Nintendo Switch 2 First Impressions And A Surprising Purchasing Score
Third-party entrepreneurs were already listing the console for sale on online marketplaces for a premium over its hefty $449 MSRP. Luckily, my local Walmart was nearly empty and upon inquiring, I was told it had around six to eight consoles still available in the back. My local Walmart even had the Mario Kart World Bundle, which is a better deal with its $499 MSRP, since you don't have to pay $80 for the game separately (basically a $30 savings over buying the console and game separately). This was a pleasant surprise, as the Switch 2 ranks as one of the most anticipated console launches of all time.
The Switch 2 Pro Controller was also easy to spot in stock at various retailers, along with some games and accessories. On a second afternoon trip to Target, the shelves were barren of many related Switch 2 accessories, and the console itself had long sold out.
My first impressions of the Switch 2 are generally good, with a few 'gotchas' that caught my attention. Packaging is nice (no stapled receipt puncturing the display!), and you get similar included accessories as the previous Switch with its dock and Joy-Con controllers. The screen is vibrant and larger than the first Switch, albeit it is not OLED. The physical device feels like a large tablet, with the magnetic Joy-Cons being super-easy to swap in and out.
I did run into a few initial issues that are minor, but notable to know. First, if you have your TV area set up with the original Switch, its power adapter will not play nicely with the Switch 2 (or at least it didn't in my case). Using the included one in the box is what you'll need to do, as the Switch 2 has higher requirements when docked.
Secondly, the initial setup had a few quirks. As an owner of the Switch OLED, the new Switch 2 would not allow me to load any Virtual Cards into the system without first pairing my old model. This is a problem if your old Switch is not physically near, and I was not able to load Mario Kart World until the pairing was done. Alternatively, you can remove the old console from your Nintendo account online by de-registering it, with the caveat that you can't add it back for 12 months.
The actual playing experience was smooth once I got past the initial hiccups, with the interface and Nintendo eShop being notably faster than on the original Switch, which feels sluggish by comparison. When docked with a 4K OLED TV with HDR, Mario Kart World looked sharp and gorgeous as expected. At least in that title, frame rates felt smooth without too many noticeable performance issues.
The Zelda duo of Breath of Wild and Tears of the Kingdom also have Switch 2 Edition upgrades available, bringing better resolution and performance with the NVIDIA powered Switch 2.
While it was disappointing to have to pay $9.99 for the Zelda upgrades, it's understandable with the scale of those games. Nintendo's Switch 2 Tour is also priced at $9.99, and gives you some neat tech demos around the console. Seeing as how Sony's Astro Playroom was free with its console and arguably a very high-quality game, I'd like to see Nintendo be a bit more generous.
At the end of the day, Nintendo seeks gam play and the nostalgia for its games (and popular IP) over pure performance, and I'm OK with that when they deliver stellar titles such as Mario Kart World.
Secondly, the initial setup had a few quirks. As an owner of the Switch OLED, the new Switch 2 would not allow me to load any Virtual Cards into the system without first pairing my old model. This is a problem if your old Switch is not physically near, and I was not able to load Mario Kart World until the pairing was done. Alternatively, you can remove the old console from your Nintendo account online by de-registering it, with the caveat that you can't add it back for 12 months.
The actual playing experience was smooth once I got past the initial hiccups, with the interface and Nintendo eShop being notably faster than on the original Switch, which feels sluggish by comparison. When docked with a 4K OLED TV with HDR, Mario Kart World looked sharp and gorgeous as expected. At least in that title, frame rates felt smooth without too many noticeable performance issues.
The Zelda duo of Breath of Wild and Tears of the Kingdom also have Switch 2 Edition upgrades available, bringing better resolution and performance with the NVIDIA powered Switch 2.
While it was disappointing to have to pay $9.99 for the Zelda upgrades, it's understandable with the scale of those games. Nintendo's Switch 2 Tour is also priced at $9.99, and gives you some neat tech demos around the console. Seeing as how Sony's Astro Playroom was free with its console and arguably a very high-quality game, I'd like to see Nintendo be a bit more generous.
At the end of the day, Nintendo seeks gam play and the nostalgia for its games (and popular IP) over pure performance, and I'm OK with that when they deliver stellar titles such as Mario Kart World.
