Playing the Nintendo Switch 2 brings back memories. Seven years ago, I was sampling the delights of the first Nintendo Switch. There was Breath of the Wild, 1-2-Switch (milking the cow is one I won’t soon forget), and Mario Kart. The technology was impressive, and it made the Wii U feel like a cheaper, more plastic distant cousin. Somehow history is repeating itself, as recently I found myself sampling more delights, this time with a Nintendo Switch 2, once again with a Mario Kart. But this time I felt like everything was slightly more mature, yet still retained so much of the magic that makes people so excited for this new console.
But I don’t want to worry anyone unduly, either. What I mean is that this once again is a piece of hardware that makes what came before it feel somehow cheaper. Myself and other attendees joked about how we’d throw our OLEDs in the bin on the way out because they felt so old in comparison. For those worrying about Switch 2 not being up to par, there’s so much to look forward to on all counts.
Where once I was milking a cow in a straw hat, now I was sampling the Welcome Pack, and having a pair of Joy-Con 2 maracas in my hands. The technology still impresses, and when switching from a pair of maracas full of beads to a rubber ball, the illusion you’re holding exactly that is tangible, and it’s still remarkable.
Nintendo Switch 2: Welcome Pack
But that Welcome Pack actually seems a great place to start, because it genuinely does a great job of teaching people what the Switch 2 is, why its new features matter, and why you should care. Take the mouse controlled “Find the strongest rumble” mini-game, for example. Here, not only are you getting to grips with how the new Joy-Con 2 feature of “being a mouse” works, you’re also familiarising yourself with how the rumble itself feels. After getting what I feel is a world record in the challenge, you can actually unlock a follow up stage that introduces more axis of movement for the hidden rumble, which makes it harder. These aren’t one and done mini-games, and you’ll earn stars for doing well, which can be spent on unlocking more content.
Dodge the Spikeballs is another like this, with more levels of difficulty, but the key is that they show you the fidelity of the mouse. I’m sure it’s not unfair to assume some might be sceptical about the actually use-cases of the Joy-Con 2 as a mouse, but after this mini-game you’ll realise it is exactly that: a mouse. Not a “bad” one, just a mouse. Combined with the ability to adjust the sensitivity in games like Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, this doesn’t feel like a gimmick, and I can see future ideas that could be executed already.
I don’t really want to get into too much more of what I saw in this package, because there are so many small sections that left me thinking of families sitting round with younger children (or non-gamers) and having a lovely time learning about how to use the console and all it’s features, and I’d rather they discover these for themselves.
Metroid & Mario Kart
Moving on from Welcome pack (which by the way, clearly has secrets not yet shown, which I can neither confirm nor deny having found something that hadn’t been implemented in this build), Metroid Prime 4 is a stellar showcase of so much the Nintendo Switch 2 has to offer. Gorgeous visuals, high frame rate, mouse controls, rumble, and simply great games. It was a short section of game that I’m not wholly convinced is actually the start of the adventure, but it played well in both normal “controller” mode, and the mouse mode was a “wow” moment.
Simply moving your wrist to put the Joy-Con 2 down into mouse mode will do exactly that. It’s instantaneous, and while it took a good while to get used to the method of holding this “new mouse” (it’s neither a controller nor a traditional mouse at this point), as long as developers allow controller remapping to make it comfortable for all users, I think this is a really cool development, and opens up a lot of things that could happen, going forward.
Mario Kart World is exactly what you think it is. Mario Kart but bigger, more vibrant than ever, and with excellent new modes that are truly a joy to experience. Whether it’s in handheld mode, a simple race, exploring the open world, or enjoying the elimination mode, everything about Mario Kart World feels brilliant. Launch titles might be limited, but this is a game people are going to get serious mileage out of. Again, it feels like there’s a lot about this one we don’t yet know.
Nintendo Switch 2 Editions
Rather than going through everything I played, I’ll just say that Donkey Kong Bananza is everything you’d hope for in a new 3D DK-title. The Nintendo Switch 2 Editions of titles like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and Tears of the Kingdom, are just astonishing. Even visiting areas well known for dropping frames on the original Switch, Nintendo’s new machine runs them at high frame rates and looks gorgeous doing it. I never thought I’d be convinced to have another replay of these, but that’s now on my list of things to do with the new console. I mean, even Wind Waker on the GameCube addition to Nintendo Switch Online looks crisper than usual.
The hardware, then, feels premium. It’s an odd thing to say, but the lack of an OLED screen just isn’t felt here. It feels like the Nintendo wizards have finally got their head around so many modern features that were missing from the original models of Switch, such as HDR. I’ve long lamented the fact people focus so much on resolution, when in fact, excellent use of HDR combined with a high frame rate will make a game look wonderful. The handheld screen looks stunning when playing the likes of the older Zelda titles, or Mario Kart World.
Joy-Cons now snap magnetically and I was initially concerned how this would work in practice over a long period. They’re strong magnets, however, and things snap on just like you’d hope, and are locked in once attached until you push the release buttons. Even the Joy-Con attachment grips are magnetised, and again, it feels classy. There’s a new stand which feels slightly flimsy but not enough to worry about, and the screen itself feels a little heavier than I’m used to. There’s even a small section of the cart-input section that now feels more structurally sound than before.
There are still questions, of course. Battery life, Bluetooth support, and the chat-button functionality, along with the actual console UI (which I’d expect to be very similar to the current Switch) were not available to test out. But truthfully, I came away from around four hours of hands-on with the Nintendo Switch 2, across various peripherals, configurations, and more, convinced that another seven years of dominance could be right there for Nintendo to grab.
I was sure of a few things, going into the hands-on. I was sure that I wouldn’t come away wanting to replay Tears of the Kingdom and Breath of the Wild. I was wrong. I was sure I didn’t want the new GameCube controller. Oh boy I was wrong. I was absolutely certain that, given I own two Pro Controllers, adding a C-button wasn’t going to make me shell out £75 on a Pro Controller 2 for Switch 2. Three for three, Nintendo, and well played.
The Switch 2 is close, but not close enough. From the games, to the hardware, the updated functionality, and the better components that make load times so much shorter, Nintendo is onto an absolute barnstorming winner, here. I didn’t throw my OLED in the bin, but it now knows its days are numbered. The Nintendo Switch 2 is almost here, and it’s absolutely brilliant.
Nintendo Switch 2 launches on June 5th.
