A 12 months in the past, I scrambled to present on-the-fly thoughts about the Switch 2 because it arrived on cabinets amid a ton of hype. The long-expected follow-up to probably the most profitable recreation consoles ever felt prefer it needs to be a slam dunk.
My thought then was that the Swap 2 was the best gaming handheld, however not one thing any Nintendo Swap proprietor wanted to purchase. And that was all the time the paradox: For all that the Swap 2 does higher than the Swap, it is also the identical proposition in some ways. It is one other Swap, however with higher graphics and a few new video games that, in some way, did not embrace a brand new Zelda or 3D Mario.
In 2026, issues already really feel completely different. The economic system has been brutal, driving costs of electronics and recreation consoles up continually. PC gaming handhelds and Steam Decks are now climbing to prices that may attain $1,000 and better. Years-old PlayStation 5 and Xbox consoles are dearer too. Nintendo’s additionally pushed its Swap {hardware} costs up, however not practically as a lot. The Swap 2’s value is getting its first increase, up $50, to $500 on Sept. 1. A $500 price ticket for a Nintendo console is quite a bit, nevertheless it’s now on the decrease finish of a value spectrum that climbs larger than I ever imagined. Console gaming is a luxurious now.
That is the factor: Nobody wants a recreation console, definitely, or ever did. PCs and telephones and tablets can play tons of video games.
And but, I deeply respect what the Swap 2 brings to the desk proper now. It is clearer than ever that it will possibly rival present PC gaming handhelds in graphics (though that will change quickly), and I like that it features a TV dock and modular controllers as a part of the bundle. It is an easy-to-like multifunction multiplayer-friendly factor, one thing that, in some way, rivals nonetheless have not discovered a option to mimic or beat.
Donkey Kong Bananza was no Mario, nevertheless it was the following neatest thing.
The Swap 2’s first 12 months of video games had no Mario or Zelda, positive, however there have been a variety of good ones. Donkey Kong Bananza wowed me, and so did Metroid Prime 4 (additionally playable on Swap, nevertheless it’s in its greatest type on Swap 2). Pokémon Pokopia got here out of nowhere to be the following sort-of Animal Crossing. There have been good bizarre wild playing cards, too, like Kirby Air Riders and Yoshi and the Mysterious Book.
The third-party recreation ports possibly impressed me much more, merely for displaying that the Swap 2 can play massive mainstream video games. Resident Evil Requiem is absolutely good. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle seems to be lovely. There’s Cyberpunk 2077, and Pragmata, and whereas Madden wasn’t nice, it was playable: I hadn’t been capable of play Madden on the go like that in over a decade.
There are drawbacks. The Swap 2 battery life is mediocre, lasting possibly a number of hours relying on the sport. I’ve come to simply accept it. I deliver a battery pack, or redock. Additionally, the LCD display is nice, however not OLED vibrant. And, in truth, the Pleasure-Con controls do not feel comfortable sufficient, and lack analog triggers. I want most different recreation handhelds and controllers.
Pokemon Pokopia is a superb instance of a recreation that is definitely worth the excessive value.
And, there’s the worth of Nintendo video games, which typically development larger than the identical video games on different platforms over time. That being stated, Nintendo lowered the price of its own digital games going ahead by $10 earlier this 12 months, which helps a bit.
I would nonetheless say you do not “want” a Swap 2, however I now suppose it is price shopping for, particularly earlier than the worth goes up within the fall to $500. Nintendo’s throwing in a free game right now for that very same $500. Contemplating they’re additionally among the Swap 2’s greatest video games — Donkey Kong Bananza, Pokopia, Mario Kart World — and usually value $70 and up, it is a whole lot. And on this topsy-turvy world, the place I would usually say watch for costs to drop, we could nicely see console costs preserve going up within the 12 months to come back.
I stated a 12 months in the past that Nintendo would preserve releasing Swap 1-compatible video games for at the very least one other 12 months. These days could also be over now. Aside from Rhythm Heaven, coming this July, Nintendo’s personal video games would possibly more and more be Swap 2 exclusives going ahead. Indie builders should launch for each just because there are over 100 million Swap house owners they’ll nonetheless attain, however Nintendo’s greatest and greatest video games are going to be Swap 2-bound any longer.
The Swap 2 won’t ever be the phenomenon the primary Swap was, nevertheless it was by no means going to be. It is an iteration. However it’s a key improve that powers the hand held up for large video games to come back, and it lastly has sufficient nice video games of its personal, even one 12 months in, to justify the plunge.
However, additionally, you would simply stick it out with the unique Swap. Simply preserve expectations for brand new first-party Nintendo video games low.
