Live from New York, it’s our hands on with the Nintendo Switch 2
Live from New York, it’s us! We were invited by Nintendo to the Nintendo Switch 2 Experience in New York, and after two long days on a plane, we finally arrived as Nintendo unveiled the launch lineup for the Switch 2—along with all the juicy details. Then, we got to play it.
The Nintendo Switch 2 Experience is a multi-storey showcase with games spread across two levels. As we stepped into the main room, we got our first look at the Nintendo Switch 2 console. We picked it up, held it in our hands, and, of course, tried out the new magnetic Joy-Con 2. The Joy-Con attach with a satisfying feeling, followed by an abrupt snap as they lock into place. They first settle around the top and bottom of the console before securing onto the side connectors, which feel quite sturdy. If you’re worried about the connectors bending or breaking, you’d have to try really hard to make that happen.
Despite its increased size, the Nintendo Switch 2 doesn’t feel too heavy. The screen is now 7.9 inches, with the console and Joy-Con scaling up to match. But when you’re playing, it doesn’t feel noticeably bigger—until you place it next to the original Switch. The illusion works, partly because it retains the same thickness.
Fun snippet 1: You can attach the Joy-Con 2 any way to the console, or put it upside down and backwards on the other side. It won’t charge, but hey, you can.
The larger Joy-Con are a welcome change, whether you’re using them in tabletop mode or just holding them in your hands. Everything feels familiar, just bigger—without being unwieldy. Now, I know what you’re all wondering: How are the analogue sticks? Nintendo was asked the same question during a developer roundtable with the hardware team from Kyoto. The answer? They’re different, but even Nintendo didn’t go into specifics. What we can tell you is that they feel silky smooth, highly responsive, and require minimal resistance. There’s also no audible mechanism inside—at least, none that we could hear over the noise of 50 demo stations. Are they hall-effect sticks? Maybe. But it definitely feels like Nintendo has learned its lesson.
Fun snippet 2: Oh, and in case you were wondering—the C-button feels exactly like the Capture button. On our demo unit, it didn’t work, so we’ll have to bring you more C-button goodness at a later date.
So, how’s the new screen? Well… it’s not OLED anymore. That’s a shame, but what we do get is a crisp 1080p HDR-enabled screen with variable refresh rate (VRR) up to 120Hz. Most of the handheld games at the event looked native and sharp. On TV output, it’s just as impressive—we played Metroid Prime 4: Beyond at 1080p and 120fps, and it looked and felt buttery smooth, especially with the new mouse controls.
The rear stand on the Nintendo Switch 2 has changed compared to the OLED model. If you’re coming from the original Switch, this will feel like a huge upgrade. However, when pulling it from the locked position, it felt a little flimsy. It definitely has some flex, but compared to the OLED model’s sturdy stand, I’m not entirely sold on it just yet.
Fun snippet 3: The top USB-C port is only for charging and using accessories like the camera—you can’t output video from it.
Enough about the hardware—what about the games, and how does it all run?
After getting our hands on the main hardware, it was time to play some games. First up? Mario Kart World. For the first time in a long time, a Mario Kart game not only surprised me but also made me ask, “Oh, what’s that? What does that do?” More on Mario Kart in its own article.
After Mario Kart, we changed floors, and then the floor opened up to let us play whatever we wanted. A lot of the older games were less popular than the brand-new ones, but I took some time to check out Street Fighter 6, which seems fairly close to its other console brethren. Next up was Split Fiction, which I hadn’t played yet. It was the first game that didn’t quite hit the same high marks as most of the others at the event, but since it’s not finished on the Switch 2, we’ll wait and see.
Next, we got to try out the Nintendo Classics: GameCube lineup. They’re launching on day one, and despite their file sizes, all come bundled in a single app. It’s a bit of a monkey’s paw situation to finally get Wind Waker on the Switch, but nonetheless, if you’ve got a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription, you’ve got it worse. The games all ran perfectly, displayed in a 4:3 ratio by default, but we were told this can be changed. F-Zero GX already has a widescreen mode built-in, and even Perfect Dark on Nintendo Classics supports widescreen. The GameCube controller is just as you remember—except it now has a little C-button on top. The sticks feel authentic, and Nintendo has once again done well in putting out a controller so close to the original.
Fun snippet 4: Nintendo’s hardware team confirmed that the system can use NVIDIA’s DLSS AI upscaling, and can support hardware ray-tracing.
Drag X Drive is an interesting new addition to Nintendo’s library. A 3-on-3 basketball game isn’t too unusual, but making all the players use wheelchairs and controlling the game like you’re actually pushing yourself around? Yeah, no one else is doing that.
We were seated for this demo, with the two Joy-Con 2 in front of us on a mat. We had to play through a tutorial before getting into a match. Pushing forward with your hands in the mouse position, the HD Rumble 2 inside “rolls,” creating a sense of resistance to simulate wheeling. Braking is done with buttons, and you lift the right Joy-Con to take a shot. The action is frantic—you’ll be swiping your hands across the table to catch an opponent who just stole your ball. While it might seem chaotic, the controls aren’t. This is one I really want to play more and see how it feels over a longer session—it’s not easy to push your hands around all day on a mouse, at least not at this speed.
Mouse controls were a big deal at the event, and none other than Metroid Prime 4: Beyond was playable with them. We might just have a great system for FPS games on the Switch now. Yes, Metroid Prime technically isn’t a “first-person shooter,” but with a mouse, it feels like you could shoot anything and everything with great precision. Unlearning the lock-on and snap aim of the past took a bit of adjustment, but having full cursor control will take Metroid to another level. The game looked fantastic—there was speculation about how much of a graphical boost the Switch 2 would provide, but it really delivered. A Federation vs. Space Pirate battle in space followed by Samus landing in front of everyone looked straight out of a movie. The game was running at 1080p and 120Hz, and that ultra-smooth framerate, combined with snappy mouse controls, made it feel like liquid.
Fun snippet 5: Kouichi Kawamoto, a producer on the Switch 2, made it his mission to ensure the Switch 2 eShop runs much better on the new console by working with the network, infrastructure, and other hardware teams to achieve acceptable performance.
Other games we played included the new camera-enabled Super Mario Party: Jamboree, which felt like a mix of EyeToyand Kinect. The new content for Kirby and the Forgotten Land was fun, with modest graphical improvements and a framerate boost. Breath of the Wild also looked sharper and performed better. However, Nintendo’s pricing strategy for updated games is a bit cheeky. Good news: Zelda updates are free for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers, but Kirby wasn’t so lucky.
We played so many games at the event that we didn’t get to try them all. Cyberpunk looked great from a distance, but the real highlight was Donkey Kong Bananza, the last game we played before leaving. Wow, we’ve got something special there. Here’s my thoughts on that one.
The big takeaway? The Nintendo Switch 2 improves on all the small, annoying issues of the original. It’s more powerful, supports modern games at up to 120Hz, and fixes the cramped Joy-Con problem. On the surface, it might seem like just a “bigger Switch,” but if all these changes hold up, this one could last another eight years. Early days, but the signs are positive.
Vooks travelled to New York as a guest of Nintendo Australia.
