Halfway between Newark and San Francisco, I was settled into my economy seat and fully enjoying the first-class gaming ticket that the Nintendo Switch 2 was giving me in-flight. A big 7.9-inch screen, tilted at a perfect angle as I played Mario Kart World's vast tracks using luxurious new controllers with fantastic vibration. Yep, the Switch 2 is great. Except that the battery was already winding down after just an hour and a half of play.
Watch this: Nintendo Switch 2 Two Weeks In: All I've Loved, and The Things I Haven't 08:29
In the world of large, powerful gaming handhelds such as the Steam Deck and upcoming ROG Xbox Ally, the Nintendo Switch 2 currently reigns supreme, with some caveats. Eight years after the launch of the original Nintendo Switch, the Switch 2 is clearly a revamp rather than a reinvention.
Nintendo didn't pull any surprises this time, and instead it delivered overdue graphics upgrades and a lot of design improvements into a console that, after a couple of weeks of living with it, has finally shown me enough to give you a verdict. This is a system whose graphics potential, I think, lies ahead, and a system that could be a doorway to a lot more. But it has some current drawbacks that could very well make some choose to wait for more games, or perhaps a better Switch model.
8.5 Nintendo Switch 2 $450 at Best Buy Like Slim design
Slim design Large 1080p display
Large 1080p display Notably better graphics
Notably better graphics Great-feeling magnetic-attaching controllers Don't like MicroSD Express cards storage is hard to find right now
MicroSD Express cards storage is hard to find right now Battery life is worse than Switch's
Battery life is worse than Switch's Still needs more unique exclusives
... continue reading