Switch 2 Hands-on Preview – Hands-on Preview

A gloomy day in New York City couldn’t dampen my excitement to play the Nintendo Switch 2. Almost 50 players lined up behind me, just enough for two full Mario Kart World lobbies. A security guard eyed me suspiciously and checked my ID (and no one else’s) before we were unleashed on the showroom. The massive, two-story event was staffed by more than 150 employees, the biggest show staff Nintendo has ever assembled, they told me.

The Hardware

Glass cases with every Switch 2 set-up and accessory lined one wall, and dummy Switch 2’s lined the other. The system itself feels premium with a cool, matte feeling. It’s a big upgrade from the plastic-y Fisher-Price feel of the launch Switch but a natural step from the Switch OLED’s. The only real complaint one could make is how familiar it is, a literal Switch 2.

The Joy-Con 2 release button is aggressively satisfying. Strong magnets hold them firmly in place with no wiggle, but the release shoots them out almost as if the magnets’ polarity reversed. They connect and disconnect like well-oiled pistons, no awkward positioning like the original Joy-Con. As a fidget toy alone, Switch 2 justifies its price.

However, the controllers themselves highlight the inherent flaw of the originals. Even with a larger size, the Joy-Con 2 are not hand shaped and still feel tiny in my large man hands. The new controllers might be big enough to accommodate more people, but I’ve been spoiled by giant third-party alternatives and will most likely stick with those.

My time with the Switch 2’s screen was limited to a couple Mario Kart World races. I was not blown away by the screen like the first time I saw the OLED, but it was plenty bright and colorful. Even next to my OLED Switch, the only difference I noticed was the Switch 2’s massive size. This LCD is not a downgrade.

The Switch 2 Pro Controller has wider, flatter buttons and a bigger D-pad. The grips feel somewhat more angled inward and have new GL and GR buttons flush with the back of the grips. The reps wouldn’t tell me what the grip buttons did, but Nintendo’s website says they can be custom mapped to copy another button. It adds a headphone jack and C-button to launch GameChat but isn’t a necessary upgrade to the old Pro Controller, which still works with the Switch 2. It’s fine.

The Games

Mario Kart World

We were paired up to play Mario Kart World on 100cc against 22 CPUs. The demo had 60 characters to choose from, a good mix of zany deep cuts and costumed fan favorites. I chose the new Biker Bowser and put him on a Standard Bike. Kart customization is gone, but players can still open the detail menu to compare kart stats, like Speed and Handling.

Embarrassingly, I can’t remember what course we played first. I can’t remember any of the courses I played. The majority of World’s courses are segmented instead of lapped, so it’s hard as a newcomer to get the lay of the land. Everything is much wider to accommodate 24 racers, up from 12 in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, so courses felt less guided – and less tight. I felt a little sluggish, too. In previous entries, I’m usually way ahead of the CPUs, drifting and boosting through curves, but here I found myself in the middle of the pack for most of the race with other racers pulling ahead. Boosts from drifts and tricks seemed to have less of an oomph, and multiple midair tricks didn’t seem to stack. But in traditional Mario Kart fashion, players in a lower place get better items, and some well-timed mushrooms and shells brought me up to second place. I was surprised by how quickly (and often) we all traded positions. The CPU racers actually hold their own this time.

Next, we moved into a Knockout Tour. 24 players race through multiple courses, but those lagging behind get cut at checkpoints. The lobby for multiplayer drops you into Free Roam mode, allowing us to explore the interconnected world as everyone got set up. I practiced my rail grinding, a new mechanic in Mario Kart World, and hunted down another player for shell target practice. I then stumbled upon an eerie forest with a flock of wild Super Stars leaping through a clearing. Neat.

My Biker Bowser and Standard Bike combo continued to disappoint, but I somehow kept surviving. I found myself near last place for most of the race but was gifted good items near each checkpoint. At some point, I grabbed a glowing golden take-out bag. Through the power of food, Biker Bowser was transformed into Regular, Naked Bowser. When I asked my rep about the food power-ups, she just told me to watch the Mario Kart World Direct on the 17th. I placed second.

I did get a rush from the frantic jockeying and constant item spam. A ton of classics are here, like shells and fireballs, but getting hit no longer brings you to a full stop. The momentum never died out, both for my racer and my engagement. While World may look familiar, it is no mere Mario Kart 9. This is a retooling of everything under the series’ hood.

Metroid Prime 4 Beyond Nintendo Switch 2 Edition

The demo for Metroid Prime 4 Beyond was set to performance mode, 1080p and 120 fps, but I’m not cursed with the ability to perceive differences in higher frame rates. Prime 4 did look great, but I expected nothing less from the people behind the stunning Prime 1 remaster. I would’ve appreciated the option to play in 4k.

We were thrown into a somewhat gray firefight and invited to try out mouse-mode controls. By placing a Joy-Con 2 sideways on a surface, players can control the game like one would a PC game. I’m also not cursed with a mouse-and-keyboard preference, opting for a controller on PC, but mouse mode felt fantastic. Camera control maps to mouse movement, disabling your right stick. The rest of the buttons retain their normal functionality, mimicking a gaming mouse with mappable side buttons. ZL locks onto enemies, then you just click on them to shoot them. Click! Click! Click! No more Space Pirates. Lifting the Joy-Con 2 switches seamlessly back to split controller mode, which uses gyro motion controls for aiming.

This section was far too explosive to capture the essence of Metroid, but coming in after Dread and Prime Remastered, I don’t doubt Prime 4 will offer deep exploration. We just didn’t see that in this demo.

Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour

A small, downloadable tech showcase, Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour was written off by many at first, but one must never underestimate Nintendo Charm. For those who miss the whimsy of old Nintendo system menus, Welcome Tour lets you shrink down to explore the ins and outs of the new hardware. I love a good checklist, and Welcome Tour is an exercise in progression. By completing minigames, tech demos, and product knowledge quizzes, you unlock new areas and even more checklists to complete. I saw hints of character customization and the potential to go inside the system. While I doubt Welcome Tour will be well-remembered, it reminded me of long road trips with nothing but the 3DS’s pre-installed apps. The fact it is a paid download gives me hope it has more depth than it looks like from the surface.

Drag X Drive

In Drag X Drive, a showcase for dual-mouse mode, players slide both Joy-Con 2 across a table to mimic using a wheelchair to play basketball. Each side controls a different wheel, so moving one more than the other turns the character. Smashing into someone who holds the ball knocks it out of their hands and bouncing down the court. Lifting and flicking the Joy-Con 2 shoots toward the basket, and direction and distance dictate how accurate the shot is. Lots of blacks and grays paired with stuttery character animations gave the whole game a tech-demo vibe.

We played one match of 3-on-3, all human players. I grasped the controls pretty quickly, but since each long slide of the controller required picking it up to bring it back towards you, I misaligned a ton of slides, making my character spin wildly in place. My team dominated the other 10-5, with me scoring most of the shots, so I can only assume the other players had similar struggles. A few slides shot pain down from my wrist to my elbow. I’ll be sitting this one out.

Mario Party Jamboree Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV

Mario Party Jamboree is getting paid DLC for Switch 2 that takes advantage of the new hardware. I played camera minigames in Bowser Live and some mouse-mode minigames. I missed the Jamboree TV announcement and literally laughed out loud when I saw myself standing in a crowd of Mario enemies, cropped from a live Nintendo Switch 2 Camera feed. The minigames were nothing to write home about, balancing Goombas on your head and punching a coin block, but they were cute enough for kiddos. The third minigame, jumping around and screaming as loud as you can, is sure to be a hit.

The mouse games were quite a bit more polished, air hockey and a don’t-touch-the-edge maze game. I’m not sure if these are added to the regular rotation of minigames, but I liked them enough to be excited for the next Mario Party.

Donkey Kong Bananza

After an hour or so of free play, we were moved into the Donkey Kong Bananza demo room. In this new 3D collect-a-thon, miner Donkey Kong digs and smashes through almost everything in the environment in search of Golden Bananas. Punching walls felt a little slow, but ripping a chunk out of the wall, then smashing it back into the wall made quick work of digging tunnels. Different materials have different durability, and some even explode when thrown.

Although the entire adventure takes place underground, our demo level was a bright, floating island with loads to explore. My rep showed me multiple paths to get to the end of the demo, each with different collectibles. The 3D map reflects DK’s destruction through the level, so it’s easy to remember where he’s been.

The rep was super chatty until I asked about this character leaked by Nintendo South Korea during the event. He assured me it was photoshopped.

Other games

Kirby and the Forgotten Land Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World had a line as long as its title, so I didn’t get to play it. I didn’t think the original’s crisp, vibrant world could look any better without a big change in art style, but HDR gives that game a huge boost. It was also the only station with the Joy-Con 2 Grip, the one thing I regret not trying.

Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut, an open-world crime game set in 80’s Japan, is a great game but certainly didn’t look better than I remembered on PS4. And I don’t remember it looking great on PS4.

Cyberpunk 2077, a sci-fi first person sandbox, looked beautiful in motion, if not a bit motion-blurry.

I tried to play Street Fighter 6 to test the D-pad but accidentally signed up to play with motion controls. You use one sideways Joy-Con and tilt to move to either side and shake to attack. We didn’t know what was going on.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wind and Tears of the Kingdom deserve the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition upgrade more than any other game here. While I didn’t get to play it myself, I did stand in line for it, awestruck by its beauty. I think it’s a little light on content to justify a replay, but it’s a free upgrade for Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pass subscribers.

GameCube games on Nintendo Switch Online are perfect, as is the new GameCube controller. Rejoice.

Conclusion Nintendo Switch 2 Edition

I don’t have $500 laying around right now and tried so hard to convince myself I didn’t need a Switch 2 at launch. Nintendo undid that today. I may need grips or a third-party controller, but the Switch 2 impressed me. My only big questions are battery life, Holiday lineup, and if they’re hiring.

As I stepped out of the world of Nintendo and back onto the streets of New York, I was greeted by the largest protest I have ever seen. I, too, am mad that preorders were delayed due to sweeping new tariffs. Gamers, rise up. I need the Switch 2 now.