Nintendo Switch 2 Review: Price, Specs, Availability

Screen value is incredible, contempt abandoning OLED. Near-universal backwards compatibility, moreover pinch peripherals. GameChat features activity incredibly good and consciousness genuinely social.

No Hall effect connected controller thumbsticks. Battery life is highly variable. Not arsenic large a generational leap arsenic immoderate mightiness expect.

Switch 2: Switch Harder. Sure, that's a glib summation of 1 of nan astir eagerly anticipated games console launches of each time, but it is, nevertheless, apt. The Nintendo Switch 2 isn't nan benignant of generational leap PlayStations aliases Xboxes offer, but alternatively a refinement of what's worked for nan past 8 years. In short, it elevates, hones, and polishes almost each facet of nan original Switch to present what is almost its eventual form.

The similarities are evident from nan infinitesimal you unfastened nan box: a acquainted tablet-like console and 2 manus controllers, nan refined Joy-Con 2 grips. Everything's a spot bigger, and those controllers now threat into nan console magnetically alternatively than descent onto rails, but it each looks and feels for illustration conscionable different Switch. Thankfully, its improvements soon radiance through.

The accrued size is nan astir striking difference. The 7.9-inch surface makes for a larger halfway unit, but nan solution bump to 1920 x 1080 afloat HD, pinch a 279 pixels-per-inch density, makes superb usage of it. Throw successful HDR10 support for accrued brightness and much vibrant colors and a adaptable refresh complaint of up to 120 Hz for incredibly soft visuals, and it conscionable astir makes up for reverting to an LCD panel. In fact, going backmost to nan 720p, 210-ppi Switch OLED instantly feels muddy successful comparison. That said, nan specified beingness of nan Switch OLED makes it consciousness for illustration a Switch 2 OLED is inevitable.

The revamped dock is harder to get excited astir but does bask immoderate upgrades, including amended ventilation, a sturdier footprint, and little chance of scratching nan surface erstwhile docking acknowledgment to a cornerless design. The main boost here, though, is afloat 4K output to your TV erstwhile docked, albeit pinch a fewer caveats.

While a docked Switch 2 tin pump retired a 3840 x 2160 resolution—again supporting HDR10—it's capped astatine a 60-fps refresh rate. VRR isn't disposable erstwhile docked, and moreover if your TV supports 120 Hz, you'll get that refresh complaint only if you headdress nan console's output solution astatine 1920 x 1080 aliases 2560 x 1440. Even astatine 60 fps, though, it's somewhat surreal to spot 4K value from a Nintendo platform, fixed nan company's historical reluctance to play nan numbers crippled erstwhile it comes to strategy specs.

On nan audio front, expect punchy sound moreover successful handheld mode. The Switch 2 uses nan nonstop aforesaid soul speakers arsenic nan Switch OLED, but mini redesigns bolster performance. They're insulated internally to trim sound bleed and are angled for amended directionality, and there's a awesome usage of 3D audio. Through a compatible TV aliases decent headphones, you tin bask 5.1 Linear PCM situation for an moreover much immersive experience.

Power Trip

One notable tweak for nan caller console is nan inclusion of a USB-C larboard astatine nan top—nestled alongside nan returning powerfulness button, measurement rocker, 3.5-mm headphone jack, and Game Card slot—as good arsenic nan bottom, wherever nan console usually connects to nan dock. The precocious larboard tin beryllium utilized to link accessories but besides supports charging, making it acold easier to bask uninterrupted play successful handheld mode. It's moreover amended for tabletop play, though, allowing you to prop nan Switch 2 up connected its kickstand and support it powered done nan apical port, which simply wasn't imaginable before.

Incidentally, nan kickstand itself is disappointing. It's now a narrow, U-shaped limb moving half nan circumference of nan console. It's sturdy capable erstwhile extended, keeping nan Switch 2 upright astatine immoderate angle, but it ever feels a spot flimsy erstwhile you're pulling it out, somewhat bending successful a measurement that makes maine interest astir early snappage. It's leagues up of nan mini nub of a kickstand connected nan original Switch but doesn't consciousness arsenic unafraid arsenic nan OLED model's full-panel approach.

Without being plugged in, play clip connected nan Switch 2 tin beryllium highly variable. On demanding games for illustration Cyberpunk 2077 aliases Hitman: World of Assassination, nan artillery would drain from afloat to quiet successful astir 2 hours. On signature motorboat title Mario Kart World, expect person to 4 hours betwixt charges.

Nintendo claims nan 5,220-mAh artillery tin present up to 6.5 hours of juice, but successful my acquisition thing deed that milestone. Nintendo is aiming for artillery longevity, though pinch nan Switch 2 intentionally not utilizing accelerated charging, while nan maximum complaint tin beryllium capped astatine astir 90 percent, some features helping forestall degradation.

Taking Control

Upscaled successful statement pinch nan console, nan Joy-Con 2s consciousness acold much important than their predecessors acknowledgment to immoderate smart creation choices. The spacing and extent of nan look buttons are tailored to nan caller size; enarthrosis buttons are longer; and there's a smoother curve to nan casing wherever each 1 sits successful your palm. Meanwhile, nan SL and SR buttons—the integrated enarthrosis buttons connected nan soul ridges for erstwhile a Joy-Con is being utilized arsenic a azygous controller—are really salient capable to beryllium useful now.

When attached to nan cardinal Switch 2 console, nan magnetic relationship feels acold much robust than I'd expected. There's a mini spot of springiness by design, specified micrometers of activity that trim leverage and thief forestall harm aliases accidental detachment. There seems to beryllium small chance of tearing a Joy-Con 2 disconnected by mistake. Instead, a caller trigger must beryllium deliberately squeezed to unit nan controller distant from nan console. This is cleverly positioned to beryllium easy accessible from supra but almost intolerable to snag successful nan mediate of a game.

Like nan original Joy-Cons, there's an array of miniature method marvels crammed into some grips, though astir features are, for illustration truthful overmuch of nan Switch 2 arsenic a whole, mostly iterating connected what came before. Motion search controls stay solid, while nan haptic feedback—dubbed HD Rumble 2—is importantly enhanced. It responds quicker to prompts from a crippled and is tin of much nuanced sensations. They tin moreover vibrate accelerated capable to go ersatz speakers, capable to pump retired precocious sounded sound effects from nan controllers themselves. Practical utility? Near zero. Tech flex points? Infinite.

The biggest alteration to nan Joy-Con 2s is, of course, nan expertise to usage each arsenic a mouse. Undoubtedly, it's awesome connected a method level, particularly fixed nan sensors accurately tracked activity connected conscionable astir each aboveground I tried, from tabletops and sofa arms to jeans and moreover carpet (just). However, I'm still not sold—and aft a week pinch nan console astatine this point, I'm not judge Nintendo really is, either.

Of nan first-party motorboat titles, only Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour—a walk-through of nan caller console's features; charming, but yet a glorified, paid-for demo—does overmuch pinch rodent controls, throwing successful a fewer mini games that show disconnected hypothetical potential. Elsewhere, Cyberpunk 2077 and Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster connection much meaningful uses, but nan Joy-Con 2s simply aren't comfortable to usage successful this fashion. Only clip will show if rodent mode ends up being much than a hastily discarded gimmick.

More disappointing is nan truth that nan thumbsticks connected some nan Joy-Con 2s and nan sold-separately Pro Controller haven't adopted Hall effect components. The original Switch was plagued pinch drift issues for its controllers, and it's a shame that Nintendo hasn't taken nan opportunity to norm that retired here.

Overall though, nan Switch 2's ergonomics are great, balancing comfortableness pinch accessible inputs (although children aliases anyone pinch smaller hands whitethorn disagree). Assembled into handheld mode, it feels little toylike, and while it's heftier (weighing successful astatine 534 grams versus 319 for nan Switch OLED), it's obscurity adjacent nan wrist-snapper that Steam Deck aliases ROG Ally X tin be.

A Fresh Start, Looking Backward

Setting up offers a prime betwixt a strategy transportation from an earlier Switch aliases simply signing successful to a Nintendo account. The erstwhile quickly copies existing personification accounts and game-save information to nan Switch 2, allowing you to prime up wherever you near off. The second leaves profiles intact connected some machines, pinch crippled saves manually transferred complete Wi-Fi aliases done unreality saves. If you opt for strategy transfer, it's easiest to do truthful pinch some consoles successful handheld mode arsenic there's a adjacent spot of paper hopping, but statement that some units request to beryllium plugged in.

It seems clear Nintendo wants existing users to move wholesale to nan Switch 2, but I fishy galore will support their earlier console for a while, purely because of retention woes. While nan Switch 2 comes pinch 256 GB of onboard storage, a invited 8X summation connected nan original Switch and 4X connected nan OLED, it still fills up quickly, particularly if you're readying connected moving an existing integer room over.

While a MicroSD slot allows for description , it only supports nan MicroSD Express format—fine for speed, performance, and future-proofing, but compatible cards are presently constricted by smaller capacities. Still, fixed Nintendo is almost single-handedly forcing nan take of nan Express format pinch nan Switch 2's release, expect that to alteration rapidly—Lexar already has a 1TB paper connected sale, for example.

Whichever action you spell for, it's soon clear really small Nintendo has changed nan Switch experience, though. Up and running, nan Switch 2 feels near-identical to use, nan only clues you're connected a caller console astatine each being a colorful, pulsing paper cursor and much melodic UI sounds—four singsongy chimes connected startup is simply a tiny touch. Dig deeper into settings and location are a fewer differences, notably caller accessibility features that let control-scheme remapping, but different it’s a seamless transition.

That consciousness of continuity is awesome though. Nintendo's connection seems to beryllium conscionable bask what you play alternatively than fret complete specs aliases merchandise formats. That's moreover easier to do acknowledgment to backward compatibility that's acold amended than galore dared hope. Nearly each azygous Switch crippled remains playable here, whether integer aliases connected a beingness crippled card. Even older peripherals are supported—original Switch Joy-Cons are detected and paired to nan caller console pinch a pat of their sync buttons, keeping nan likes of Ring Fit Adventure viable connected Switch 2. Factor successful nan curated room of retro titles disposable to Nintendo Switch Online subscribers—from nan NES to GameCube—and Switch 2 feels adjacent to an all-encompassing Nintendo experience.

As a result, nan favoritism betwixt a Switch 1 and a Switch 2 crippled feels almost inconsequential, peculiarly erstwhile galore earlier games get a boost conscionable moving connected Switch 2. Sometimes this takes nan shape of paid upgrades that importantly amended visuals and performance, arsenic for Zelda hallmarks Breath of nan Wild and Tears of nan Kingdom. Others use simply from being connected nan caller machine, utilizing nan eight-core civilization Nvidia system-on-chip to their advantage—Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are noteworthy here, nan monster-catching RPGs yet playable pinch a unchangeable framework complaint and acold little pop-in than was evident connected Switch.

Communication Revolution

The astir notable, wholly caller characteristic for Switch 2 is GameChat, which sees Nintendo leaning difficult into nan societal facet of gaming. Activated by tapping nan caller C fastener connected nan right-hand Joy-Con 2 aliases nan Pro Controller, GameChat connects up to 4 online friends for sound aliases video calls. The console itself has a built-in microphone, which proves astonishingly bully astatine picking up your sound whether playing successful TV, tabletop, aliases handheld mode. Noise cancellation is impressive, too, nan mic automatically cutting retired inheritance chatter aliases crippled audio and enhancing speech.

Video requires a camera to beryllium connected via that precocious USB-C port. Nintendo's charismatic 1 (another optional extra, sold separately) does a coagulated job, pinch a 1080p, wide-angle lens, but immoderate USB-C camera will work. Privacy initially seemed a concern, but GameChat defaults to obscuring thing different than people, while easy-access controls fto you take betwixt face-only close-ups, afloat views of your surviving space, aliases turning it disconnected entirely.

Ostensibly, you'd expect to beryllium utilizing GameChat to coordinate multiplayer sessions connected nan aforesaid game—discussing squad strategies connected titles for illustration Splatoon 3, wherever nan expertise to surface stock tin travel successful handy—but nan strategy is really independent of what's being played. I've ended up conscionable chatting pinch different friends who happened to beryllium online astatine nan aforesaid time, each connected different games, arsenic often arsenic I've done group calls during Mario Kart World races aliases talked done co-op adventures connected Split Fiction. It's quickly, and wholly unexpectedly, go 1 of my favourite parts of playing connected Switch 2. However, it's worthy noting that while GameChat is free to usage astatine launch, it will yet require a subscription to Nintendo Switch Online.

Is a awesome chat work really nan slayer app group were hoping for from a Switch successor, though? Probably not—but GameChat being nan astir notable favoritism highlights really small Nintendo wanted, aliases needed, to shingle things up.

The Switch has been almost unstoppable since it first arrived successful 2017, carving retired a niche for itself and becoming nan third-best trading console ever. The Switch 2 ne'er really had to beryllium thing different than “more of nan same,” but pinch accrued powerfulness and performance, 4K output, a sharper, brighter, richer handheld display, and easy compatibility pinch hundreds of games—plus a fewer experimental features, for illustration rodent controls, for bully measure—this is thing more: “the same, but better.”