After weeks of hands-on gaming with Nintendo’s latest console, it’s clear that the Switch 2 represents exactly what fans hoped for: a meaningful upgrade that honors the original’s innovative design while addressing its most significant limitations. Nintendo scheduled its launch for June 5, 2025, and the console has been making waves among gamers worldwide.
📊 Switch 1 vs Switch 2 Comparison
The Good: Performance Finally Meets Ambition
The most immediately noticeable improvement is the dramatic performance boost. Games on Nintendo Switch 2 can take advantage of powerful upgrades to processing capability, speed, and graphics performance. Enjoy benefits like smoother frame rates, sharper visuals, and faster loading speeds than before. This isn’t just marketing speak – the difference is genuinely transformative.
According to the early leak, Switch 2 offers around 7.5x faster performance than the original Switch, however, it’s not much faster than the current-gen handhelds. The Switch 2 comes with the Nvidia T239 chipset featuring an Ampere-based GPU and 8x Arm Cortex-A78 CPU cores.
Games that previously struggled on the original Switch now run buttery smooth. Titles like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Xenoblade Chronicles 3, which often dipped into the 20fps range, now maintain consistent 60fps performance. It’s like experiencing these games for the first time again.
🚀 Performance Improvements
Backward Compatibility: A Master Class in Respect
One of Nintendo’s smartest decisions was ensuring robust backward compatibility. The Switch 2 is backward compatible with most Switch games, both physically and digitally. Some games are not directly compatible with the hardware changes in the Switch 2 and the Joy-Con, but these exceptions are minimal.
In the vast majority of cases, the games analyzed in the video had trouble keeping consistent framerates and hitting the 60 FPS mark, but on Nintendo Switch 2, they do so effortlessly, further highlighting how good backward compatibility is even for unpatched games.
Your existing game library doesn’t just work – it works better. Loading times are significantly reduced, and many games that were previously held back by hardware limitations now shine. This approach shows Nintendo understands that gamers have invested years building their digital libraries.
Launch Lineup and Price Point
The Nintendo Switch 2 will launch on June 5, and it’s priced at $450 in the US. Nintendo will also offer a $500 bundle that includes a digital copy of Mario Kart World, though it will only be available until this fall. This bundle represents a good value, as Mario Kart World on its own costs $80.
The $450 price point positions the Switch 2 competitively against other gaming handhelds, though it’s a significant jump from the original Switch’s launch price. The Mario Kart World bundle offers genuine value for newcomers, especially considering the game’s $80 standalone price.
The console’s reveal trailer in January 2025 was accompanied by early footage of Mario Kart World, later announced to launch alongside the Switch 2 on June 5. First-party Switch games for 2025 such as Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and Pokémon Legends: Z-A were made simultaneously available on Switch, ensuring a steady stream of major releases throughout the year.
💰 Pricing & Launch Info
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The Challenges: Growing Pains and Expectations
While the Switch 2 succeeds in most areas, it’s not without its challenges. The Switch 2 is also backwards compatible with games designed for the Switch 1, which gives it a rather large library out of the gate. But for anyone without a huge backlog, the lack of fresh launch titles is one of the biggest reasons that people shouldn’t feel like they are missing out if they choose to wait.
The launch window, while solid, relies heavily on backward compatibility and a single major new release in Mario Kart World. For players who’ve exhausted their Switch libraries, the initial months may feel light on genuinely new experiences.
Additionally, some older games experience minor compatibility issues with the new Joy-Con controllers, though these are relatively rare and Nintendo has been proactive about addressing them through updates.
New Features and Quality of Life Improvements
✨ Key Features & Improvements
The Switch 2 introduces several subtle but meaningful improvements:
Enhanced Joy-Con Design: The new controllers feel more substantial and address the drift issues that plagued the original. The magnetic attachment system is more secure, and the controllers themselves are slightly larger, improving ergonomics for adult hands.
Improved Display: The screen is noticeably brighter and more vibrant, making handheld gaming more enjoyable even in well-lit environments.
Better Kickstand: The flimsy kickstand has been replaced with a more robust solution that supports multiple angles and feels genuinely stable.
Faster UI: Menu navigation and system operations are snappier, reducing the friction of switching between games and accessing system features.
The Verdict: Evolution Done Right
The Nintendo Switch 2 represents everything a console successor should be: respectful of its predecessor’s legacy while meaningfully advancing the experience. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel – it perfects it.
For existing Switch owners, the decision largely depends on your gaming habits. If you have a substantial backlog of games that ran poorly on the original hardware, the Switch 2’s performance improvements alone justify the upgrade. The enhanced backward compatibility essentially gives you a remastered version of your entire library.
For newcomers to the Nintendo ecosystem, the Switch 2 offers the best possible entry point, combining the innovative handheld-console hybrid design with the performance to properly execute Nintendo’s ambitious games.
Pros:
- Dramatic performance improvements across the board
- Excellent backward compatibility that enhances existing games
- Refined hardware design addressing original Switch pain points
- Competitive pricing for the performance offered
- Strong upcoming game lineup
Cons:
- Limited truly new launch titles
- Some minor compatibility issues with older games
- Price increase may be steep for budget-conscious gamers
- Performance gains, while significant, don’t match dedicated gaming handhelds
Final Score: 8.5/10
The Nintendo Switch 2 proves that sometimes the best innovation is perfect execution. It takes everything that made the original Switch special and removes the compromises that held it back. While it may not be revolutionary, it’s exactly what the platform needed to remain relevant in an increasingly competitive handheld gaming market.
For Nintendo fans, it’s an easy recommendation. For everyone else, it’s a compelling entry point into one of gaming’s most creative and consistent ecosystems. The Switch 2 doesn’t just succeed the original – it fulfills its promise.
Have you picked up a Nintendo Switch 2? Share your experiences in the comments below, and let us know which games you’re most excited to replay with the enhanced performance!
