I've always struggled to find a handheld gaming console that's good to travel with so recently, I decided to try and review the Switch 2.
I’ve tried a Lenovo Legion and the ROG Ally X but just couldn’t get on with Windows as the operating system. And I even bought a Switch OLED for a few moments before my kids just made that one disappear forever.
So the Switch 2 seemed like an obvious choice, especially with them expanding their games with a few interesting AAA titles.
But let me show you, what the last 2 weeks have been like with the Nintendo Switch 2.
Specs
Spec wise, I’m sure you know this already - but the Switch 2 has some nice upgrades over the original Switch 1 and Switch 1 OLED .
It has a bigger 7.9” LCD Screen with a 1080p resolution, and yes, it’s not OLED, but it does have support for HDR10, and it supports Variable Refresh Rate up to 120Hz.
You also get 256Gb of internal storage compared to 64Gb in the OLED, and 12Gb of Ram compared to just 4Gb in the previous version.
There’s a new USB-C Port on the top that you can use to connect accessories, but most people will just use this to charge whilst playing. The bottom port connects to the dock, which supports 4K 60 and either 1080 or 1440p 120hz output to a TV.
The Joycons have also seen a size increase, although they’re unfortunately not Hall Effect controllers so will most likely develop stick drift like the previous ones were so well known for, but they now include an optical sensor to turn them into a mouse and as a bonus, they now attach via Magnets instead of a sliding mechanism.
Hardware Problems
There are a LOT of opinions about the Switch 2 Launch, many are calling it a Switch Pro rather than a new generation of Switch. The reason? The lack of an OLED Screen, premium priced games that you may or also may not actually own, and the new Magnetic Joycon attachments which definitely flex when holding the Switch 2 with one hand, so I’m really interested to see how that will play out over time.
But I am Loving the new mechanism to detach and attach them. It is just SO quick to use.
Design
Overall, the design is actually really nice. The whole thing is made of a soft touch material that really makes it feel like a premium console.
Everything is where you’d expect it to be, including the recessed power button next to the volume up and down buttons.
There’s a BIG grill for heat dissipation next to the top mounted USB C Port. The Headphone jack, as well as the slot for game cards.
Then Underneath we have 2 big speakers, which is a noticeable improvement on my OLED Switch.
There’s the kick stand which is now so much better and more adjustable, and underneath that, is the MicroSD Express Card Slot which allows you to add up to 1TB of Storage with the 1TB Lexar Play Pro card, which wasn’t available here in the UK. So for now, I went with the Nintendo branded 256Gb Card.
Initial Setup
The Initial setup process was also pretty smooth and straight forward. Although I did experience an issue where my new switch couldn’t see my old switch, but after retrying a couple of times it started working.
I actually chose not to move anything from my previous switch because, even though it’s MY switch, the kids play on it.
I’ve read online that it’s been a really seamless transfer for people who are moving huge libraries of games from a previous generation console.
I didn’t realise but there’s actually 2 versions of the MarioKart Bundle. One where MarioKart comes as a Game Card, and one as a Digital Download. So after I redeemed the code, I had to wait for the game to download.
I also realised that CyberPunk was cheaper if I just bought it online, and since my online order was delayed, I decided to cancel my order and purchase it via the Nintendo Store instead.
Accessories
In the rush to buy the Switch 2, I also ordered the official Case, which also comes with a screen protector.
The Switch 2 does come with one pre-installed, but Nintendo say you must NOT remove it. So you are supposed to apply a screen protector on top.
In hindsight, I prefer the TomToc Case which I bought for my OLED Switch, and I bought a 2 pack of tempered glass screen protectors for around £10 which will be easier to fit, and do a much better job than the pretty flimsy plastic ones that came free with the case.
BATTERY
I’m also getting a couple of hours on battery which is far less than the Switch OLED, but then it is driving a faster refresh rate… so there’s that.
And by the way, game downloads take FOREVER. But I guess that could be down to so many people also downloading their games at the same time? But it took more than a day to get just 3 games downloaded and installed..
Given that the battery is pretty mid on the new Switch, I’m definitely going to be carrying around a battery bank with me. I get mine from UGreen, one is a 20,000 mAh and the other is 25,000 mAh.
These can charge the switch, 3 and a bit times for the smaller one, and 4 and a bit times for the larger one, which would then get you around 8 hours of game play with the larger power bank. And they’re still small enough to be allowed on in your carry-on luggage, So if you’re planning on travelling, it’s an essential item to pack with you.
Game Selection
Honestly I’m really not sure what to do in terms of mobile gaming this year. I always used to be a console player. I used to be an Xbox Series X player, until I switched over to the PS5 Pro, I just love the haptic controllers, but more recently I’ve been playing on my Gaming PC - because, why even play on a Console when you have a 5090 GPU just sat there.
So with consoles and PC and then handheld, not only is cross compatibility important, but also cross progression. Which is surprisingly absent from a lot of games nowadays.
And considering ANY TIME I get a new thing to play with, well, I don’t usually get a whole lot of time to play. So cross-progression is VERY important for me to be able to play no matter which device I’m on.
But let’s talk about the game selection for just a minute.
I feel like when you are paying VERY premium prices for games like CyberPunk, and Hogwarts Legacy… you have to think REALLY carefully about which platform you want to buy these games for.
Or you’ll end up like me, who I think has bought Minecraft on practically every platform they make it for. Literally. Android. iOS. PC. Xbox. Playstation. SWITCH. Kids are a nightmare sometimes.
When buying games for the Switch 2, you can buy the physical game, which they say this year isn’t actually the physical game. You still get a game cartridge, but all that contains is a license for you to download and play the game, which means you can resell the games on.
But in my case, it was cheaper to buy the game via the online store, and yeah, I can’t resell it, but it does mean that you don’t have to keep switching over cards when wanting to play certain games, which did get frustrating at times with the previous generation.
There’s also a problem with my Fortnite account. I know so many people with this problem where they grabbed a switch, installed Fortnite and accidentally created a new account. And once that’s done you can’t un-do that to connect another account.
So this time I ended up creating a whole separate profile on my Switch, Just to play Fortnite.
It’s one of the only games I play almost daily with a group of friends. It’s just a nice way for us to catch up with each other. You’d think it would get boring playing the same game for so long, but it’s been 4, nearly 5 years now, and we’re still going strong.
Also, props to Fortnite for allowing someone to spend £10 buying the battle pass ONCE, and then as long as you play it enough, you can win back enough to buy the next battle pass. And I’ve been doing that for the past 4 years.
One thing that has got a lot of people talking, is the cost of the Switch 2 Games.
£60 here in the UK for Cyberpunk is a pretty expensive pill to swallow when the PC version is already selling for nearly a third of the price.
Hogwarts Legacy at least is a more digestible £40, even though that was on sale for I think £12 on Steam recently?
So they are very expensive games.
But then, on the other hand, I know so many people plough money into Fortnite skins and vbucks and Minecraft coins… so, I don’t know. What do you think about the price of the Switch 2 games?
And, Whilst there are certainly numerous things to pick at with the Switch 2 - it has still been fun playing Mario Kart with the Kids.
PRO CONTROLLER
I’d definitely suggest picking up a Pro Controller if you are serious about gaming on a bigger screen.
Using one of the detached controllers isn’t that comfy, and the controller grip just really isn’t comfortable after a while…
I would show you mine but, I’ve been to 2 stores already and even online, I just can’t find it in stock anywhere.
I don’t know what it is about Nintendo, but they’re really good at bringing people together to play and laugh and enjoy themselves. From the N64, to even the Wii, they do somehow just seem to nail social gaming.
Then on the other hand, they’re so easy to pick up and put down, that you can always just pick up and play for 10 minutes here and there without committing yourself to anything more.
The Dock
There’s USB-C for Power, Gigabit Ethernet, a HDMI 2.1 Port, which then enables a higher 4K resolution on an external display, is included on the dock but it’s capped at 60hz. Unless you drop to 1080 or 1440p, in which case you can still get 120hz refresh rate.
But at least this way, if you really wanted to, you CAN play on an OLED Screen.
And I would definitely say the graphics are better when docked. You can really notice the difference. And that’s because when docked, the Switch 2 draws upwards of 50 watts of power, vastly more than it uses when handheld.
Switch 1 vs 2
If you are coming from a Switch 1, or OLED Switch, then aside from the display - there’s a lot to like still. I prefer the bigger screen over my Switch OLED.
The sound is better, the larger joycons are also more comfortable to hold.
Backwards compatibility is astounding on the Switch 2. Apparently there are more than 15,000 Switch Games, including 122 first party Nintendo games, which have been tested on the Switch 2, and only one game won’t work on the new console for some reason.
There are some games that also provide an upgraded experience on the new console. From just running smoother, or in some cases, you can pay a small fee to upgrade to the Switch 2 Version, which offers some graphical improvements over the original version.
So backwards compatibility is as good as you’re going to get from a console really. The only real downsides are, no OLED, and the pretty average battery life on the Switch 2.
The Problem
Earlier in this post, when I mentioned there was a problem with the Switch 2 - the thing is, Nintendo’s biggest rival, isn’t Sony, it isn’t Microsoft. It’s actually… You. And your Time.
It’s the one thing that we have less of today than we did yesterday.
Because so many people get wrapped up in technical specs when all we really need is entertainment.
On one hand, you have a console that you can literally pick up and put down so quickly, so easy, which makes game play pretty effortless.
We’re sold on 4K Graphics and the massive open worlds, but as a Dad of 2, a husband and a business owner, finding time to enjoy these incredibly powerful devices can be challenging.
So having the most powerful hardware doesn’t guarantee fun, any more than owning a michelin-star kitchen guarantees you’ll cook a great meal.
If you aren’t a huge fan of Nintendo exclusives, then I feel like you would be far better off buying a different hand held like a Steam Deck - I think that’s the only one I haven’t actually tried yet but I have a friend who’s very persistent in saying it’s the best thing ever.
Providing you are of course happy to dig into the technical knowledge required to do so. But the difference I’m talking about here isn’t ray tracing and refresh rates.
As cheesy as it sounds. It’s Joy.
Nintendo’s real genius here isn’t winning the spec war, because on the face of it, it’s not even trying to compete here. It’s winning the 30 minutes you have after a long day. It’s creating a reason for friends and family to be in the same room again, rather than pushed into separate rooms and talking on just a headset.
So whether you’re going to pick up a Switch 2, or if you’re going to skip it.
The question isn’t about power. The question is, when was the last time a piece of tech brought you pure joy. Because at the end of the day, that’s the metric that truly matters.
