Nintendo Switch 2 Pricing, Play Modes, Launch Date And All We Know So Far
If you're currently a Nintendo Online subscriber, you may be eligible for a priority invitation to get one. Here's the rules:
- You must be at least 18, in the US or Canada, and have a Nintendo Account.
- You must have at least 12 months of service history on your Nintendo Switch Online account.
- You must have at least 50 hours of gameplay on your Nintendo Switch Online account.
- You need to sign in and register your interest to purchase at this site.
Note that Nintendo will be sending out "General Invitations" aside from the Priority invitations. Once all of the priority registrants have been served, remaining eligible applicants will get invitations to purchase on a first-come first-serve basis. Whatever type of invitation you get, you can buy exactly one (1) system and one unit of each available accessory.
But why would you want to buy one?
Nintendo Switch 2 New Features
To be clear, our question there isn't entirely rhetorical. There are really only six or seven new, Nintendo Switch 2-exclusive games that we know of so far: Mario Kart World, Drag x Drive, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, The Duskbloods, Kirby Air Riders, Donkey Kong Bananza, and then Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, if you want to count that. However, there are still tons of reasons to pick up a Nintendo Switch 2—even at its higher-than-expected price.
For starters, while there may not be a great number of exclusive games, the ones that Nintendo showed off are looking pretty damn tantalizing. Donkey Kong Bananza has awesome terrain-deforming platform action gameplay and a hilarious new Donkey Kong design, Mario Kart World takes the series to the open road for the first time and features up to 24 racers on a single track, and The Duskbloods looks to be a truly unique take on FromSoftware's own delightful dark fantasy formula, with a new emphasis on PvP combat.
Beyond that, though, the Switch 2 will also play the overwhelming majority of Switch games. This is accomplished at least partially through the use of emulation, or perhaps a translation layer, and as a result there is a small-but-significant list of games that do not work properly. However, because Switch 1 game support on the Switch 2 is being handled through software, it's possible that this situation could improve after launch.
Unlike on the Xbox and PlayStation, games don't automatically get upgraded with improved performance or visuals on the Switch 2, but Nintendo has confiremd that there will be many games that get free upgrade patches to add these features on Switch 2. A much smaller selection of Switch games will receive full-on "Switch 2 Edition" releases on the new platform.
Titles confirmed for this treatment including Super Mario Party Jamboree, both Legend of Zelda titles, Kirby & the Forgotten Land, Pokémon Legends Z-A, and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. These games will get extra content and features beyond simple visual and performance upgrades, including new game content in at least Mario Party and Kirby. These are paid upgrades, though, even if you already own the original game.
Titles confirmed for this treatment including Super Mario Party Jamboree, both Legend of Zelda titles, Kirby & the Forgotten Land, Pokémon Legends Z-A, and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. These games will get extra content and features beyond simple visual and performance upgrades, including new game content in at least Mario Party and Kirby. These are paid upgrades, though, even if you already own the original game.
The latter one is an interesting case because it allows us to transition smoothly to talking about the Switch 2's new hardware features. You see, on Switch 2, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond will support a performance mode that runs at 1080p and 120 FPS, or a quality mode that outputs at 4K resolution at 60 FPS. These kinds of performance figures are far beyond what people expected of the new system, and they highlight the power of this new machine.
Nintendo Switch 2 Hardware Upgrades
There's no need to get into the specifics here—for that, you can look at our previous coverage—but the short version is that the Switch 2 uses a new custom NVIDIA chip with faster CPU cores, a double-wide memory bus, and a GPU that is both on a much newer architecture (Maxwell vs. Ampere) but also as much as three times larger by shader count. Memory goes from 4GB total to 12GB, and storage is bumped from 32GB to 256GB. The Ampere-based GPU supports DLSS upscaling, which is likely a significant part of how 4K gaming is achieved.
The more interesting upgrades for the end user are the 1080p, 120-Hz, and HDR capabilities of the larger 8" screen, and the second USB Type-C port for connecting accessories like the sold-separately webcam that you can use for the new GameChat function (although it's not required to use GameChat.) The Switch 2 once again supports storage expansion through MicroSD cards, although they'll have to be MicroSD Express cards this time if you want to store game data on them. While this makes storage expansion considerably more expensive, it also makes it much faster, reducing game load times.
Just like the original Switch, the new machine can be played in handheld mode with Joy-Cons attached, in docked mode while connected to a TV, or in table-top mode using the integrated stand. The stand on the Switch 2 runs the full width of the system to better support its greater size and heft. Nintendo says that the Switch 2 has "2 to 6 hours" of play time with a double-sized battery, but we'll see how that plays out in practice.
Finally, the Switch 2 also sports optical sensors on the inside edges of its Joy-Cons that allow them to be used in "mouse mode." This feature will be useful for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, but it is also integrated into the Switch 2 Editions of Super Mario Party Jamboree and the Zelda titles, at least. If this feature works well, Nintendo may have just created the best controller setup possible for first-person shooter games.
Nintendo Switch 2 Pricing Concerns
It's really about the games. From what we know, the new titles will range from $70 to $80 as digital downloads. Donkey Kong Bananza is confirmed for $70 as a download, while Mario Kart World is confirmed as $80, with a physical copy costing $90. The price of the new, NVMe-enabled cartridges is certainly high and we can understand that pricing—adjusted for inflation, it's still cheaper than Nintendo 64 games were.
However, charging nearly the same price for a digital license is a big pill to swallow, and remains the key sticking point for a lot of users that otherwise would be snapping up this system. There are arguments both for and against this pricing, but the vibe on social media seems broadly negative.
There will still be legions of adoring fans lining up to buy the Switch 2, though, even if it and its games were twice the price. It's the simple fact that Nintendo offers an experience you just can't get anywhere else. If you want to play Mario, Zelda, Pokémon, Donkey Kong, or Splatoon, you're going to have to be on the Switch 2.
What do you think, dear reader? Are you gearing up to buy a Switch 2 or holding off for more games? Let us know in the comments below if you have any questions about the Switch 2 or its capabilities and we'll answer them for you promptly!
