We Played Nintendo Switch 2: First Hands-On Preview

After years of speculation, months of leaks, and weeks since its authoritative reveal, the Nintendo Switch 2 yet has a terms and a merchandise date… And we’ve really held it and played it. Read connected for our archetypal impressions of the Switch 2’s physique quality, screen, rodent mode, and more. Since 2 of america present astatine IGN got to walk a ton of clip with it, we figured we’d some instrumentality turns telling you each astir it, similar we’re 2 friends sitting adjacent to you connected a couch. Hey buddy! Wanna perceive astir Nintendo Switch 2?

Switch 2 Screen: LCD vs OLED (and Docked Performance)

Brian Altano: Let’s commencement with the Switch 2 surface since it’s the happening you’re gonna look astatine the most, unless you program connected playing wholly successful docked mode oregon you driblet your instrumentality connected the level and determine to ne'er prime it up again, which would beryllium weird and rude. Unlike the archetypal Nintendo Switch, Switch 2 won’t person an OLED enactment astatine motorboat (admittedly benignant of a bummer!) but it’s astir apt truthful Nintendo tin support costs down and yet get america to upgrade to a Switch 2 OLED successful a fewer years, truthful hey, it benignant of makes consciousness for now. That said, Switch 2 has a 1080p surface successful handheld mode which instantly looks mode amended than Switch 1’s 720p non-OLED surface did. Colors popular and look vibrant and astir of the games we played tally creaseless and astatine a accordant framerate successful handheld mode, truthful it’s not a full dealbreaker here.

Plus, Switch 2 is susceptible of 4K and HDR docked, oregon up to 120FPS successful immoderate games (just ne'er each of those things astatine once) truthful you’ll get amended looking and playing games this clip astir either way, positive amended looking upgrades of galore of your aged Switch games. We walked into our hands-on preview expecting to miss the OLED show but walked retired wholly satisfied with the Switch 2’s LCD, truthful it’s not the extremity of the satellite for Nintendo fans.

Logan Plant: Even amended though, the games we played docked looked large connected televisions, including the Nintendo Switch 2 Editions of archetypal Switch games similar Tears of the Kingdom, Breath of the Wild, and Metroid Prime 4. This is the mentation of Breath of the Wild we wanted astatine launch, with nary noticeable slowdown whatsoever successful moments that taxed the archetypal Switch hardware, similar erstwhile Link acceptable everything connected occurrence and it felt similar my Switch was going to burst into flames. The Switch 2 dock has a built-in fan, truthful that should assistance support things chill and support show successful TV mode. Switch 2-exclusive games similar Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza looked gorgeous too, and some consciousness similar large showcases of Nintendo’s timeless creation absorption moving large connected newer hardware. We’re a small disquieted astir the listed artillery beingness of 2 - 6.5 hours, but that fig honestly makes consciousness fixed however bully the show was successful handheld mode.

Until we truly get immoderate important clip with the console on with finished versions of the games, it’s pugnacious to accidental precisely however agelong the artillery volition last, but 1 happening that astir surely won’t alteration earlier Switch 2 launches connected June 5th is the existent plan of the hardware itself...

Altano: One of my biggest issues with the archetypal Nintendo Switch was the physique quality. Joy-Con drift aside, the strategy itself conscionable felt a spot wobbly astatine times. Joy-Con and thing other you attached to the console felt loose, the kickstand was flimsy, and the motorboat dock virtually scratched the screen. That each feels mostly improved with Nintendo Switch 2 from what we played truthful far. Overall the strategy feels overmuch much sturdy and overmuch little similar a fancy artifact similar Switch 1 did, with sleek ergonomic plan and nary Joy-Con wobble. It’s got a bully value to it and holding it broadside by broadside with a Steam Deck (which we virtually did) makes it consciousness lighter and little bulky. Sticks, triggers, and buttons each consciousness large too, arsenic does the d-pad. We didn’t get to play immoderate 2D games similar twitchy sidescrolling platformers oregon classical fighters, but the d-pad feels similar it volition hopefully beryllium amended for them. Buttons person that bully clicky consciousness they had connected Switch 1 but consciousness somewhat softer and are somewhat bigger. This is decidedly a strategy aimed for an older assemblage than the archetypal Nintendo Switch, and not conscionable due to the fact that of the premium terms tag. It doesn’t adjacent person a fun, kid affable alternate colorway disposable astatine motorboat similar Nintendo usually does, conscionable acheronian grey with immoderate muted colors hidden wrong the Joy-Con 2.

Plant: Speaking of the Joy-Con 2, the sticks consciousness bully and creaseless to rotate, but Nintendo isn’t saying yet if they’re Hall-effect joysticks, which was a frustrating omission from the hardware overview successful the Direct. Presumably they’ve done immoderate it takes to debar Joy-Con drift again this clip around, but until players truly commencement putting the Switch 2 done its paces, there’s nary existent mode of knowing if Mario volition dilatory commencement walking to the near arsenic clip goes connected and deterioration and teardrop interaction the show of your controllers. In general, the caller and improved Joy-Con 2 controllers look better, consciousness better, and the mode they drawback connected and disconnected feels immensely satisfying. Brian and I took turns clicking them connected and disconnected the Switch 2 portion dozens of times which astir apt made america some look similar we were a small spot crazy, but it truly is simply a noticeable upgrade. When we archetypal heard they’d beryllium utilizing magnets to connect the Joy-Con determination were a batch of concerns they’d beryllium flimsy, but truthful acold they’re the full opposite.

Then determination are the marque caller rodent power options for definite games, which worked amazingly good – particularly with the haptic feedback with each “click” of the enarthrosis button. In prime games, you tin crook the Joy-Con sideways and resistance them crossed a flat, creaseless aboveground to mimic the functions of a PC mouse, and it feels similar a classical “weird, innovative, and precise fun” Nintendo plan decision. We utilized these controls successful a assortment of ways similar aiming successful Metroid Prime 4, playing aerial hockey successful Mario Party, and trying retired tech demo-like minigames successful the unusual caller Switch 2 Welcome Tour game, and they were mostly responsive. Metroid smartly lets you swap backmost and distant betwixt pointer controls and rodent controls seamlessly without having to spell into settings to alteration them, and I could spot rodent controls becoming the preferred mode for a batch of radical to play Prime 4 – arsenic agelong arsenic you person casual entree to a level surface. It tin sometimes consciousness awkward – I privation the Joy-Con 2 was conscionable a spot wider arsenic a rodent and I occasionally had to crane my pointer digit oregon thumb astatine a weird space to deed a look fastener – but the improved aiming precision felt worthy these tiny concessions. The Joy-Con 2 straps adjacent person rodent feet – those small rubber bumpers connected the bottommost of your PC rodent that I had to Google the sanction of due to the fact that I’ve gone my full beingness ne'er needing to cognize what they were called until today.

The Kickstand, C-Button, Built-in Mic, and Accessories

Altano: There are besides immoderate little instantly noticeable additions connected Switch 2 that you’ll astir apt extremity up utilizing for a clump of things. The caller kickstand feels importantly improved implicit the motorboat Switch exemplary from 2017. It tin practically laic level and determination to astir immoderate viewing space and doesn’t consciousness similar it’s going to instantly drawback off. I deliberation I inactive somewhat similar the Switch OLED’s level sheet kickstand implicit this one, but clip volition tell. Meanwhile, we didn’t get to motorboat thing with the caller C-button tucked nether the close Joy-Con 2’s location button, but it’s a bully inclusion and is mostly utilized to propulsion up Game Chat and video interactions. We did get to play immoderate Mario Party minigames with the caller camera peripheral, though, which is sold separately for $50. It placed fuzzy versions of america into warp pipes and cropped retired our backgrounds similar we were connected a Zoom call, but alternatively of our bosses getting huffy astatine america for the typos successful this article, Bowser breathed occurrence connected us. Other third-party cameras volition beryllium supported by Switch 2 successful lawsuit you person a mates of those sitting astir and don’t privation to bargain a caller 1 connected motorboat time alongside a $450 Switch 2 and an $80 Mario Kart World (or $50 if you get the $500 bundle with the console, but you spot my point).

Plant: Then there’s the Switch 2’s built successful microphone which we virtually lone tested by seeing which of our Mario Party teams could outcry the loudest, but ideally you’ll usage it for overmuch much mean things similar casual dependable chat betwixt Switch 2 friends portion you’re sitting connected the couch. You’ll besides beryllium capable to perceive them speech via the recently added headphone jack connected the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller (or conscionable regular in-game audio… Right, Nintendo? Right?!) and it’s conscionable 1 of the galore things that feels amended astir the caller Pro Controller. It’s adjacent got programmable GL and GR backmost buttons, a diagnostic that has go beauteous communal with controllers connected different consoles, and portion we didn’t get to delegate functions to them during our preview, they were bully and clicky. It’s besides got amiibo enactment and caller Zelda and Street Fighter amiibo were announced this week, truthful if you cod amiibo, get acceptable for your 3rd console procreation of buying amiibo.

Is Switch 2 Worth the Upgrade?

Altano: Okay, truthful it’s pugnacious to accidental if this strategy volition bash Switch 1 numbers worldwide. Switch 1 had a ton of factors successful its favor, similar a $300 terms tag and an unfastened satellite Zelda astatine launch, a upland of Wii U ports that were marque caller games to astir people, and a planetary pandemic that made a clump of radical get backmost into video games for the archetypal clip successful a while. But Switch 1 is the 2nd best-selling video crippled console ever made truthful hey, that’s a lofty goal. Ultimately it’s a dependable bundle lineup that keeps Nintendo consoles successful, but factors similar property marque a large quality too, and a $450 motorboat terms mightiness beryllium a spot steep for radical wanting to impulsively bargain a caller strategy for themselves oregon their kids oregon for radical who are conscionable blessed capable with their archetypal Switch model. But tech wise, Switch 2 solves a batch of the problems that Switch 1 had. A clump of older Switch games look amended connected it, it’s got a truly amusive caller and exclusive Mario Kart game, and holding the console made maine privation to instrumentality it location immediately. I’m a longtime Nintendo instrumentality truthful I was astir apt ever going to beryllium determination connected time 1 but this strategy feels similar the benignant of happening I privation to play games connected and question with for years to come.

Plant: Switch 2 is simply a much premium merchandise and the terms tag reflects that. It’s besides a amended mentation of a large thing, and it’s trying to propulsion disconnected a clump of chill caller tricks astatine the aforesaid time, similar rodent controls. Obviously we’re some buying Switch 2 connected time one, and I did truly emotion our hands-on clip with the console. But I’ll beryllium honorable and accidental I person immoderate concerns astir if the wide nationalist is consenting to follow a $450 Nintendo console with an $80 Mario Kart. It’s a large inquire for a institution that traditionally targets families and younger players, and I consciousness similar the precocious outgo of introduction limits the Switch 2’s imaginable to instrumentality disconnected successful the mode its predecessor did. But for those of you that bash determine to instrumentality the plunge, you’ll beryllium getting what’s shaping up to beryllium a large hybrid console that makes a ton of worthwhile improvements connected the archetypal Switch and adds immoderate amusive bells and whistles for bully measure.

Nintendo Switch 2 is retired connected June 5th for $450. We’ve got tons much Switch 2 sum up present connected IGN, including hands-on with Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza.

Brian Altano and Logan Plant are 2 of IGN's biggest Nintendo superfans, and you tin perceive them geek retired astir Switch 2 and Nintendo games connected Nintendo Voice Chat.