felt mostly fine, but its Joy-Cons were about as sturdy as a children’s toy. Switch 2’s controllers feel expensive and premium, and the bigger screen does feel like a pretty sizable upgrade from the Switch. The downside is that the Switch 2 is heavy enough to give me wrist pain when I’m holding it for too long. As such, I try to play mine in tabletop mode as much as possible when I’m in bed, and the Joy-Cons are the perfect controllers for a side sleeper who sets the Switch 2 up on its kickstand next to his pillow. The Switch 2 feels like a high-end device, but it comes with drawbacks to my wrists. — Kenneth Shepard

The Switch 2 looks great and feels even better, at least relative to the Switch 1. I don’t like that the back panel still flexes and feels hollow, and the Joy-Con are still a bit too wobbly for my taste. I wish there were some great third-party portable-mode alternatives for the Joy-Con right now, but because of the magnetic locks it seems like Hori and others will need a minute to develop the Switch 2 versions of their Switch 1 controllers. Also the screen blur feels like I’m drunk. Just kidding, I actually can’t tell at all. Despite the technical tests revealing staggeringly slow refresh speeds for the Switch 2, I’ve had zero complaints so far. I love that the screen is edged this time too, instead of the rounded surfaces of the original. — Ethan Gach

I’m no Digital Foundry so my understanding of what’s actually inside the new box is limited, but it sure feels better. It’s a joy to play Metroid Prime Remastered and not have to wait for the doors to open after shooting them. As for the Switch itself, it feels very solid, the kickstand feels sturdy, and there’s nothing cheap or tacky about it. But, like its only launch game, it certainly suffers from looking and feeling far too much like what we already had. — John Walker

I’m not the type to scrutinize my device’s screen for faults or to measure frame rate on one platform against another, so I’m not really the person to ask serious questions about hardware quality. I can say that I have no complaints; the device has a sturdy heft to it, the screen is—to my eyes—bright and captivating, and the Switch 2 Pro Controller feels like a natural extension of my hands. — Carolyn Petit

The OG Switch felt like a cheap toy in my big, dumb hands. In less than a week, the kickstand on my Switch broke, and it flapped open when I tried to hold it as a handheld. One of my Joy-Cons succumbed to stick drift and had to be taken out back. It never completely failed on me, and it was always charged and ready for me to play it. But using the Switch was a disappointing experience for me.

Switch 2, on the other hand, is wonderful. It feels like a high-end tech device, which is nice considering its daunting price tag. The kickstand is strong. The Joy-Con feel better. Everything feels better. The screen is also bigger. The whole unit just sits more comfortably in my massive, chunky hands. And that’s all I wanted. -ZZ

The Switch 2’s user interface and home screen are essentially carbon copies of the OG Switch. Some are disappointed by this, but I like it. For so long, consoles have tried to reinvent the wheel with each new release. And so each new console generation brings fresh menus that have to be updated and improved, as they often lack key features and options found in the old UI. But with the Switch 2, Nintendo took a page from Xbox and just copied the old UI, improved it in some small ways, and called it a day. Would I like some new themes? Sure. For now, though, the UI and menus work perfectly, and I didn’t need to relearn everything. That was nice. -ZZ

I guess you don’t have to fix what isn’t broken, but it was kind of funny to boot up the Switch 2 and see its menus look exactly like those of the first system. This is pretty standard fare for tech these days. You boot up an old iPhone, and its screen looks pretty similar to a brand-new one. However, this doesn’t happen as much with game systems. The UI of most video game consoles looks noticeably different from that of its ancestors. Though the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S kept visual elements from their predecessors, they weren’t carbon copies of the last generation. The Switch 2’s menus are faster and snappier, but if you put a gun to my head and showed me both screens side-by-side, I’m not sure I’d be able to differentiate between the two. — Kenneth Shepard

It’s fine? Hardly anything is different. The responsive eShop is nice but I’m betting performance on that does not hold up even by the end of the first year. And there’s still so much negative space in the home menu and no way to customize it. Sigh — Ethan Gach

I genuinely found the Switch 2’s UI to be profoundly disappointing. Psychically upsetting, even. There’s always that horrible moment after you’ve bought a new phone, spent all that money to buy a slightly improved rectangle, then transferred across all your stuff to realize it now just looks like the phone you already had. That was exactly my experience with the Switch 2. I did the data transfers as instructed on first booting, and then had this gut-punch moment when I looked down and saw…my old Switch. Same games, in the same order, in the same layout, with the same poorly labeled on-screen buttons. For god’s sake, they could at least have given it a punch-up, just something new. — John Walker

Nintendo knows how to be subtly charming, using cute little blips and blops to lend a sense of laid-back fun to UIs that prioritize simplicity, elegance, and ease of use. The Switch 2’s are basically a redux of the original Switch’s in this regard, and why not? That all worked fine. (Well, the eShop certainly didn’t, and it’s great to see it running so much more smoothly and quickly here, but the basic design worked fine, and that’s largely unchanged.) I do hope Nintendo gives us more options for themes at some point, as I’d love to finally have a home screen on my Switch that boasts more personality. But I’m not disappointed with what’s here, even if it does feel like a bit of a missed opportunity to drive home the feeling that you’re using a new, more powerful device than the one you’ve been using for the past eight years. — Carolyn Petit

The Switch 2’s online features fall into the same trap as my PlayStation 5’s do, in that it’s so much simpler to connect with people on external apps, I don’t use the ones built into the system. The C button opens up GameChat, but it’s not as convenient as hopping on a Discord call and using better mics and cameras. It’s funny watching your friend’s camera shake when you hit them with a Blue Shell in Mario Kart World, but I can’t see myself using any of these internal systems when I’ve grown so accustomed to better, easier services to keep in contact with friends, regardless of if they’re playing a Switch 2 game with me. — Kenneth Shepard

Once, while I was playing Mario Kart World with Zack and his wife Sarah, I hit him with a red shell as he sped past me. Not only did this make his kart spin out; it also made the live feed of his face, which was hovering above his kart thanks to the webcam he hooked up, spin around as well. What more could you want in a new console’s online features? GameChat owns, and I look forward to using it a lot more in the months and years to come. — Carolyn Petit

Here’s something I never expected: To be impressed with a Nintendo console’s online features. The real star of the show is GameChat, which at first glance looked like a crappy Discord knock-off. And to be fair, it kind of is, but it also works brilliantly. I was able to play Mario Kart with my wife and I, sharing a TV, and two other people online. And it just worked.

We could chat to them and they could talk to us with no headset needed. I could even see their gameplay via the share screen feature. Their faces even appeared in the game thanks to the Switch 2’s webcam support. As someone who doesn’t use Discord much, having all this built into the console is nice and makes playing games online with our buddies so much more communal and friendly. -ZZ

I honestly don’t know. I’ve only ever hit the C button by mistake, as the last thing I want is other people interfering when I’m trying to play video games. I guess I’m glad the device can run its own god-awful store software this time, though? — John Walker

I tested out the GameChat and video share features and found them to be somewhere between barebones and a fun novelty. Quality aside, simply using the system still isn’t as easy or intuitive as what’s on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, and nothing beats Discord for cross-platform hangs (at least for now). Until Nintendo does something really creative with it, it feels like a function I’ll barely use because that’s not what I play on my Switch 2 for. — Ethan Gach

I like my Switch 2, but it has mostly slipped comfortably into the same space in my life as the original Switch did. Sure, it’s a better One of Those, but that’s all it feels like right now. Without a big gimmick or game-changing shift, it’s the same thing with a bigger screen and heavier Joy-Con. I’m glad I got it, though. I was willing to pay half a grand for a device that would likely play Pokémon Legends: Z-A with fewer framerate dips and that would give me a new way to play Cyberpunk 2077. I’m playing the thing pretty consistently, but I forget that it’s a shiny new thing most of the time. It is the most “phone upgrade” console leap I’ve felt in years. It’s a better-running Switch, for good and for ill. — Kenneth Shepard

Incredibly mid! I think I’m more down on the Switch 2 than most, but it’s been a pretty underwhelming first month for me. After the initial dopamine hit of a new Nintendo handheld wore off I was left with a device that is markedly better but doesn’t have anything for me to really dig into yet. Hopefully, Donkey Kong Bananza turns that around. There’s certainly plenty of other Nintendo games coming out this year. But right now it feels more like I just went from the DS Lite to the DSi XL. The Switch 2 is nice to have but hard to justify. I look forward to singing its unqualified praises in a year, or when the OLED model inevitably arrives in 2028. — Ethan Gach

One month in, I’d describe myself as tentatively very happy with my Nintendo Switch 2. It feels like a device that’s bursting with the potential to deliver terrific online experiences and absorbing single-player ones. Mario Kart World, with its support for up to 24 racers at once, and Donkey Kong Bananza, with its wonderfully destructible environments, suggest that Nintendo is trying to demonstrate, right out of the gate, what sets the Switch 2 apart from its predecessor. But its future beyond Bananza’s release also feels pretty ill-defined at the moment, and whether or not it will continue to get the support it needs in order to make this first year a strong one remains an open question. Hopefully we’ll get a Direct this month to fill us in on what we can look forward to in the near future, and I can go from being tentatively pleased with my purchase to simply pleased. — Carolyn Petit

I’ve already forgotten I own a Switch 2. It has become the new Switch and quickly has evolved into “my Nintendo console behind the TV.” In some ways, that might sound bad. I spent a lot of money on a device that has already disappeared into the background. Yet I see it as a positive. It shows that Nintendo succeeded at making a new console that was basically like your old one, but bigger, faster, and better in most ways. You don’t have to teach your kids how it works, buy new accessories for it, or rearrange your living room to make it work. It’s just a Switch, but nicer.

That does mean the Switch 2 isn’t a revolutionary device that will change how you play games. Instead, it will slot right into your daily gaming schedule, and the only time you’ll remember you upgraded is when you boot up something like Cyberpunk 2077 and go “Oh right, the old Switch couldn’t do this.” Mission accomplished, Nintendo. –ZZ

I’m happier than the tone of my entries here would suggest. These headings just happen to highlight my areas of frustration. As a gaming device, I’m really pleased with it, albeit through a grey lens of annoyance given that my happiness is mostly because of improvements to things the original Switch was crap at. I wish Nintendo had been more imaginative here, even though sales have demonstrated that the company certainly financially made the right choices. I wish it were weirder, and I desperately wish Nintendo were not so hubristic as to have launched it with almost nothing new to play. But they’ve already sold over 5 million of them, so I doubt they’re looking for my advice on matters. — John Walker