Watch This Below
Nintendo sent me all the way from South Africa to London to play with the Switch 2 ahead of its launch on 5 June. I spent a full day with the console and played every game that is coming your way at launch and a bit after. It was such an awesome experience and such a unique opportunity for a South African YouTube platform like mine.
After sitting on my thoughts for a bit and having a 20-hour travel time back to SA, I wanted to share some of the experience I had with the console and especially highlight the good and the bad. In this post, I am focusing on the good but I also have another post with the same equally not-so-good. You can check that out here.
It is Really Just a New Switch
Nintendo didn’t just slap a number 2 onto this new console for nothing – The Switch 2 is really a new and improved version of the original 2017 console. Right from the first moment you touch the hardware, it all feels very familiar but this doesn’t just cover the console itself, it stems to the accessories and even the Switch 2 Pro Controller.
While some of these accessories do boast some “new” features like the extra paddle buttons on the Pro Controller, the entire Switch 2 experience is familiar right from the get-go. I think Nintendo has nailed this and if you loved the original Switch, you’ll feel right at home here.
The jump isn’t as substantial as, say, the Game Boy to the Nintendo DS or 3DS to Wii or Wii U. It is a new version of what Nintendo did so incredibly well already and I do enjoy that.
The display is Superb
As someone who reviews TVs and displays, I was skeptical about the Switch 2’s move back to LCD. To be honest, I seldomly played my original Switch in handheld mode. It was only when I got the OLED version did I switch mostly exclusively to handheld because of the substantial jump in display quality.
But the Switch 2’s display is actually mind-blowingly good. If you aren’t a real tech enthusiast, and you spot this console with a full bright image on the display, it is quite easy to mistake this LCD panel for OLED or perhaps even Mini-LED. It is that bright and vivid.
Granted, once you hit dark areas in certain games, you’ll notice the lack of deep blacks due to the LCD tech, but generally speaking, this screen does so much good here that it was difficult for me to fault it at anything.
The LCD is likely the best I have seen on the portable market. Even the PS Portal doesn’t reach the brightness and saturation of the Switch 2. Playing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, the Sheikah slate glows reached some impressive specular brightness, and the sheer colour volume on this screen added rich colour to blades of grass, and even a bright red and orange to the fire in the demo.
Of course, the Switch 2 display does have 120Hz support with VRR, but it is too early to pass judgement on those features given the lack of hands-on with dedicated games that utilise the tech. But in terms of visual quality, I absolutely love the Switch 2 screen so far.
Goodbye Joy-Con Rails and Changes to Existing Accessories
I don’t feel the slightest remorse for leaving the Switch 2 Joy-Con rails behind. The new magnetic attachment system is really good and so simple. Attaching and detaching the Switch 2 Joy-Con controllers feels fun in a way, and the magnetic system adds a bit of pull to the attachment when you slot it into the side of the console.
This means there’s very little effort involved in attaching and detaching the controllers to the screen. When you remove the Joy-Con, the magnet doesn’t fight back, and when you attach it, there’s just enough pull force to assist you in the motion. So you won’t be pushing anything in and grabbing the console with your entire hand to do so.
It makes the experience less clumsy, cleaner, and if anything, you won’t be damaging the console this time due to the lack of friction and rubbing of the Joy-Cons. Well, it is too early to tell whether or not the Switch 2 will be absolutely scuff-free with this new approach.
I also enjoyed the slight new changes to other Switch 2 accessories. The Switch 2 Pro Controller’s new paddle buttons, which are now GL and GR, mean you’ll be able to assign additional inputs to the controller. Nintendo has also added the same GL and GR paddles to the charging grip. These will go a long way to enhance the experience for gamers.
There’s Some Power Here
The Switch 2 obviously comes with some new internals that make a huge difference when it comes to the games. I played almost every major launch game for the console, and I was impressed. Cyberpunk 2077 was likely the biggest surprise for me. Starting in docked mode, the game didn’t let me down. The Switch 2 Pro Controller is the best companion for a game like this, and visually speaking, the console holds up.
You can clearly see that the game was running at quite a low resolution and using DLSS, being upscaled. But the experience still packed enough visual appeal to deliver an immersive Night City with fully-detailed streets and some impressive texture and light work.
Handheld is a similar story here. Cyberpunk 2077 looks good in handheld mode and, if anything, is quite a showcase title for the console. I did notice quite a bit of noise from the upscaling, and there were some obvious caveats here and there. However, the game does kind of make me excited about the future of the console and what other demanding ports we’ll likely see on it.
Then there’s also the Switch 2 games themselves. Playing Donkey Kong Bananza, it wasn’t the biggest visual leap forward, but the 4K was an instant standout. Seeing Donkey Kong’s fur crisp with sharp edges on the TV got me excited about Nintendo finally entering the 4K era.
The Legend of Zelda upgrades offer a similar experience. The TV mode looks fantastic with HDR doing god’s work to bring the games to life. Handheld mode, however, is where I saw the magic. The move to 60Hz was a massive deal. Camera movement and just general button inputs felt so much more responsive. The bump in resolution is also just so welcome here.
Again, this plays back to the display as everything I played looked fantastic. I am a proper nerd so I try to imagine how I use tech and what makes me excited about it. The idea of playing Switch 2 in bed with this large bright screen right in front of my face just gets me all excited. And these games are going to look so wonderful too.
Nintendo’s Launch Library is Massive
So with the new hardware that looks and feels familiar, we also have to commend Nintendo for not dropping the original Switch game support this generation. Granted, I never got to actually try any original Switch games on the Switch 2 but Nintendo has done something this generation that it hasn’t in the past – seamless game ownership and account transfers.
This means moving from an old Switch to the Switch 2 is going to be a breeze. All your games will be downloadable and hopefully, improved to some degree. But the best part for me is the instant access to these games on a larger display that looks stunning and the ability to shift my account over without any hassle.
During my time with the Switch 2, all the demos really showed an exciting launch ahead for the console. I played Kirby and the Forgotten Land which is more than just a remaster. The added Star-Crossed World content literally reskins every stage with new explorable areas, parkour challenges and enemies.
Both Zelda games were also in dire need of some better hardware. They look fantastic in handheld mode and the visual improvements are better than I expected. Not to forget Zelda notes and all those cool in-app integrations that are going to extend the game beyond anything we have seen in the past.
Then there’s Mario Kart World – Nintendo has seemingly done the impossible here and created a larger-than-life racer with so much personality. The Forza-like tracks I raced across meant I didn’t just repeat the same lap over and over again but instead went from one part of the world to the other. It was magical.
Donkey Kong Bananza is also one to watch. My demo saw me smashing around mountains of rocks in search of crystal bananas. The movements are intuitive and generally addictive. I also enjoyed how Donkey Kong can hit above his head using X and below using B. A small detail but it made the wrecking feel natural and enjoyable.
There’s a lot to look forward to for the Switch 2 in 2025. We know what games we’re getting at launch but what else is in store? I am very excited for the console and to really put it to the test when it arrives. I do have some concerns though, you can check out all the things I didn’t like about the Switch 2 here.
