Nintendo Switch 2 (5th June 2025)

[Ike]

8 minutes ago, Dcubed said:

It is pretty small.  I’ve been waiting till the end of the Switch 1’s life so that I can just buy the exclusive games that have all of the updates on cart and at a cheaper price (limited time prints like Bayonetta 1 being the exception).

I… wasn’t expecting my gamble to have paid off like this though!

Problem is that a lot of games never got complete revisions or your going to have to import some games, like Mario Kart 8. Not sure how cheap it will work out for you in the end.

28 minutes ago, Cube said:

In the product listings for Breath of the Wild S2E, there seems to be an omission. It doesn't mention the DLC anywhere, so it's presumably not included.

And it's £66. 

I assume they used the latest versions which will have the DLC on the cart at least.

I don’t like that they’re putting Switch 1 carts in Switch 2 boxes and then requires a download. Just put eve on the cart!

[Glen-i]

5 minutes ago, Ike said:

Problem is that a lot of games never got complete revisions or your going to have to import some games, like Mario Kart 8. Not sure how cheap it will work out for you in the end.

I keep trying to tell him this, he's under the assumption that every first party game is going to get some kind of Switch 2 upgrade.

They're really not.

Edited yesterday at 04:21 PM by Glen-i

[Dcubed]

https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/nintendo-switch-2-leveled-up-with-nvidia-ai-powered-dlss-and-4k-gaming/
 

Interesting.  Looks like the DLSS Tensor cores are also used to power the camera tracking features.  Clever use of the tech!

[Happenstance]

I assume as we seemed to see original pro controllers being used during the Direct that things like the 8bitdo controllers should still work with the Switch 2 as well?

[Glen-i]

36 minutes ago, Happenstance said:

I assume as we seemed to see original pro controllers being used during the Direct that things like the 8bitdo controllers should still work with the Switch 2 as well?

Have we? I've only seen the new Pro Controller...

[Happenstance]

Just now, Glen-i said:

Have we? I've only seen the new Pro Controller...

I guess I'd have to go back and have a look. I thought I saw them pan across different controller options from pro controller 2, to joycons 2 in their holder to the old pro controller.

[Julius]

Arthus Gies of Wirecutter/The New York Times is reporting that the Switch 2 does indeed come with Hall effect sticks. 

Quote

If you've played your Switch a lot, you've probably gone through more than one pair of Joy-Cons, and not just to buy more colors. The original Switch's analog sticks were notorious for failing or "drifting." However, the Switch 2 has traded the original Joy-Con analog sticks' potentiometers for Hall effect sensors, which should withstand significantly more use without problems, though we plan to test them long-term to determine their reliability.

At this point, if this is true, I'm wondering if Nintendo can't say anything because it would imply acknowledgment of fault with Joy-Con drift for the OG Switch (though I suppose a service replacing those impacted Joy-Cons would also imply the same thing?), because they've been particularly nondescript about the changes in everything I've read for the Switch 2 thus far. 

Edited yesterday at 07:40 PM by Julius

[Julius]

53 minutes ago, Julius said:

Arthus Gies of Wirecutter/The New York Times is reporting that the Switch 2 does indeed come with Hall effect sticks. 

UPDATE: 

Speculation, Your Honour!

Quote

If you've played your Switch a lot, you've probably gone through more than one pair of Joy-Cons, and not just to buy more colors. The original Switch's analog sticks were notorious for failing or "drifting." However, Nintendo claims to have "redesigned" the Switch 2's sticks. While the company hasn't given specific information about what that redesign entails, some video game-centric outlets have speculated that the Switch 2 has traded the original Joy-Con analog sticks' potentiometers for Hall effect sensors, which should withstand significantly more use without problems. We'll have to test them long-term to determine their reliability.

Alright, back to square one. So this "smoother movement" – is it in the room with us right now? 

[Julius]

On 4/2/2025 at 4:26 PM, Cube said:

Box art:

 

 

The banner is so big yet so empty.

It gets worse than this, even. 

The banner on the box art for the Switch 2 Edition of Prime 4 cuts off some of the art up top, and the Switch 2 Edition branding and details horribly obscure the bottom third. 

So, you can buy the technically superior of the game physically...at the cost of it clearly being in the aesthetically inferior box.

This is so gross and unnecessary. 

EDIT: Yeah, no, scratch all of that, I'd just very wrongly assumed that the Switch 2 Edition included the red Switch 2 card. That small print seemingly calls out that they're selling you the Switch version of the game and the upgrade pack (a code maybe?). That's absolutely diabolical. Doesn't seem like I have a choice, OG Switch version + upgrade pack purchase it'll be. 

On PS5, I've been picking up the PS5 version of a game if it has both PS4 and PS5 versions – it looks like a jump to next-gen on my shelf, stops the silly auto-install of the PS4 version of a game when I've already got the PS5 version installed, etc. 

On Switch 2, I think I genuinely might be doing the opposite and picking up the Switch versions of games available on both Switch and Switch 2, and then just pick up the upgrade pack to play the Switch 2 version. 

I feel like I'm being pushed to consider digital more than ever before (this is only compounded by the Mario Kart World bundle being a great deal) and very much unwillingly. Personally, this is bothering me way more than the crazy price hike, feels like Nintendo are making it pretty clear which direction the Switch 2 successor will go in already 

Edited 19 hours ago by Julius

[Dcubed]

I actually do think they're using Hall Effect sticks with Switch 2.  They won't want any chance of repeating the whole Joycon drift debacle.

Nintendo are just being their usual cagey selves where they don't want to focus too much of their marketing on nitty gritty technical details.

Ironically, we probably won't find out for sure until someone gets to play the Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, which will actually give the nitty gritty details (since it's kind of a semi-sequel to Game Builder Garage, which focuses on teaching the player how their console actually works on the inside).

[Dcubed]

4 hours ago, Julius said:

It gets worse than this, even. 

The banner on the box art for the Switch 2 Edition of Prime 4 cuts off some of the art up top, and the Switch 2 Edition branding and details horribly obscure the bottom third. 

So, you can buy the technically superior of the game physically...at the cost of it clearly being in the aesthetically inferior box.

This is so gross and unnecessary. 

EDIT: Yeah, no, scratch all of that, I'd just very wrongly assumed that the Switch 2 Edition included the red Switch 2 card. That small print seemingly calls out that they're selling you the Switch version of the game and the upgrade pack (a code maybe?). That's absolutely diabolical. Doesn't seem like I have a choice, OG Switch version + upgrade pack purchase it'll be. 

On PS5, I've been picking up the PS5 version of a game if it has both PS4 and PS5 versions – it looks like a jump to next-gen on my shelf, stops the silly auto-install of the PS4 version of a game when I've already got the PS5 version installed, etc. 

On Switch 2, I think I genuinely might be doing the opposite and picking up the Switch versions of games available on both Switch and Switch 2, and then just pick up the upgrade pack to play the Switch 2 version. 

I feel like I'm being pushed to consider digital more than ever before (this is only compounded by the Mario Kart World bundle being a great deal) and very much unwillingly. Personally, this is bothering me way more than the crazy price hike, feels like Nintendo are making it pretty clear which direction the Switch 2 successor will go in already 

We'll have to wait and see exactly how they handle these Switch 2 Edition Retail releases, and whether or not the upgraded version is included on the cartridge.  If it isn't, and it essentially just includes a download code, it might end up being the inferior version due to ugly art... Or perhaps the art will be a reversable cover?  And it remains to be seen if it'll still be shipping on a standard Switch 1 cartridge, or if it'll be using the new & fancy faster (and more expensive to produce) Switch 2 red cartridge.

Either way, that banner is ridiculous.  It needs to change.  I get that Nintendo know the the general public are mostly morons and that they desperately don't want Little Timmy to buy a Switch 2 game, thinking that it'll work on Switch 1, but come on! It's a joke!

Edited 18 hours ago by Dcubed

[Dcubed]

It's a shame that Switch 2 doesn't support SDUC, since we're just on the cusp of this new format's launch...

https://www.techradar.com/pro/wd-launches-enormous-4tb-sd-card-for-creative-pros-smashes-world-record-for-largest-removable-memory-card-to-smithereens-at-twice-the-capacity-of-biggest-microsd-cards

That 2TB limit is really not gonna cut it as we move further into the system's lifecycle.  Hopefully they can add SDUC support in the inevitable OLED revision, or somehow enable support via a system update...

Edited 18 hours ago by Dcubed

[Hero-of-Time]

File sizes for a few games have popped up.

- Mario Kart World: 23.4 GB
- Donkey Kong Bananza: 10.0 GB
- GameCube Nintendo Classics: 3.5 GB
- Super Mario Jamboree Switch 2 Edition: 7.7 GB

[Ashley]

21 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

- Mario Kart World: 23.4 GB
- Donkey Kong Bananza: 10.0 GB

Cows do weigh more than gorillas so that checks out

[Dcubed]

1 hour ago, Hero-of-Time said:

File sizes for a few games have popped up.

- Mario Kart World: 23.4 GB
- Donkey Kong Bananza: 10.0 GB
- GameCube Nintendo Classics: 3.5 GB
- Super Mario Jamboree Switch 2 Edition: 7.7 GB

Honestly? That's much better than I was expecting.  I bet DKB was originally a Switch 1 game, before being cancelled and pushed to Switch 2, that's the only reason that I can think of that explains why it can be as small as it is.  MK World however was clearly always a Switch 2 game (and also requires a 32GB Red Cart, which probably helps explain the higher price).

GCN NSO is obviously going to get much bigger over time though.

BTW, paging @Glen-i, haven't seen this posted anywhere, but we're getting Switch 2 versions of the Joycon Wheel and the Charging Grip...

https://www.nintendo.com/us/gaming-systems/switch-2/accessories/

Edited 14 hours ago by Dcubed

[Cube]

37 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

- GameCube Nintendo Classics: 3.5 GB

 

Wait, they're not changing how the NSO app works to download specific games for GameCube games? That's incredibly stupid. 

[Dcubed]

2 minutes ago, Cube said:

Wait, they're not changing how the NSO app works to download specific games for GameCube games? That's incredibly stupid. 

That initial download will obviously include the initial 3 games (would be a pointless app download otherwise!).  Jury's still out about whether or not it'll force you to download all future games like the other apps going forward.

I do reckon they'll have to make it so that it'll only download the new games if you select them from within the app, because you're right; the storage requirements are going to balloon dramatically... and it'll only get worse when we inevitably get Wii, 3DS and Wii U NSO services in the future.

Edited 15 hours ago by Dcubed

[Glen-i]

Here are some details on using Switch 1 accessories with the Switch 2.

Of note is that you can't use a Switch 1 controller to wake the Switch 2 by pressing the Home button.

Edited 14 hours ago by Glen-i

[Dcubed]

18 minutes ago, Glen-i said:

Of note is that you can't use a Switch 1 controller to wake the Switch 2 by pressing the Home button.

What a weird limitation! I wonder if the home button works differently on Switch 2 somehow in that case...

BTW, random aside, but Cyberpunk on Switch 2 will be shipping on a 64GB Card with no download required (though there will be a downloadable language pack for non-English voiced dialogue).  Pretty sure that's the one and only 3rd party physical retail Switch game so far that has been confirmed to not be using the Game Key Card option.

Edited 14 hours ago by Dcubed

[Ashley]

This is me being lazy but when does the MK bundle end? Not really leaning towards getting a console at launch but might do just to save that money. 

[Julius]

Rather than update every relevant thread with a "coming soon" sort of update, I'll just post it here: Nintendo have confirmed the upcoming batch of Creator's Voice interviews for Switch 2 titles on the official Japanese site. 

The games confirmed to be getting a Creator's Voice interview in the coming weeks are:

Quote

• The Duskbloods (released today in Japanese; official English translation tomorrow)
• Cyberpunk 2077
• Split Fiction
• Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment 
• Hades II 
• Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade 
• Hogwarts Legacy
• Borderlands 4

Going to read through The Duskbloods interview now, but think I'm most curious about Cyberpunk 2077 (apparently they've only been developing the Switch 2 version for 7 weeks or something at this point?), Age of Imprisonment, Hades II, and Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade! 

Edited 9 hours ago by Julius

[Julius]

8 minutes ago, Ashley said:

This is me being lazy but when does the MK bundle end? Not really leaning towards getting a console at launch but might do just to save that money. 

According to NoA, they will be produced until Fall 2025 and be available while stocks last:

Hope that helps 

[Ashley]

In as much as a season helps but that's them rather than you. Ta!

[Julius]

Holy playable cow in Mario Kart, it's being reported that pre-orders of the Switch 2 in the US will NOT start 9th April as originally planned due to the ongoing and ever-evolving tariff situation. No change to planned launch of 5th June. 

Quote

Statement from Nintendo: Pre-orders for Nintendo Switch 2 in the U.S. will not start April 9, 2025 in order to assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions. Nintendo will update timing at a later date. The launch date of June 5, 2025 is unchanged.

From the linked article on GameSpot:

Quote

After initially announcing a preorder date of April 9, Nintendo has delayed preorders in the US while it assesses the new tariffs imposed by the Trump Administration. When preorders do eventually go live, the Switch 2 will be available on its own for $450 or the Switch 2 bundled with Mario Kart World for $500. However, it's possible prices could change given news regarding tariffs.

Crazy. 

 

UPDATE: corroborated by Brian Altano of IGN. 

UPDATE 2: from IGN, same statement. Welp. 

Edited 7 hours ago by Julius

[Dcubed]

Oh shit...

Americans are about to get F'd in the A!

This will have a knock-on effect on the Switch 2's software support and worldwide sales too...

Get your preorders in now before Nintendo start subsidising the US tarrifs elsewhere!