Switch 2 - My thoughts (preview event recap)
I just got back from the 'Nintendo Switch 2 Experience', so I though I'd share my thoughts on the console for those who didn't/won't get a chance to check it out.
The Console Itself - 8/10
The S2 is a decent amount larger than the original, which really helps with the ergonomics. Pretty much all the controls are bigger, and the rounder shape might alleviate fatigue when holding it (I never got to hold it for long, the demos were mostly on TVs). I think it looks a lot worse than the original, but that's neither here nor there. The pro controller was a huge upgrade from the (already great) original, super comfortable materials and nice buttons. The screen is not OLED, which I think is ridiculous for the price tag. It theoretically has HDR, but I could not tell. Overall, it's bigger and better, but nothing super special.
Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour - 0/10
For the price of $10, Welcome Tour is a complete joke. There's absolutely nothing to say about it, it's basically an ad for hardware you'll already own. Should be free, don't buy it.
Donkey Kong Bananza - 5/10
This is the Mario Odyssey formula applied to Donkey Kong, you run around, collect bananas in some semi-open worlds. All the environments are destructible, which is super fun but adds one huge caveat: the game runs like shit. A nice 60fps when running around, but as soon as you try smashing stuff (the main gimmick of the game) the framerate jumps all over the place, and going to the world map tanks the fps to 20-30. I enjoyed surfing on chunks of the ground I pulled up, but I was constantly pulled out of the fun by performance hiccups. It looked about as good as Mario Odyssey (but at native 4k ~60pfs, of course).
Mario Kart World - 9/10
Okay, now I can start saying nice things! Mario Kart World is–as you might expect–awesome. It's a really fun twist on the formula that was perfected in 8 Deluxe. There's no more kart customisation, which I don't mind, but each kart looks really nice and detailed. I got a slight taste of free-roam mode before each knockout tour I played, and it was... fine? The open world looks great and plays well, but I'm curious to see how it's "gamified". The knockout tour was the main booth on the floor, with 24 people playing at once with the last placing racers getting eliminated at different checkpoints. It was chaos, but that classic Mario Kart chaos that works really well. I managed to come 2nd on my first race. It looks quite a lot better than 8 Deluxe, but that's mostly in the art style and animations.
Drag X Drive - 9/10
This is the gimmicky competitive game for this system (like Arms or Splatoon), showing off the mouse controls in the form of Wheelchair Basketball. I was super surprised by this game, the gimmick clicked with me instantly. I got dunked on like twice, but I also only had 5 minutes to prepare, so cut me some slack!
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond - 7/10
Again, the mouse controls work super well. It all felt pretty simple and intuitive, but that might be because I'm a PC player most of the time anyway. I don't know anything about the Metroid series, so I can't comment on the story or gameplay beyond that. It looked pretty good and ran at (I think) the full 120FPS the whole time.
Cyberpunk 2077 - 4/10
Cyberpunk was... rough. It had that classic "really really upscaled" look, and dipped down to 10fps a lot in combat. I tried both "performance" and "quality" mode, but both looked and played about the same (which might be a bug).
Breath of the Wild: Nintendo Switch 2 Edition - 2/10
I can't believe they're charging for this. It's literally just the original game running at 60fps with slightly better draw distances. You can get this look with CEMU. This is how I felt about all the "Nintendo Switch 2 Edition" games that I tried.
Conclusion
While the games were pretty good and the experience was nice, I don't think the console has justified itself costing as much as it does, and so I'm not going to buy it on launch. I'll probably pick it up used when there's a reliable jailbreak, but the preview event really dissolved any feelings of FOMO that I might have had about it, which I'm glad about because now I can save that $800! I hope there's still people playing Drag x Drive when I get to it in a few years.
Feel free to ask me any questions, and hopefully I can answer them.
Considering the [recent update to the Nintendo Account User Agreement](https://accounts.nintendo.com/term/eula/US?lang=en-US], Nintendo’s aggressive litigation campaigns throughout the years that have seriously threatened preservation efforts, how they have been consistently delivering a subpar performance of their most popular games (which, as you mentioned, emulators developed by teams of volunteers, even within the current generation, effortlessly surpass), how they have been raising the price of their hardware and software for nothing substantial in return for the customer, and many other anti-consumer activities that they have been engaging in…
…I think that Nintendo is ripe for a boycott.
Thank you for sharing this experience with us. FOMO is how Nintendo gaslights nostalgia whores like me to continue to give them money and attention. It’s time that we band together and start voting with our wallets. They don’t deserve our money. They deserve bankruptcy.
Let’s not buy anything from them, and if we do, let’s buy it second-hand, and then hack the heck out of it. The usefulness of a Nintendo console always improves with hacking and homebrew. That’s the way to go.
I own basically every Nintendo console and handheld, but I am hesitant buying this on launch. The switch OG was a no brainer for me, but I am not sure if it’s worth getting this thing at launch, when it’s 500 bucks and doesn’t support OLED. I would probably only play Mario kart and my OG switch games in the first year anyways.
Writing this, I realized that I should probably cancel the preorder
I think that EULA thing (like most things related to the NS2 on the internet) is blown way, way, way out of proportion. It reads like a pretty standard CYA clause.
It shouldn't be news to anyone that OTA firmware updates can cause problems for modded consoles. This has been the case since the original Xbox.
I think the concern is more over this addition for the US:
Banning the account seems standard. Less standard is the implication Nintendo may purposefully brick your console with the "Nintendo device" bit. And again, this is only for the US version of the EULA. The UK version just talks about digital products.
Yeah, Nintendo is a bit sketchy and PCs have existed forever; they're never going to release on PC, or at least not while you're "actively boycotting" - as long as Nintendo is going strong, they'll never have a reason to change their policy, and frankly they'll always be going strong. I see it as more of a Queen Mab situation - just forget about them, and they'll have no power over you.
Totally agree, the new 3ds line is the best portable retro console pretty much only because it's so easy to hack. If the architecture isn't far removed from the OG switch, I have my fingers crossed that people should be able to crack it open pretty well within a few years.
One thing I like about Nintendo is that the management for the most part don't seem to be entirely enamored with being a "video game company" and are more interested in being a toy company. That's what gives you weird things like Nintendo Labo or the various "application" type software they made for the DS.
And while I think that this kind of behaviour is very stupid, I have come to view it like a toy company. Making new shiny versions of old toys is old hat for them. And you pay full price for them every time.
The aggressive litigation is where things diverge. And I won't even begin to excuse them for it. But at the same time I think that it's less of a problem with Nintendo and more of a problem with IP laws in general.
Correct. They need astronomical reforms (that will never happen, because lobbying).
I bought a switch mainly for BOTW and Mario kart.
My son is getting to the age where he wants to do what dad does. It won't be long before he's playing my old switch.
Sounds like I don't need a switch 2, which is good because I can't afford it right now. If it was as ground-breaking as the OG switch, I may have ponied up. It doesn't seem that it will be.
Thanks very much for a serious review. I'll never get this, but I appreciate keeping up with the space.
Seems good. I’m glad I managed to preorder while I could.
Yep. I expected it to work the same as last time, so I was refreshing three sites waiting for preorders to open.
iPod: "No wireless, less space than a Nomad." -> becomes the portable music player to have.
Original Switch: general complaints about it not being magically as powerful as a full size console, launch titles, storage, price, Nintendo not being "exciting." -> sells out instantly and goes on to become the best selling console in history.
Switch 2: similar complaints online -> preorder day comes, shocked_pikachu.jpg
The internet is generally out of touch. While there aren't numbers yet, I suspect Nintendo far exceeded the launch day sales of the original Switch.
I've been considering getting a switch 2 and leaving my original one to my brother. How does this work with games I've bought for the switch? Would I have to rebuy them all, or can they be played on the new device? (most are digital, but one or two are physical)
All Switch games will work on the Switch 2, many will perform better on the new hardware without any change. It's like the PS5: you can play PS4 games, and developers have the tools to charge for an upgrade if they make changes to specifically target the new hardware. (Some may also choose to deliver changes for free.) You'll also have a lot more storage for digital games.
When you set up the new one, you'll be able to transfer all of your stuff over and erase the old one.
Technically this isn't correct as the hardware isn't the same in the Switch 2 than in the Switch 1. With consoles prior to the Switch Nintendo would include the previous console's hardware and so the game would run natively.
For the Switch 2 Nintendo have created some kind of translation layer (details are light at the moment) and some poor souls at Nintendo have been sitting in a room manually testing EVERY SINGLE GAME on the Switch 2. Some of these games haven't worked and Nintendo have asked the original publisher/developer to create a patch for the Switch 2. I think it's reasonably likely that some games won't work on the Switch 2 correctly at launch.
[edit] In fact here are the lists that Nintendo released. It looks like just a few percent of the Switch 1 games won't run or have serious issues. However this does include some big games like Doom Eternal, Warframe, Alan Wake Remastered and Factorio amongst others.
Will I be able to transfer some of my stuff? Some games and saves on the old one are my brother's (he doesn't have a credit card so everything went through my account).
I'm not sure if the process will be different than moving between two of the original Switch, but here's the current process: https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/27394/~/how-to-transfer-user-and-save-data-on-nintendo-switch
You're not required to erase things on the old console or anything, so if you already have intermingled user stuff, you could just continue to have them that way. Copy the save data, and as far as I'm aware you can play games on any device you own. And the new "virtual game card" and family sharing features would probably provide a way around that even if it weren't the case.
I’m not sure it’s that clear cut. The new system allows you to loan out digital games but there are a lot of limitations (2 week limit, only one game at a time etc)
Sorry for the brevity in my previous post. I had approximately 3 mins free, checked Tildes, saw the previous post and wanted to make sure that people were aware there were limitations. Now I've got more than a few seconds, here's what I wanted to post previously:
There are some restrictions for lending virtual game cards:
More details here
To answer @Adarain's question more fully:
As you are both using the same Nintendo account, using the new system, you will both be able to play any of the games on the account, but only on one switch at a time. This is currently the case, and it's just clearer using the Virtual Game Card (VGC from now on) than it was previously.
If you cast your mind way back to two weeks ago, prior to VGC releasing, you could install your downloaded games on as many switches as you had your account on - If there is a limit, it's > 3 - but on any switch, when you launched the game it checks to see if it's in use on any other switch first before allowing you to boot. This was great for people who were permanently connected but rubbish if you wanted to use your second switch somewhere without connectivity.
Now they've changed to VGC, you effectively treat downloaded games the same as physical carts. You can only put the VGC into a single switch. If you want to take it out and put it in another one, you have to be online, but once done, it won't check again. So you are free to go offline and will be able to play your game on that switch with zero issues.
So with this in mind, if you both play different games, you're golden. You can install your games on your switch, bro can install his games on his switch, and everybody is happy. However, if you both play the same game, it may require you to constantly swap who has the game on their switch...
I haven't tested to see whether removing a VGC deletes the game or just swaps the right to use the game to the other Switch. I fear it will be the former, and sincerely hope it is the latter. I haven't tested it yet, but will do so soon(ish) and report back.
If it doesn't delete, then assuming you're both connected to the Internet, I imagine it'll be easier to swap VGC than physical carts as all it'll require is a 2 second conversation/argument about who gets to play.
Tested and confirmed that unloading a VGC does not delete the software from the device!
my understanding is that anything that works on a switch will work on switch 2 (with the exception of games that need special controllers, accessories, etc.), but only with OG switch performance. there's 'upgraded' versions that you have to pay a bit more for. if you don't care about that, then I think that they can all be played on the new device just fine without any extra spending. that said, if you're not super interested in any of the new games then I don't think I would recommend the new switch.
There ARE games that are going to get just general performance upgrades for free. The whole thing has just been a mess of messaging on Nintendo's part: https://www.nintendo.com/us/gaming-systems/switch-2/transfer-guide/games-with-free-updates/
The reason I'm interested in buying the switch 2 is essentially that I have a switch, but I'm sharing it with my younger brother, who has also spent quite a bit of money on games and peripherals himself. Currently it's in my family's living room, and I don't really want to take it away from there, but it's impractical for me. As I'm the one with actual income here, it makes sense that I'd buy myself a new one and give him the old one to keep. I am interested in some of the new games as well, but I want to keep my existing ones. Ideally I'd like to transfer only some of them and leave him the rest but I assume that won't be possible except with physical cartridges?
You can do that using the new game card system. Essentially so long as both your OG and new switches are signed in to your Nintendo account, downloads become game cards which you can install on either device. Most (though not all, you need to check!) games also include cloud save for games, so you won't lose save data migrating to a new switch, even if you don't do a complete transfer.
EDIT: Typo
OOF, ignore me. @Venko commented below saying exactly what I said so I've deleted this comment.
Any idea if there's cross-play with Switch and Switch 2? ie if I bought two copies of Mario Kart 8 (for the OG Switch), can I play it across the platforms?
Doesn't the Welcome Tour have some mini games?
My daughter has been asking for a switch for a bit now, and I've been putting her off while I saw how the switch 2 settled out.
Her closest friends have switches, and her gaming experience is pretty minimal, mostly casual games and Stardew Valley on her phone. We have the retro NES and SINES consoles, but her engagement with them is pretty light. So I don't think the bar is very high for her to enjoy a handheld.
What are folks thoughts on buying an original Switch now? Maybe secondhand? I imagine the market will be flooded with them.
Key question: will her friends be likely to upgrade to the Switch 2 anytime soon? Because the Switch 2 seems to have more emphasis on playing with friends by allowing direct communication (even when not playing the same game), so she may want that sooner than later to play with friends.
Beyond that, the NES and SNES are pretty different in terms of games offered, so not a good gauge of whether she'd be engaged with the Switch. Same goes for mobile, the gaming experience is different from other platforms and options for proper games there are pretty limited. The Switch has a big library, so just having access to new options may rapidly expand her interest in gaming.
So I'd recommend buying her a secondhand Switch now to gauge her long-term interest in gaming. Then if she enjoys it and her friends upgrade soon (and assuming the Switch 2 doesn't become some sort of legendary flop or disaster), maybe try to grab a Switch 2 around the holidays or after it's a bit more settled.
Thanks for the advice!
I think they are unlikely to upgrade soon (one just got it for their birthday this year). Gaming is very social for her, so that may argue for the switch 2 as you say, once more people in her circle have one.