Nintendo’s latest and highly anticipated game console, Nintendo Switch 2, has finally launched eight years after Nintendo Switch.

In this review, I will be sharing on what I like and what I like dislike about the hardware, and compare it to the Nintendo Switch. This is the first time I’m checking out the console in real life.

Let’s get right into it!

The actual hardware

After opening the box, my first impression of the Switch 2 was… it’s pretty huge! Despite the large footprint, it’s comfortable to hold in my hands, and the console doesn’t feel heavy at all.

I was also surprised by how good the buttons felt on the Joy-Con 2. I thought that the buttons on the original Joy-Con on Nintendo Switch were… acceptable but nothing to write home about. My biggest gripe with the original Joy-Con controllers were their clunky L/R/ZL/ZR shoulder buttons, but thankfully the shoulder buttons on Joy-Con 2 felt much better and sturdier.

Another thing worth mentioning is how seamless it is to attach and detach the Joy-Con 2 controllers from the console. It’s pretty satisfying to attach and detach, and the magnets are good at securing the controllers. It’s an improvement from the Switch, which has a rail system to put the Joy-Con in place. It did its job well but I was also worried that the Joy-Con would snap off during intense gameplay. This is a concern that I can confidently say that I absolutely do not have with the Joy-Con 2 controllers.

For those of you who usually play multiplayer games with single Joy-Con in horizontal mode, you will be pleased to know that the Joy-Con 2 is much more comfortable to use horizontally. The larger SL/SR shoulder buttons really helped a lot in this regard.

I also briefly tested out mouse mode on the HOME Menu and Nintendo eShop. It worked better than I thought – it’s just like how you would use a mouse (click for shoulder buttons, scroll with stick), and it works on your thigh as well. But it does feel a little uncomfortable to use after 10 or so minutes, which I think may be a problem for people with larger hands.

The wireless internet (Wi-Fi) chip in the system seems to have improved – the signal I get on the Switch 2 is three bars, as compared to 1 – 2 bars on the Nintendo Switch OLED model I have. It seems that the Switch 2 is able to maintain a stable connection far better than the Switch. This is, of course, good for online play.

The overall build quality and look of the console is pretty top notch. I have to say it looks better in person. It feels much more premium than the Nintendo Switch OLED model.

One thing that many Switch owners have been worried about is the LCD screen on Switch 2. The Switch OLED model had a OLED screen, which is considered superior to LCD. Surprisingly, despite being a LCD screen, the colors on the Switch 2 screen really popped out, and images on the screen looked much more vivid than before.

I’m guessing part of the reason why is because it’s a 1080p screen that’s larger, as well as other improvements. I would say overall the Switch 2 screen is better than the Switch OLED screen, except that the Switch OLED is better at displaying ‘true black’.

I was also surprised by the quality of the kickstand. Even though it looks thin and flimsy, its quite sturdy and it has a much wider angle compared to Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch OLED model. I foresee myself using Tabletop mode more often thanks to the improved kickstand.

Now, my biggest concern with the Switch 2 is its portability. To give you some context, I’m someone who plays in TV mode most of the time. Compared to the 3DS, both the Switch and Switch OLED models aren’t as portable as before. I could easily fit a 3DS in my pocket, but I have to put my Switch in a backpack.

Taking out and playing the Switch 2 on the commute or anywhere else isn’t the problem – the problem is it takes up space. And with the Switch 2 being much wider than the Switch, it takes up way more space in my backpack than before, and that makes the console less portable and bulkier to carry around. If you’re tight on space this might be an issue for you.

If you’re a handheld gamer, you may also be concerned of battery life. Nintendo advertises a 2.5 hour – 6 hour battery life for the Switch 2, which is slightly lesser than the 3 hour – 6 hour battery life of the first generation Switch. You can probably expect at least 3 hours of gameplay for a game like Mario Kart World depending on your system settings.

I haven’t tested any other Switch 2 games, but I would expect third-party AAA titles, like Cyberpunk 2077 Ultimate Edition, to be on the lower end of the spectrum. So you’d probably want to get a power bank just in case.

The operating system

Now I’d like to talk about the operating system. The Switch 2 HOME Menu is pretty much the same as the Switch HOME Menu in terms of layout and appearance. It has a slightly different look-and-feel to it. While there’s no background music, the sound effects are a delight.

The biggest improvement of the Switch 2 operating system is speed. Everything loads very quickly. This becomes apparent when you visit the Nintendo eShop on Switch 2. The game thumbnails load fast and you can easily scroll through multiple titles. There’s no lag at all and everything feels seamless.

One of the biggest Switch 2 features being promoted by Nintendo is GameChat. GameChat, which can be accessed by pressing the C button, allows you to enjoy audio and video chat with your friends online. While I can’t comment on the video chat quality, I can say that the audio was crisp and clear with no obstructions. I tried to place the Switch 2 close to an air purifier at its loudest speed – the noise was completely blocked out and the other person could hear my voice clearly.

The invitation system is also easy to use – you receive invites on both your Switch 2 and smartphone (via the Nintendo Switch App), and you can send invites by pressing the C button. I foresee using GameChat to chat with friends while playing my own games in the future. The experience is decent and worth trying out, so don’t write it off just yet.

GameShare was surprisingly good as well – I tested playing Super Mario Odyssey with another Nintendo Switch 2 via local wireless. Gameplay was smooth and it was quick and painless to enter and exit the game. GameShare is a worthy success to DS Download Play.

The system transfer process from Switch to Switch 2 didn’t take a very long time. It was quick and painless. All of my Switch accounts, photos, images, save data, and games were transferred to the Switch 2 without any problems. The only thing is that you have to re download all of your games after the transfer is complete, which will take some time depending on the amount of games you have and broadband speed. If you’re worried about storage, you can unload your digital games through Virtual Game Cards.

One thing I was disappointed with is the removal of the ability to share screenshots and videos directly to Facebook. On Switch, you can share screenshots and videos to your Facebook account on the device itself. That isn’t possible on Switch 2 – you need to upload your screenshots/videos to the Nintendo Switch App first, and then share it to Facebook on your smartphone.

I’m not sure why direct sharing to Facebook was disabled, but I feel that doing things this way is inconvenient. However, I do appreciate Nintendo’s efforts in trying to make this slightly painless, such as offering a feature that allows you to automatically upload content to the Nintendo Switch App.

A few new features have also been added to the Switch 2, such as the ability to set a pass code and charging to 90% battery. I’m really appreciative of the charging to 90% feature, as it helps to reduce the degradation of the battery.

Overall, I have no complaints about the operating system, it’s simple but gets the job done.

Backward compatibility

I’ve tested a few first-party and third-party Switch games to check out how they run on Switch 2. Even without an update or Switch 2 Edition upgrade pack, I’ve noticed that some Switch games load faster than how they were on Switch.

Other than that, there seems to be less lag in games that had performance issues on Switch, so you can expect a superior experience on Switch 2 with Switch games.

Conclusion

Overall, I was pretty impressed with the Nintendo Switch 2 hardware. The quality and improvements are definitely worth the price tag. Besides the ability to play Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive games, you can also enjoy Nintendo Switch games at a better performance on Switch 2. Both of these are big pluses for me.

I don’t have much complaints at the moment, except for the reduced portability due to its size and short battery life. As someone who mainly plays in TV mode, these problems don’t bother me, but it may be an issue for you if you play in Handheld mode most of the time. I hope that Nintendo will address these problems in a future iteration.

Review score: 9/10

The product for this review was purchased by the author.