Switch 2 Hands-On: More Of The Same, But It Can Still Surprise You

The Switch 2 is not surprising, but it isn't trying to be. Nintendo is known for taking daring risks from one console generation to the next, but the Switch 2 seeks to deliver a surefire upgrade to its wildly popular hybrid console that doesn't particularly rock the boat. Even the straightforwardly numerical name reassures that it is exactly what you expect: another Switch, but better. After spending hours of hands-on time with Nintendo's next hardware release, I've come away convinced that "better but not revolutionary" was the right move.

The original Switch has a toyetic elegance to it that its handheld competitors like the Steam Deck don't match. A more powerful Switch may not be ambitious, but it is appealing for all the reasons I fell in love with Switch in the first place. And it's not as if Nintendo hasn't tried going gonzo-weird after a massive hardware hit before. The Switch 2 will surely avoid becoming another Wii U.

The Switch 2 feels sturdier than its predecessor, and the sleek matte black seems to aim for a more high-end look. The screen is noticeably larger, so even though I'm accustomed to my OLED screen, the larger LCD feels like a decent trade-off. The difference in quality is barely noticeable to my eyes so the larger screen feels worth it to me. The color accents are more subtle, and the biggest splash of color comes from when the new Joy-Con 2 controllers are disconnected. They're magnetic now, which is a neat upgrade that retains the detachable functionality of the original Switch. The magnets are so strong that it's difficult (but not impossible) to detach them without pressing the release button, so when holding it they feel locked in place tighter, without the slight give that would sometimes afflict older Joy-Cons on the original Switch. And the magnets attach with a satisfying physical click.

When detached, the Joy-Con can function as a mouse. This was a feature that internet sleuths had sussed out ahead of time, but I was impressed with how well it works in practice. Over and over, across a variety of experiences, the mouse functionality just worked as intuitively as you'd expect. Metroid is a prime example of the mouse functionality being additive to gameplay, especially as it can be swapped at a moment's notice. Even better, the mouse functionality finally makes good on the "HD Rumble" feature, as Nintendo has already found multiple cool ways to augment the mouse functionality with haptic feedback. The mouse worked nicely on the desk-like surfaces of the demo area, but Nintendo was also emphatic that it was made to work on just about any surface, including your pants. (Yes, really.) I went in skeptical that the mouse functionality would really matter, but I walked away from more than one demo shocked by how great it felt.

Similarly, the new Pro Controller has received a decent upgrade. The Switch Pro controller was already one of the better controllers on the market, and the Switch 2 Pro controller has the same matte finish as the Switch itself, with a more noticeable color contrast between the controller body and the shoulder buttons. It also has two programmable back buttons, but unlike a lot of controllers on the market with back paddles, these are flush with the controller body itself. That means they'll presumably be there if you want to use them or not--there's no indication they can be removed like with an Xbox Elite controller. But by being flush, they're easy enough to ignore when they aren't in use, and satisfyingly clicky when they are.

The kickstand has also gotten a major upgrade, with a full range of motion that still feels sturdy at any angle. I was never in the habit of actually using the kickstand, and I can't imagine that will change in the future, but alongside the new color scheme and Joy-Con improvements, it gives the hardware a more premium feel.

There are other new additions to the Switch 2 that Nintendo announced, but that weren't testable at this hands-on event, most notably the C-button. Nintendo is pushing social features through its chat and screen sharing as a major innovation, but we did not experience any of those for ourselves, including how representative the laggy streaming demo in the Nintendo Direct is.

As you'd expect from any Nintendo hardware, though, the real proof is in the play.

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Switch 2 Welcome Tour

Switch 2 Welcome Tour is one of the most confounding pieces of software I've ever seen. It's ostensibly a tech demo meant to walk you through the features of your device, but Nintendo made sure to mention it would be a paid download. This is a game (sort of) that makes perfect sense as a free or even pre-installed piece of software, but makes absolutely no sense as a paid transaction.

That said, it does have some neat ideas. The whole thing is nicely presented with the level of polish you'd expect from Nintendo, and it gives little pointers and trivia about the Switch 2. It sports playful little touches--when your avatar crosses a bridge onto the Switch 2 screen, they start sliding around it like an ice-skating rink to illustrate that the screen is smooth. You can play a variety of minigames to help you learn new hardware features or to showcase the Switch 2's specs. One game might have you use the mouse functionality to dodge spiked balls, while another may have you try out the HD rumble by shaking virtual maracas.

My favorite moment came from a demo showcasing the 4K output. The game helpfully explained that modern displays just have orders of magnitude more pixels, more densely, than older TVs during Nintendo's early video games. To illustrate the point, it has you play Super Mario Bros. stage 1-1, one of the most recognizable stages in all of video games, in a tiny box on your screen. But rather than scroll through the stage, it unfurls, stretching out to slowly show the entire 1-1 stage on-screen at the same time, as a pixel counter ticks up into the thousands. It's a very neat trick, and a great way to explain to less tech-savvy audiences how both TV and video game technology have matured over the last four decades.

Paying money for a handful of neat tricks, though, is a tough ask. A price has not yet been announced.

Drag X Drive

Drag X Drive feels like an experiment built specifically to show off the mouse functionality, and more specifically, the fact that you can use the two Joy-Con mice simultaneously alongside motion controls. It's an approximation of wheelchair basketball, letting you roll your wheels by using both mice and sliding them forward at once to push yourself off, and then raise your arm up to mimic shooting a basketball. It also mixes in a little bit of Rocket League-like stunting, as you can pick up enough speed to roll up one of the sloped sides for a trick shot.

This is one of the best uses of the mouse functionality, for several reasons. For one, pushing your wheelchair immediately feels intuitive, and works exactly how you'd expect it to given your physical motions. Pushing harder on one side than the other will make you start to drift off in a direction, so it takes practice to keep your momentum steady. Pushing forward on one wheel while pulling back with another, or braking with one wheel at speed, lets you accomplish tight and fast turns. This was one of the best examples of HD rumble in conjunction with the mouse functionality, because making physical contact with your "wheels" let you feel the vibrations of their tread as you rolled along the ground.

If anything, the precision of the wheelchair controls makes the basketball-shooting and multiplayer feel less fine-tuned by comparison. You just flick your wrist in the general direction of the basket, and the aiming seems hit-or-miss. Stealing a ball from your opponent simply involves ramming into them at speed, so it's easy to get caught up in a crowd of wheelchairs. This is a game that seems like it could reward skilled play, but it also felt generally small in scope.

What's Old Is New Again

And as a successor to the Switch, the Switch 2 is promising to breathe new life into lots of older games. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom were already two of the best games on Switch, even with performance and fidelity issues. Both of them look gorgeous on the Switch 2 with their optional Switch 2 Edition upgrade pack, without sacrificing any of their visual charm. The world still looks lush and verdant, but without the haze.

Even games that already looked pretty good on Switch feel noticeably better on Switch 2. Kirby and the Forgotten Land didn't particularly struggle, but it feels smoother on Switch 2. The new Star-Crossed World content doesn't seem to make the game radically different than it already was, but it's a good reason to revisit a great platformer with some new bells and whistles.

Even Mario Party Jamboree has gotten a significant upgrade thanks to the addition of new mouse functionality minigames. I tried out six new ones in all and was once again impressed by the level of creativity there was in these mouse functions. A couple were simply basic concepts done well--sorting emails into the trash can or save folder, or moving the mouse to control an air hockey paddle. One of them, stacking soft tetriminos and stuffed animals to build a high tower, took advantage of how the Joy-Con mouse can be rotated easily, letting you fine-tune your stacking. The best of the bunch was a minigame that had you send a pull-back toy car across a narrow bridge while your opponents tried to do the same in the opposite direction, leading to crashes. Not only was it an immediately engaging concept, but the HD rumble made it really feel like you could sense the clicks of the winding mechanism when pulling your "car" back.

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The Switch 2 may not be taking big swings, but it doesn't have to. Nintendo has carved out a space in the gaming landscape that merges its successful console and handheld businesses, and the Switch 2 appears poised to build on that success. This is an iterative step, which is unusual for a company known for getting unexpectedly weird and wacky. But in subtle ways, even when delivering the expected, Nintendo knows that delightful gameplay is the best surprise.