Guys…I have absolutely no internal gauge of time. One minute, we are mourning over the untimely loss of a beloved gorilla from the Cincinnati Zoo in 2016, and then literally 10 years later, we are celebrating one year of Nintendo’s “Next Gen” offering: The Nintendo Switch 2.
Later this year also marks 10 years since the Switch 1 was announced, which broke through gaming norms of the time and proved that the hybrid console concept altogether could trump even the highest graphically capable consoles. Love them or hate them, Nintendo already has a stumbling, but functional success.
After an entire year with the console, I played many games, bought way too many grip cases, and came to terms with playing on what is literally an 8″ tablet with some of the jankiest control choices. Let’s talk about the 2 Nintendo 2 Switch!
Switch 2: The Hardware
The hardware on this console is certified: Pretty Good. The Nvidia Tegra T239 SOC has proved to be capable of handling most modern titles thrown at it. Resident Evil 9: Requiem and Donkey Kong Bananza are graphical standouts to me in terms of taking on a lot of gameplay systems at once while maintaining 60fps and great graphical fidelity for the spec. Just like the Switch 1, good optimization yields a good product.
That being said, DLSS really has been doing a lot of the heavy lifting, with more games running internally at 540p and upsampling to 1080p than I’d prefer. Games like High on Life got incredibly blurry in motion. Plenty of games took advantage of the 4k and 120hz output, but can I at least get more 1440p titles at least?
The somewhat small 5,220mAh battery faired fine, and battery drain was excellent. I could leave a game suspended for a few days and still have enough charge for a round or 3 of Ball X Pit on the can.
The Joy-Con 2 are certified: pretty okay. I don’t mean this to say they suck; the magnetic attachments and size are a clear upgrade, but over time, I wanted to use them less and less due to ergonomics. It’s clear the gimmicks of the Joy-Con 2 resonated with developers, since nearly all of them took advantage of the new mouse mode, but I almost never used it because of convenience.
HD rumble 2 and the 9-axis gyro are good, but not detectably different from the first Joy-Con yet. No, my sticks don’t have drift (100s of hours of play), so that’s a good sign. Overall good package, and super mod-able with shells and button swaps. Buy a grip.
The screen as a package is pretty good. At 1080p, 120Hz, HDR10, and VRR, you would expect this to be a near-perfect screen. It’s not, and there are use cases where I avoid certain games because of their shortcomings. RE9 is a fantastic port, but ghosting on a backlit LCD in a dark scene makes me not want to play this game in handheld mode.
Or even pixel art games like Aggelos, where the ghosting is super noticeable. But in DKB, the colors pop, the motion feels smooth, and it’s a very enjoyable size to play on. The screen spec is satisfactory, but I want a v2 with either local dimming or OLED.
Switch 2: Ergonomics
The console has issues. NAY. It has an identity crisis. The Switch 1 worked because it was still relatively light at 300g, and it was small enough for your 9-year-old cousin who just wants to play the Binding of Isaac: Rebirth (True story, I bought it for him). While somewhat cramped for an adult, it fit the home/handheld hybrid thing well. The Switch 2? Not as balanced.
This scheme on the Switch 2 is the Switch 1, but bigger. It’s large and heavy enough to measure up to the Steam Deck, and that only emphasizes the lack of a real grip. The overall function of the console is fine, but a bigger console needs bigger interventions to make it convenient AND comfortable to use. At 534g, a flat back just doesn’t cut it. Over the course of a year, I spent almost as much on grips as I did on games for the damn thing, and I bought a lot of games.
My console spent its most time in the Savage Raven Fission Grip, but I’ve also danced with the Dbrand Killswitch, the Satisfye Zengrip 2, and Joy-con replacements like the NYXI Hyperion 3 and the Mobapad M12. Long story (and a review) short, I’m using the Mobapad M12 HD right now and not going back.
The M12 has a design that is extremely sympathetic to the plastic and contours of the Switch 2, and it feels like it belongs there. The screen-to-body ratio is perfect, and I’m finding myself wanting to play the console more in handheld mode. It FEELS like a Switch 2 now.
Switch 2: The Games
Game releases for the first year of the console felt more like a continuation of the Switch 1’s library at the end of its cycle: Ports of games we already played and monthly releases of games from Nintendo’s B studios, with notable exceptions.
That’s not entirely a bad thing, but there was also a lack of console sales, exclusive titles on release, except Mario Kart World, and well… It was no Breath of the Wild. But with most of the Switch 1 catalog available, and many popular games getting Switch 2 versions, you had more than enough quality gaming experiences on release.
Donkey Kong Bonanza was the definitive console seller in my eyes, and was an excellent title with plenty of charm and whimsy, but the B studio monotony on the first-party end took over with games like Mario Tennis Fever and Hyrule Warriors. Many studios came to the plate to release a myriad of well-performing and high-quality titles.
Notably, Capcom, Square Enix, Nis (Trails series), and Bethesda carried the third-party releases this year, and it was much more exciting for me. Handheld Boost Mode was also transformative for handheld play, and is a major highlight of the Switch 2s first year.
Game Key Cards were exactly as we expected. Other than notable exceptions like Cyberpunk 2077, Hades II, or Yooka Replaylee, almost every third-party game (and Pokopia) is memory-less GKCs. But at least most Switch 1 titles offer free/cheap Switch 2 upgrades (Except Square Enix, which only sells Switch 2-themed plastic and un-upgradable Switch 1 titles).
Indies are in a strange situation here. We had multiple high-quality releases for the Switch 2 in the past year, like Hollow Knight Silksong and Mina the Hollower. But these are also games that came out for the Switch 1 and effectively perform the same, but with the option for a 7″ OLED screen. Should I even mention running GameNative/Gamehub on an Odin 3?
With StarFox, Rhythm Heaven, and Splatoon Raiders being the only real future releases for the time being… Man, I want another direct. Or at least the fabled Ocarina of Time remake.
Switch 2: Good Value?
What even is considered good value anymore? In 2024, people were chanting “DROP THE PRICE,” and now the Switch 2 is the best value in gaming by default, with nearly every direct competitor raising their prices to irrational levels due to storage scarcity. Plagued by my new paralysis demon: “Market Conditions”, tariffs plagued the pre-release of the Switch 2 with higher accessory costs and a delayed US preorder window (leading them to literally sue the US government).
Additionally, storage scarcity led to the ultimate rise of the console to $500 USD. And I know you might not like hearing this, but I still think the Switch 2 is worth it at $500 with the hardware and games we’re getting. SD Express cards are still expensive, but so is every other SD card right now, and you can get away with the 256GB you get on board.
Nintendo also appears to be receptive to feedback this generation and seems to make real changes as a result. Their “variable pricing” method for games this generation started with an $80 Mario Kart World, and now we have StarFox for $60 physical and $50 digital.
Handheld Boost Mode was also a well-requested feature and was a big success in reeling in the existing Switch 1 library to the new console. They also added the smaller cartridge option to developers, which might improve the key card situation. Time will tell, but they definitely want you to buy into the ecosystem.
Should You Buy a Switch 2 Now?
The Switch 2’s first year was plagued by the global market, Nintendo’s desperate anti-piracy measures, and a lukewarm year of game releases, yet somehow stumbled into nearly 20 million units sold. Maybe it’s faith, maybe it’s x86 “Tweek fatigue”, or the silent but deadly Nintendo fanbase who bought into the hype. Either way, it’s clear the Switch 2 isn’t going to be the Wii U 2, and Nintendo is putting its full energy into making the platform a success, even against the global economy.
The primary fault with Nintendo’s offering this generation is its place in the current ecosystem. It’s not the best device for everything, but it’s a very good device for most things at a competitive price. After a year, I believe that its place is fairly established, with the best games in its catalog still ahead of it.
So, should you buy one right now? If you are considering a Switch 2, you probably fall into a few camps:
- I’m holding out for a V2 with a better screen – Then hold out, unless your “Must play” game is Rayman Legends Retold.
- I’m a Nintendo fan, but it’s too expensive – Buy second-hand from Facebook Marketplace or our Discord!
- I want one, but there aren’t any good games right now. Consider buying one before the price increases.
Oh crap, I forgot to talk about GameChat. Anyways.
