Nintendo Switch 2 (5th June 2025)

[Hero-of-Time]

1 hour ago, killthenet said:

I'm also genuinely interested in picking up third party games like Cyberpunk or Star Wars Outlaws that I know I'll get plenty of daily usage out of the new console to justify picking it up at launch.

[Julius]

1 hour ago, killthenet said:

I'm also genuinely interested in picking up third party games like Cyberpunk or Star Wars Outlaws that I know I'll get plenty of daily usage out of the new console to justify picking it up at launch

[Glen-i]

I'm excited! Hooray!

The only thing dampening my excitement is that I can't afford the damn thing!

But that's fine. I can use other people's Switch 2's to play Mario Kart and GameCube online, and it's not like I've got nothing to play on the Switch 1. That will tide me over until Hyrule Warriors or Metroid Prime, whatever comes first.

Bring it on!

[killthenet]

@Julius @Hero-of-Time Is Outlaws supposed to be really bad? Or is it just that it's a standard Ubisoft open world game with a Star Wars coat of paint on top? If it's the latter then I don't mind too much, the only Ubi open word game I've played was Assassin's Creed Valhalla years ago so I'm not exactly worn out by the formula 

[Hero-of-Time]

Just now, killthenet said:

@Julius @Hero-of-Time Is Outlaws supposed to be really bad? Or is it just that it's a standard Ubisoft open world game with a Star Wars coat of paint on top? If it's the latter then I don't mind too much, the only Ubi open word game I've played was Assassin's Creed Valhalla years ago so I'm not exactly worn out by the formula 

I just found it very, very boring and by the numbers, not just the gameplay but the story and characters as well. Plus, it was very glitchy.

[MindFreak]

I'm quite excited for Switch 2 and can't really wait to get my hands on it. It looks good. 

But yeah, I really miss a good single player game to accompany it. MK World looks great and I can probably entertain myself with it for some time but I also like a good story driven game. 

Luckily, I still have some Switch games lying around to play on Switch 2, unless they of course aren't supported. 

Oh, and yeah, in Denmark nobody seems to be able to actually get the console before the 6th because of a national bank Holiday. The one minor shop I had found that wanted a midnight launch has been told they weren't allowed by the authorities... That sucks. 

[Julius]

3 hours ago, killthenet said:

@Julius @Hero-of-Time Is Outlaws supposed to be really bad? Or is it just that it's a standard Ubisoft open world game with a Star Wars coat of paint on top? If it's the latter then I don't mind too much, the only Ubi open word game I've played was Assassin's Creed Valhalla years ago so I'm not exactly worn out by the formula 

I played the game back at launch and went off about it multiple times in its own thread for reasons beyond it just being pretty buggy back then. 

I'm aware that the game has since seen numerous updates to key aspects of gameplay since then (you couldn't freely shoot people from your speeder, for crying out loud!), but that being said, these points covered off my main negative thoughts:

On 8/30/2024 at 2:03 AM, Julius said:

I hate to say it, but I don't think it improved all that much towards the end, and so my verdict on the game by and large remains the same: even with low hopes and expectations going in, it's really hard to not come away disappointed. 

[...]

... I've talked a lot about the bad, too, and I don't really want to go the route of chewing everyone's ear off - much as I would like to go off about this game, it just doesn't feel very productive - but perhaps I can summarise similar to how I did a friend today how I feel about the open world in Outlaws. 

The best way I can describe this game's use of its open world is to imagine a very casual gamer who looks at mechanics at a surface level and enjoys modern open worlds, and has done for the last 10-15 years. Red Dead Redemption. GTA. Ghost of Tsushima. They enjoy the climbing and treasure hunting in games like Uncharted. They really liked the Nemesis System from the Middle-earth: Shadow of games. Heck, maybe even if only a little bit related, they've enjoyed raiding some military bases in Metal Gear Solid games in the past.

Okay, well now imagine this person gets transported back to 2005 and describes the future of open world games to a game developer from memory, not realising the fundamentals and inner workings beyond the surface level of what made some of those open worlds and their mechanics and systems so great, or the more linear parts of, say, bases in Metal Gear Solid V and the treasure hunting and climbing around from Uncharted, or the Nemesis System from WB games. That developer they talked to? They go on to create a game like Star Wars Outlaws: kitted out in everything that's going to be big in open worlds, except? The tech isn't there, and neither is the forethought to match the ambition.

That is how this game's open world feels: it feels regressive for open world styled games, like it came out 10 or 15 years ago and hasn't learned any of the lessons the rest of the industry has learned since. I know there are people here at N-E who see an open world game and their interest dips, well okay, this is basically the embodiment from my perspective of so much of what those people think is wrong with open world games. It goes beyond being a formula, it is totally unambitious and lazy in its use of its open world, falling back on tenets of yesteryear's open world game design and even then still falling short. 

[...]

Its story is inoffensive if safe; its characters overwhelmingly one-note and forgettable; its open world is buggy, wasted, unambitious and ultimately a lazy hodge-podge of the open worlds and modern classics of yesteryear with no grasp on what made those games great - and I'm not being hyperbolic here, but I'm picky enough with the open world games I play, and have made sure I've played few enough of them, to definitively say that this is the worst one I've ever played through. I think the real killing blow for me is realising in retrospect that I wouldn't have played this game beyond the 5-hour mark if not for it being a Star Wars game, and that heavily tips the scales away from my glowing praise of this game's vibes and atmosphere, as well as the scattering of other positives I've mentioned in this thread, which is to say that my love of Nix and the game's vibes are what is bumping that score up to a 4. 

My advice for anyone who hasn't picked this up yet is to wait for a sale even if you really want to play this...or just don't, save your time and your money because you're not missing out on a great, good, or even an okay game in my eyes – just Nix and some solid Star Wars vibes. 

It'll be for some people, and that's totally fine, I've seen a lot of people really enjoy their time with the game – you might be one of them, and the changes they've made since launch seem to be in line with fixing some of my problems with the game (whether this game went through an actual QA process ahead of launch beyond simply looking for bugs is the big question remaining for me), so there's that. 

But I went in with very tempered expectations and came away disappointed (outside of Sabacc and the inclusion of Nix, your little sidekick, who is the greatest), and a lot of the positivity around the game that I've seen seems more in line with nailing the Star Wars vibe (which is undeniable), but almost excusing a laundry list of glaring faults as a game because it managed to do so. 

You also mentioned Cyberpunk 2077, and that's been one hell of a comeback story. I've yet to get back to it myself but experienced the mess it was at launch first-hand and wouldn't wish that on anyone, but it is almost universally accepted that it's in a position now that, if it was at launch, it would have been a genuine GOTY contender. They can tweak Outlaws all they want, but at the end of the day, it's Ubisoft – it's not getting close to that sort of conversation. I guess that's just my way of saying of the two I absolutely think Cyberpunk 2077 is worth picking up now (assuming it runs well from launch on Switch 2, of course, which remains to be seen) but I'd continue to keep a wary eye on Outlaws for now and watch where the conversation around it has got to by the time September rolls around if you are interested 

Edited Monday at 07:02 PM by Julius

[RedShell]

My Switch 2 hype levels are as follows:

For Mario Kart World - 11/10!!
Don't think this one really needs much explanation, it's Mario Kart, a franchise that I've absolutely adored since the SNES original. Not only that, but it would appear as if Nintendo have pulled out all the stops for this version, I mean it looks sensational! So yeah, I don't just want it, I NEEEEED it! justhookittomyveins.gif

For the Switch 2 hardware - 7/10?
This would almost certainly be higher (probably a 9 or even 10) had I not returned to gaming on PC a few years ago, but seeing as I did, the wow factor of Switch 2's technological improvements will definitely be taking quite a hit. Still looking forward to seeing Nintendo's own titles make use of the increased power though.  

For Nintendo's new pricing strategy - 0/10...
I have a really hard time believing these increases are out of necessity. I mean, with the volume of sales that Nintendo games typically enjoy, there's no way they wouldn't continue being immensely profitable even if they stuck with the current game prices. It all just seems incredibly opportunistic and greedy. Has put a serious dampener on my excitement for Switch 2. 

So yeah, overall about 5/10, maybe. Could very well be the least hyped I've ever been for a new Nintendo system actually, which is nuts considering how good it looks. 

Don't have a pre order. I'll still attempt to pick one up at launch (purely because of Mario Kart) but if that's not possible, I think I'll survive having to wait.  Will just have to remember to shield myself from all MK World gameplay/impressions, otherwise...

Spoiler

 

[Helmsly]

This will sound contradictory as I’m quite excited about the Switch 2, however I didn’t pre-order one.

This is because I know I will be buying a switch 2 sooner or later but I’m in no rush to get it at launch, as there’s not much outside of Mario Kart, and as much as I love that series, I can wait.

My only concern about not getting one early is that with the recent price increase for the PS5 Pro and the Xbox Series consoles, that maybe the Switch 2 will get a price hike at some point in the next year and I’ll be kicking myself for not getting one early.

As for the games, DK and Mario Kart both look amazing.
 

Also I’m interested in how well Fortnite runs on Switch 2, as I play that game on a daily basis on my Switch 1, but it runs less than 30fps and the resolution drops significantly when too much is going on. The game almost looks completely different when I compare my screenshots to the ones my friends take on their consoles or PC.

Edited Tuesday at 10:39 AM by Helmsly

[BowserBasher]

Definitely looking forward to the Switch 2 and getting mine. My Switch is a launch day model and sometimes I swear I can hear the fan more than I should be. 
 

As much as Mario Kart has been great fun every Thursday, I do think we are all looking forward to changing it up. There’s only so many time you can play Kalamari desert (every week). The change will be good and we still have 8 to go back to on occasions too. 
I only have MKW coming on launch but maybe there will be something on the eshop I can get that’s a bit cheaper to also hold me over till the first big single player game. I may get DKB as it looks fun to me and I don’t always listen to reviews, more word of mouth from people that have played it. Maybe we’ll get a demo or something. 
 

Also looking forward to playing some GC games with others from here too. Change up the Friday night games a bit. Though we could play PD forever and I do t think we’d tire of it. 

[Jimbob]

I'm certainly looking forward to Switch 2.  It's not on par with the excitement i had for Switch 1, but it's up there.  Games-wise, there's Mario Kart World to look forward to.  But that's really it to be honest, i do have a fair few Switch games i'm waiting to play or finish on Switch 2.  2 stand-outs for me here are.

• Tears of the Kingdom
• Pokemon Scarlett

Not saying both don't play fine on Switch (ok, Pokemon still has issues) but playing on newer hardware will be great.

I'll be interested in seeing how Fortnite plays here.  Yes, it worked fine on Switch.  But it is night and day different between here and PS5, and i like to chill on the sofa of an evening playing (Portal does a fine job here)

Someone did raise a point, will Mario Kart World be pre-installed on those getting the bundle or will it need downloading from the eShop.  And if so, will it hold up with the sheer volume of peeps downloading stuff.

Feeling the same as i was when the PS5 came out.  Had my launch game or two, and a few PS4 games i was holding back for the new machine to tide me over.

[Julius]

4 minutes ago, Jimbob said:

Someone did raise a point, will Mario Kart World be pre-installed on those getting the bundle or will it need downloading from the eShop.  And if so, will it hold up with the sheer volume of peeps downloading stuff.

I think the box for the Mario Kart World bundle says that it's a digital download code? 

EDIT – yep, it's a download code:

Edited Tuesday at 02:02 PM by Julius

[BowserBasher]

Aren’t these bundled games always a digital code? Long gone are the free physical game with a console and I’ve never known one to be preinstalled. . Every Switch bundle that I remember was a digital code. 

[Julius]

5 minutes ago, BowserBasher said:

Aren’t these bundled games always a digital code? Long gone are the free physical game with a console and I’ve never known one to be preinstalled. Every Switch bundle that I remember was a digital code. 

It's PlayStation, so I guess not exactly relevant to the Switch/2 discussion, and it technically wasn't part of a "bundle", but it's recent enough an example to mention: Astro's Playroom came pre-installed on PS5. 

Edited Tuesday at 04:03 PM by Julius

[Julius]

Anyways, elsewhere, as revealed on The Nintendo Today! app – the Switch 2 will be launching with 258 default profile icons. 

Must. Resist. Bulbasaur...

Edited Tuesday at 04:08 PM by Julius

[Dcubed]

All those options, but I'm just gonna pick my Mii.

Why would I ever choose anything else?

[Dcubed]

20 minutes ago, BowserBasher said:

Aren’t these bundled games always a digital code? Long gone are the free physical game with a console and I’ve never known one to be preinstalled. . Every Switch bundle that I remember was a digital code. 

As far as Nintendo console bundles go? Yeah, all the Switch 1 bundles included download codes in a box.  It's much cheaper and easier for them to produce since they can just use the same consoles being manufactured and just chuck the code into a different box; no need to spin up a specific manufacturing line for that particular bundle that way.

[Ike]

16 minutes ago, Julius said:

Anyways, elsewhere, as revealed on The Nintendo Today! app – the Switch 2 will be launching with 258 default profile icons. 

Must. Resist. Bulbasaur...

Next gen confirmed!

Also Fire Emblem 👀

[nekunando]

21 hours ago, RedShell said:

My Switch 2 hype levels are as follows:

For Mario Kart World - 11/10!!
Don't think this one really needs much explanation, it's Mario Kart, a franchise that I've absolutely adored since the SNES original. Not only that, but it would appear as if Nintendo have pulled out all the stops for this version, I mean it looks sensational! So yeah, I don't just want it, I NEEEEED it! justhookittomyveins.gif

For the Switch 2 hardware - 7/10?
This would almost certainly be higher (probably a 9 or even 10) had I not returned to gaming on PC a few years ago, but seeing as I did, the wow factor of Switch 2's technological improvements will definitely be taking quite a hit. Still looking forward to seeing Nintendo's own titles make use of the increased power though.  

For Nintendo's new pricing strategy - 0/10...
I have a really hard time believing these increases are out of necessity. I mean, with the volume of sales that Nintendo games typically enjoy, there's no way they wouldn't continue being immensely profitable even if they stuck with the current game prices. It all just seems incredibly opportunistic and greedy. Has put a serious dampener on my excitement for Switch 2. 

So yeah, overall about 5/10, maybe. Could very well be the least hyped I've ever been for a new Nintendo system actually, which is nuts considering how good it looks. 

Don't have a pre order. I'll still attempt to pick one up at launch (purely because of Mario Kart) but if that's not possible, I think I'll survive having to wait.  Will just have to remember to shield myself from all MK World gameplay/impressions, otherwise...

  Reveal hidden contents

 

I'd say I'm pretty close to your individual ratings there but I'm definitely more excited overall than 5/10 😅

I placed my pre-order as soon as was possible with Smyth's on the evening after the Direct. I was always going to get the console no matter how excited I ended up being for it.

Mario Kart World obviously looks sensational but, while I'm really glad that plenty of third parties seem to be on board with releases of some of their biggest games, it's the Gamecube games I'm most excited to play again!

I went through the entire Switch generation loving the joy-con and never invested in any other controllers. I used contact cleaner to alleviate the drift issues as much as I could but I think I'm starting to lose the battle with the majority of my five sets.

It's a shame but the upgrade feels like it is coming just in time as their reliability becomes ever more concerning 😖

With that in mind, I've ordered the Switch 2 Pro Controller to hopefully collect on launch day with the console. There's something oddly exciting about finally playing with something much more ergonomic and I hope it lives up to the hype that seems to have been building around it.

I don't think I've held a properly comfortable controller since the Gamecube so my fingers are crossed that this one fits like a glove!

The lack of triggers is a little disappointing in terms of racing games but, to be honest, the digital buttons are better for most other games and the fact that Codemasters aren't currently working on a rally game at all means it's a genre that is once again unlikely to be well-represented on a Nintendo platform.

Thank goodness for Mario Kart and F-Zero GX out of the gate then, eh 😁

[Agent Gibbs]

Probably won't buy one at launch but will buy one for Donkey Kong.

A lot as very interesting, but mario kart and donkey kong mainly with some upgraded switch games.

I was very impressed with Cyberpunk and would buy it, but its far better on a Steamdeck with mods than what will seem like a sub par experience compared to previous plays.

I don't massively mind the pricing straregy as such, but the paid pack in game just really rubbed me the wrong way.

 

EDIT First time i post in years and I'm a newbie again? pfft, if only de-aging was so easy

Edited Tuesday at 06:29 PM by Agent Gibbs

[Nicktendo]

On 5/5/2025 at 11:09 PM, RedShell said:

My Switch 2 hype levels are as follows:

For Mario Kart World - 11/10!!
Don't think this one really needs much explanation, it's Mario Kart, a franchise that I've absolutely adored since the SNES original. Not only that, but it would appear as if Nintendo have pulled out all the stops for this version, I mean it looks sensational! So yeah, I don't just want it, I NEEEEED it! justhookittomyveins.gif

For the Switch 2 hardware - 7/10?
This would almost certainly be higher (probably a 9 or even 10) had I not returned to gaming on PC a few years ago, but seeing as I did, the wow factor of Switch 2's technological improvements will definitely be taking quite a hit. Still looking forward to seeing Nintendo's own titles make use of the increased power though.  

For Nintendo's new pricing strategy - 0/10...
I have a really hard time believing these increases are out of necessity. I mean, with the volume of sales that Nintendo games typically enjoy, there's no way they wouldn't continue being immensely profitable even if they stuck with the current game prices. It all just seems incredibly opportunistic and greedy. Has put a serious dampener on my excitement for Switch 2. 

So yeah, overall about 5/10, maybe. Could very well be the least hyped I've ever been for a new Nintendo system actually, which is nuts considering how good it looks. 

This is about where I'm at too. I do not have a pre-order secured yet, but I feel confident I'll be able to pick one up on launch here without too many issues. 

I'm hyped for MK, but happy to skip it at launch (I'd prefer a physical copy and can nope out of 80 bones for now and hope for a discount in the future). 

Honestly, I'm mostly looking forward to GC on NSO and finishing TOTK with a good resolution and framerate having dropped it at around the 130 hour mark . Will probably dip into the Kirby expansion too.

Considering a few titles I haven't beat yet are getting free updates for Switch 2, I think the first few months of me owning this machine are going to be clearing the backlog, enjoying the retro offerings, and dipping into a few indies like the new FAST game. Like you, having a fairly competent PC has made playing the 2017 Switch on the TV a bit harder. I hope owning a Switch 2 is going to inject a bit of new life into the ecosystem for me because I almost exclusively play it handheld these days. That OLED screen is still a beast at 720p!