Nintendo Switch 2 (5th June 2025)

[Dcubed]

It also makes it even more obvious that these Switch 2 Editions are only being put out at retail to make the anemic Switch 2 launch lineup look less awful than it actually is.

If you strip away these upgraded Switch 1 games, there are only two first party Switch 2 games announced with release dates (MK World and DK Bananza) and only 5 first party games in totality.  That's shockingly poor, like, even the ruddy N64 had more exclusive 1st party games announced pre-launch than this!

Only serves to highlight even more how much of a tremendous mistake it was to not just cancel the Switch 1 version of Metroid Prime 4... It should always have just been a Switch 2 exclusive, nobody is going to buy it for Switch 1 at this point anyway.

Edited April 6 by Dcubed

[Hero-of-Time]

8 minutes ago, Dcubed said:

 

Only serves to highlight even more how much of a tremendous mistake it was to not just cancel the Switch 1 version of Metroid Prime 4... It should always have just been a Switch 2 exclusive, nobody is going to buy it for Switch 1 at this point anyway.

Seeing as I won't be getting a Switch 2 in the near future, I'll be buying it on the original Switch.

[Ashley]

3 hours ago, Dcubed said:

It also makes it even more obvious that these Switch 2 Editions are only being put out at retail to make the anemic Switch 2 launch lineup look less awful than it actually is.

If you strip away these upgraded Switch 1 games, there are only two first party Switch 2 games announced with release dates (MK World and DK Bananza) and only 5 first party games in totality.  That's shockingly poor, like, even the ruddy N64 had more exclusive 1st party games announced pre-launch than this!

Only serves to highlight even more how much of a tremendous mistake it was to not just cancel the Switch 1 version of Metroid Prime 4... It should always have just been a Switch 2 exclusive, nobody is going to buy it for Switch 1 at this point anyway.

Yeah it is weird that they've been working on this for so long and there's so little for it at launch. 

[darksnowman]

5 hours ago, Hero-of-Time said:

Seeing as I won't be getting a Switch 2 in the near future, I'll be buying it on the original Switch.

Not like you to do things by half measures. Take a pass on it on both Switches why don't you.  

Looking like the year of the RPG backlog for me. RPG backlog.  

[Julius]

5 hours ago, Dcubed said:

Only serves to highlight even more how much of a tremendous mistake it was to not just cancel the Switch 1 version of Metroid Prime 4... It should always have just been a Switch 2 exclusive, nobody is going to buy it for Switch 1 at this point anyway.

Yeah, this was the big takeaway for me I think. It's one of those where I'm happy to buy in on launch day with the promise of what's to come (feel like they could've shown more with this in mind, honestly, but I'm sure future Directs will fill out the next 6-12 months more), but at launch, I feel like I'm going to enjoy the Welcome Tour for an hour max, maybe toy around with Mario Kart World for a bit, and the bulk of my time will probably be spent with some of the GameCube NSO games.

Not that I'm complaining about that - it sounds like a fun weekend! - but it is absolutely missing a killer exclusive single-player app for launch. And I think you're right – if it wasn't going to be anything else, it really should've been Prime 4. 

Let's not forget that there are around 150 million OG Switch consoles out there though, because it's still going to shift a lot of units on that thing too 

5 hours ago, Hero-of-Time said:

Seeing as I won't be getting a Switch 2 in the near future, I'll be buying it on the original Switch.

And honestly, seeing the performance options on Switch 2 they've cooked up, I'm even more impressed with what they've managed with Prime 4 on the OG Switch. In side-by-sides the bump in fidelity is obvious on Switch 2, but I feel like the real wizardry is that the game has still looked excellent on OG Switch in the footage we've seen so far! 

Unless you're a Mario Kart World junkie or dying for GameCube NSO, I don't think anyone's missing out by missing launch with the Switch 2. And both of those at launch feel like they're targeting very different parts of the Nintendo audience. Mario Kart World is going to be massive in that everyone buys it and it'll probably break some sales records in the long run, but I'd be lying if I said I thought Mario Kart World at launch was the right one to push as the Day 1 game. 

[Glen-i]

Interesting development in regards to Upgrade Packs.

Note the small print at the bottom

Why is it different to all the other boxes? That weirds me out.

So it seems that it may be possible to have the Upgrade Pack on cart.

Backed up by the Rune Factory Twitter account.

Edited April 6 by Glen-i

[Dcubed]

2 hours ago, Julius said:

Yeah, this was the big takeaway for me I think. It's one of those where I'm happy to buy in on launch day with the promise of what's to come (feel like they could've shown more with this in mind, honestly, but I'm sure future Directs will fill out the next 6-12 months more), but at launch, I feel like I'm going to enjoy the Welcome Tour for an hour max, maybe toy around with Mario Kart World for a bit, and the bulk of my time will probably be spent with some of the GameCube NSO games.

Not that I'm complaining about that - it sounds like a fun weekend! - but it is absolutely missing a killer exclusive single-player app for launch. And I think you're right – if it wasn't going to be anything else, it really should've been Prime 4. 

Let's not forget that there are around 150 million OG Switch consoles out there though, because it's still going to shift a lot of units on that thing too 

And honestly, seeing the performance options on Switch 2 they've cooked up, I'm even more impressed with what they've managed with Prime 4 on the OG Switch. In side-by-sides the bump in fidelity is obvious on Switch 2, but I feel like the real wizardry is that the game has still looked excellent on OG Switch in the footage we've seen so far! 

Unless you're a Mario Kart World junkie or dying for GameCube NSO, I don't think anyone's missing out by missing launch with the Switch 2. And both of those at launch feel like they're targeting very different parts of the Nintendo audience. Mario Kart World is going to be massive in that everyone buys it and it'll probably break some sales records in the long run, but I'd be lying if I said I thought Mario Kart World at launch was the right one to push as the Day 1 game. 

Honestly speaking? The launch title I'm looking forward to the most is Echoes of Wisdom.  Very happy that this game is in the first batch of Switch 1 performance updates, because it really needs it; and I've been hungry to play it ever since it came out!

I'm very glad that I held off on those later Switch titles, and I'm gonna definitely take advantage of my backlog in that first year; because Switch 2 exclusives are gonna be very thin on the ground.  Hopefully we don't have to wait too long to see the likes of Bayonetta 3 get the performance update they desperately need; because I'm dying to finally play that game!

Edited April 6 by Dcubed

[drahkon]

So, I've been away for a week.

What did I miss?  

[Hero-of-Time]

6 minutes ago, drahkon said:

So, I've been away for a week.

What did I miss?  

A new console with very little compelling software. So....sod all.

[Ashley]

1 hour ago, drahkon said:

So, I've been away for a week.

What did I miss?  

 

[darksnowman]

1 hour ago, drahkon said:

So, I've been away for a week.

What did I miss?  

Some news on how they're innovating on the Switch tax.

[Jonnas]

2 hours ago, drahkon said:

So, I've been away for a week.

What did I miss?  

Glen tried to curse my sandwiches. Didn't work.

[RedShell]

Think I've just about caught up with most of the Switch 2 stuff now (having watched some more of the Treehouse coverage today) so time for my thoughts on it all.

Firstly, the thing that Nintendo cowardly decided to keep out of the Direct, the pricing.
And yeah, like the majority of people I'm shocked and disappointed by what's happening here.
Not so much for the hardware cost, I mean, it is higher than I was expecting them to go, but the device also appears to be a lot more capable than I was anticipating as well.
120FPS? HDR? 4K? WTF?!

The new pricing for software on the other hand, is quite frankly inexplicable, not to mention insane. And I seriously cannot believe how much game prices are set to increase with Switch 2. The empty cart/game key malarkey is a right load of bollocks too.

In a way I shouldn't be all that surprised, Nintendo are once again following up on a highly successful console, so are in full-on cocky mode. But if they push their luck too much, they could find themselves facing another 3DS launch situation I reckon.
Perhaps it's all part of the plan and they already have a "Switch 2 ambassador program" in the works. 

It's a huge shame though, because it means that an already limited number of games (Switch 2 was always going to be a Nintendo exclusives device for me) will get even further reduced. I can accept paying 75 quid for Mario Kart (which looks absolutely incredible) as I know that I will love it and get hundreds of hours of playtime out of it.

But for other games, stuff like Metroid Prime 4, or DK Bananza (i.e. single player titles with something like 10-20 hours of gameplay) there's just no way I'm getting any of those at these prices. So if Nintendo also keep up their tradition of doing terrible discounts during sales, it means I'll probably be able to count how many Switch 2 games I end up with (at the end of its lifespan) on one hand.
This would be a perfect time for Blockbuster to make a comeback.

So anyway, I do want a Switch 2, and I really want to play Mario Kart World, but I'm not going to be freaking out to pre-order, and I'm far from thrilled with Nintendo at the moment.

 

Edited April 6 by RedShell

[Julius]

4 hours ago, drahkon said:

So, I've been away for a week.

What did I miss?  

[drahkon]

I see, I see.
So nothing worth reading up about.   

[bob]

I've been following all the excitement from a distance, since I know full well i'm not going to be getting one at launch (which coincides with my remortgage date, so no money available that month anyway).

Out of the games that they've shown off - only Mario Kart World looks to be one that i'd be interested in. I reckon that if my kids turn out to be big gamers, then i'll probably buy a family Switch 2 in a few years time just to play that. 

I think if i suddenly came into a spare £600, and a large amount of free time, i'd more likely be buying a PS5 anyway.

[Hero-of-Time]

23 minutes ago, bob said:

I think if i suddenly came into a spare £600, and a large amount of free time, i'd more likely be buying a PS5 anyway.

That's a thought I have seen a fair few times since the announcement of the Switch 2. If the handheld factor of the console isn't a major selling point to you then a PS5 is looking like a decent proposition now. Cheaper games, more software and a more powerful device. It depends on hard a pull Nintendo's IP has on you.

[Dcubed]

https://www.resetera.com/threads/switch-2-editions-of-physical-games-are-switch-1-carts-with-an-upgrade-code-per-nintendo-uk-metroid-mario-party-kirby-botw-totk.1156137/page-9#post-138165708

The saga continues!! Perhaps there’s still hope for me after all @Ike 

[Kav]

I’m posting this mainly for what Doug Bowser is saying, but I couldn’t resist adding my tweet. 🤣

[Ike]

59 minutes ago, Dcubed said:

https://www.resetera.com/threads/switch-2-editions-of-physical-games-are-switch-1-carts-with-an-upgrade-code-per-nintendo-uk-metroid-mario-party-kirby-botw-totk.1156137/page-9#post-138165708

The saga continues!! Perhaps there’s still hope for me after all @Ike 

Does that mean they are on a Switch 1 cart, or a red Switch 2 cart? What happens if you use it on a Switch 1? Does the upgrade part just not run?

Going back to check the boxes and they do say

Quote

Includes the Nintendo Switch game and the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition upgrade pack. Upgrade pack also available separately.

I possibly read both sentences and blurred them together and thought it said the upgrade was a separate download, so I was wrong.

So you might be safe after all.

Until the release a patch... 

[Dcubed]

Two new interviews!

One with Bill Trinen...

And one with Nate Bihldorff...

The latter confirms no hall effect sticks on either the Joycons or Pro Controller...

Let's hope they know what they're doing this time...

Also, @Glen-i?

Quote

Even the Steam Deck with the extra buttons on the back, sometimes it's like, "What do I need to do with these?"

For me, personally, one thing I'll automatically reassign there is clicking in sticks. I've never liked that. It's because I'm such a stressful gamer that I probably apply too much force to those things anyways. I'm the guy who is all of a sudden crouching. It's because I've jammed in the left stick. So I'll probably go into those buttons to remap.

Looks like great minds think alike

Edited April 7 by Dcubed

[Ike]

Unless they used TMR like 8Bitdo have been using recently. Or they've just done their own thing. 

[Dcubed]

3 minutes ago, Ike said:

Unless they used TMR like 8Bitdo have been using recently. Or they've just done their own thing. 

They could also be using just good old fashioned high quality potentiometer tech, like what they used to use.  And like what they're currently using in their GCN replica controllers (which they will also probably be using in their upcoming GCN NSO controllers).

Hall Effect isn't the only way to achieve good quality control sticks.  Nintendo used to be masters of it after all! The GCN controller has probably the most durable control stick ever made, and that doesn't use Hall Effect.

We'll just have to wait and see how this turns out.  The fact that the Joycons and their respective sticks are a good bit larger than the original Joycons should go a long way towards making them more durable this time...

Edited April 7 by Dcubed

[Dcubed]

Further clarification @Ike...

Now the only question remaining is... will we see Switch 2 Edition games get printed on standard Switch 1 Game Cards, or will they be printed on the fancy new Switch 2 Red Game Cards with faster loading?  My bet is on the former, making these Switch 2 Editions essentially the equivalent of GB/GBC Hybrid Carts; which will work on both consoles, but won't be able to take full advantage of the Switch 2's bespoke hardware and faster loading times.

Edited April 7 by Dcubed

[Dcubed]

On that topic...

Sorry @Glen-i 

Edited April 7 by Dcubed