The good news is the Nintendo Switch 2 is coming very soon, specifically on
June the 5th. But there's also bad news.
Nintendo has jumped on the Gameflation bandwagon hard with a price of
$450. For those keeping score at home, that is 50% more than the OG Switch. And
there's more. It was very clear from today's Direct that Nintendo learned
some big lessons from the Wii U. like that. Teaching people what makes the
console different from its predecessor is a good idea. What might not be a good
idea though is charging people for those lessons. I mean, seriously, Nintendo,
what the heck? And seriously, Lionus, why the heck are you still going to buy
two of them? Well, because aside from
the bad bits, that might have been one of the strongest console showcases that
I have ever seen. We got oodles of details on the hardware itself, new
online features, and most importantly, games, games, games. There's old
favorites, there's some soon to be new favorites, and some big surprises. What
won't surprise you, though, is that as I'm continuing the sentence, I'm already
15 words into this segue to our sponsor, Dbrand. If you want to make sure you've
got the best Switch 2 case that Dbrand makes, the Kill Switch 2, check it out
at I am very
short.com. While they didn't dive into anything especially technical, Nintendo
did confirm a lot of what we suspected was coming on the Switch 2. At its core,
it's still a juiced and jacked up switch, but there are also important
quality of life improvements that really set it apart from its predecessor, like
a built-in microphone, improved speakers, active cooling in the dock for
stronger performance on the big screen, bigger and faster storage, and bringing
Nintendo finally into this decade, support for 4K HDR output. Not going to
lie, guys, that one's a big relief for me after all those rumors that it would
be stuck at 1080p. But now, we also know that the tablet got a big upgrade from
720p to 1080p. And maybe more
importantly, it is now 120 Hz refresh
rate with support for variable refresh rate. These are both huge wins. I mean,
with the amount of competitive gaming that takes place on Nintendo hardware,
seeing them finally take latency seriously is a giant relief. And
especially on a mobile device where frame rates can be all over the place,
variable refresh rate is great for perceived animation smoothness. What
isn't a win though is the panel technology in the launch version of the
console. After the original Switch OLED,
I was very hopeful that that would be the end of LCD displays for Nintendo.
But knowing that that would have certainly pushed the launch price to
$4.99, I can at least understand why they felt the need to hold off for the
inevitable OLED refresh. It just sucks for me because I know I'm going to buy
the launch one and the refreshed one, hence the title of this video.
Speaking of things you need to buy over and over again, we got a few more
details about the new JoyCons, including a closer look at the magnetic lock and
release system that looks like a huge improvement in function and reliability
over the old rail system, the bigger shoulder buttons on the inside rails
that will hopefully make using Joy-Cons in landscape mode somewhat tolerable,
and the new mouse functionality that, well, I got to say, I was just plain
wrong about. See, in our last rumor roundup, I hedged. Okay, in the video, I
was like, maybe it'll happen. Off camera, though, I was adamant that
there's no way Nintendo would take the world's worst controller and then turn
it into also the world's worst mouse. But I was wrong. Or maybe I was wrong. I
mean, Nintendo, it looks so uncomfortable. You could still just
bail. It is an option. Another big surprise for me was the C button present
on both the right Joy-Con and the new Pro Controller that looks just like Gen
1, plus the addition of a 3 and a half millimeter jack. The speculation around
the meaning of C was rampant with some folks proposing some pretty cool ideas
for it. Unfortunately, we ended up with the most disappointing one. It's a chat
button. Yep, Nintendo spent a few minutes showing off their new game chat
feature that connects players online via voice chat with a brand new menu brought
up with the C button. That's right, folks. After 23 years, Nintendo has
finally caught up to the first generation Xbox. Speaking of
generations, that is so long ago that the 9-year-olds that were shrieking into
your ears in Halo 1 literally have their own 9-year-old kids who will now shriek
into your ears in Mario Kart World. But wait, there's more. Game Chat will also
support streaming your gameplay to your friends at what appears to be 480p sub
10fps. I mean, it's still neat, I guess, if you've never heard of Discord. And
you can even buy an optional webcam and add your face to the stream or even to
supported games. Wow, Nintendo also
caught up to the PS2's eye toy, both in terms of gameplay implementation and
camera quality. A big question this all raises for me though is quality of the
features aside. What's going to become of Nintendo's family-friendly image?
Even support for emotes feels like a relatively new addition for Nintendo
with voice chat. Honestly, how many hours are going to pass after I hand my
eight-year-old a Switch 2 for her to hear her first nword? And I realize that
that's a really strong way to put that. But serious mode here for a second. As a
parent watching this reveal, Nintendo did show off some new parental controls,
but I still have a lot of questions that I need answered before I hand one of
these things to my kid. Okay, back to excitement. Speaking of online, Nintendo
is adding some GameCube games to the Nintendo Switch Online expansion pass,
meaning you'll be able to play F-ZeroGX, Soulcalibur 2, and Wind Waker on the
Switch 2. All at a higher resolution than the original Gamecube, but
seemingly not quite HD, like the full Wind Waker HD remaster that is still
currently marooned on Wii U Island. Give us that version, Nintendo. Thankfully
though, you'll be able to play GameCube games online with your friends, customize your controls to fit a modern
controller, or buy a wireless GameCube style controller with more games looking
to be added in the near future. Honestly, pretty stoked for a whole new
generation of gamers to get to fall in love with some of the all-time classics
that really haven't gotten as much love as they deserve. I'm even more stoked
that Nintendo, of all companies, is
loosening restrictions on game sharing. Now, even online in supported games, up
to three friends will be able to play multiplayer games with you, even if they
don't own a copy. That means you probably won't need to buy four copies
of the new Mario Kart across your friend group. Even though, if you're being
honest, you still will. And this is in
addition to Nintendo's recent improvements to console and family
sharing for digital games that we saw last week. Absolutely fantastic. What
feels a little less fantastic though is Nintendo's approach to updating the
experience of Switch One games on the Switch 2 hardware. Personally, I was
hoping that I could just play the same game at 60 or even, dare I say, 120 FPS,
but it looks like instead these are mostly going to be paid upgrades on a
per game basis. The good news is that it
seems like they generally include real performance and visual upgrades as well
as additions to the games that range from exciting like new DLC chapters to
kind of sort of nifty like new game modes to one of the stupidest second
screen features that I can even imagine. Proceed north. Now, I can't be mad yet
because I don't know the price for any of these upgrade packs. And they did
announce that some of them will be free for some games. It's just a little
frustrating when you compare to some of the other handhelds that seem to be on
the horizon, like the rumored Xbox XOG
Ally that I imagine is going to be capable of the same, if not better
performance for free on every OG Switch
game. though. But with that said, I doubt it'll manage the same two to six
and a half hours of battery life that Nintendo's advertising. So, there is
that. And if we look at some of the first party Switch 2 games that likely
you won't be able to yar anytime soon, it may be worth it to stick with Big Red
for your next upgrade. The first thing Nintendo showed off was Mario Kart
World, the
long awaited sequel to The Carding King.
now with a bit of open world exploration in between your contests, seemingly like
Crash Team Racing. It also boasts 24
racer, not necessarily player support, which seems pretty slick. And it looks
better, though not by as much as some folks seem to have hoped, which is a
stark reminder of just how much juice Nintendo can squeeze out of lowowered
hardware, which makes me pretty excited for the future capabilities of this new
handheld, even if the launch titles might not look like that much. Jumping
to the end of the presentation, the last thing Nintendo showed off was Donkey
Kong Bonanza. It's the first 3D Donkey Kong game since literally the N64, and
you'll be digging your way through destructible environments, platforming your way to giant bananas, and punching
bosses, all while wearing pants. Very respectable, Mr. Kong. We also got our
first look at Kirby Air Riders, a new Hyrule Warriors for the people who are
into that. a wheelchair basketball game that focuses on mouse movement. And
lastly, what actually looks to be a tutorial where you walk around
activating text boxes that tell you about the Switch 2 with some mini games
sprinkled in. And yes, that bit in the intro was not a joke. Nintendo wants
real actual money for Switch 2 Welcome
Tour. Is this even the same company that put Wii Sports in the box of a $250
console? Okay, so maybe there's not that
much on the first party side, which normally would be a death nail for a
Nintendo console, but check this out.
Strong third-p partyy game support. No, no, that would be an understatement. We
saw, I kid you not, 48 non- Nintendo
titles during the direct with 15 being available at launch and 21 more coming
before the end of the year. Immediate standouts for me were definitely the new
From Software game, Dusk Bloods, a more modern set multiplayer Bloodborneesque,
and Demon X Machina, a cross between Vanquish and Armored Core. We also saw
classic heavy hitters like Elden Ring, Street Fighter 6, now with added waggle,
Hogwarts Legacy featuring mouse magic,
Hitman, Cyberpunk 2077, the upcoming Borderlands 4, and Final Fantasy is
back. That's right, baby. Final Fantasy 7 remake. Let's go. EA and 2K are even
porting their biggest sports franchises. We're getting a new Tony Hawk and that
new 007 from IO Interactive was teased.
Wait, teased again. Come on, guys. Show me some gameplay. We're also getting
some indie darlings like Hollow Night Silk Song, which I'll believe is actually coming in 2025 when it's out in
2025. Hades 2 and new chapters for Delta Rune. As a big handheld lover, by the
way, the quality of the visuals in the gameplay that was shown was really
impressive to me, with many of the games appearing to run with noticeably better
fidelity than what we've seen on most PC handhelds. There are a couple of
potential reasons for this. One is that Nintendo is likely running their demos
docked, which is going to give the Switch to more performance. And the
other is that NVIDIA, the provider of the Switch 2's GPU, just plain knows
what they're doing when it comes to efficient gaming. and especially when it
comes to AI upscaling. Now, the words DLSS were never mentioned in the video,
but looking at what I'm looking at, I stand by what I said. If the Switch 2
doesn't have some form of AI upscaling, I will buy and eat an entire box of this
Super Mario cereal with Mountain Dew as the milk live on Wow. Now, let's talk
about the value. $450 is the price for the base console.
And I really do mean base, given that you have to pay for the freaking
instruction manual. Oh god. Sorry. I know this is the third time I've
mentioned this, but I'm still annoyed about it. Then it's going to be $500 for
the bundle with Mario Kart World. Now, that's not an outlandish price, at least
when you consider its functionality as both a living room console and a
portable console, but a 50% price bump
versus its predecessor is certainly going to make it a a less obvious
purchase for many families out there. And that's on top of new games getting a
wicked nextG tax. I didn't mention yet that Mario Kart World sets a new high
mark for pricing at $80 US for a digital
copy with the physical copy rumored to be even higher. Now, not every title is
going to be so expensive, but this is Nintendo, so it also probably won't be
the only one at that price. So, if you look at this as spending a whole conso's
worth of dollars for what is essentially an evolutionary change, the Switch 2
kind of looks like a big miss. But from my point of view, it's been almost 4
years since Nintendo has asked for any money from me for a console and 8 years
since the original Switch. And when you consider that the Switch 2 addresses
most of the fundamental issues that I had with the original, which is exactly
what a good sequel should do, it's hard not to get at least a little excited
about it. especially with Nintendo actually taking strong action against
scalpers to ensure that gamers can freaking buy these things and not just
resellers. Now, personally, I am fairly
irritated that they are requiring 12 months of Nintendo Online, which I don't
pay for on principal because I shouldn't have to buy a subscription to back up my
save games. But I still do have to acknowledge that they've done something
to ensure that their most ardent fans can pre-order this thing at MSRP. And I
also have to acknowledge you for listening to this segue to our sponsor
Dbrand. Now, I'm a little annoyed at Dbrand right now. Not because their
vanity URL is I am very.com, but because I thought that they were going to send
me one of their kill switch cases for the Switch, too. So, Dbrand, where is
it? Oh, you we actually don't have one. Great. I am still excited for the case,
though. I thought I thought it was a setup. One of my biggest issues with the original Switch was the terrible Joy-Con
ergonomics. And considering that my hands aren't very big, that's really
saying something. Well, the Switch 2 doesn't fix that, but the super
ergonomic hand grips on the Kill Switch look way more comfortable. One thing I
was curious to find out is how Dbrand was going to handle OEM dock
compatibility. Well, as it turns out, the answer is a totally custom dock
adapter with built-in USB 4. Not only does it give you full data and power
pass through, but it actually turns your system into a nice little trophy display. Finally, the latest kill switch
has an allnew game card holder. It lets you take up to 10 game cards with you on
the go, and it's built into the crush proof travel cover. Now, I know a lot of
us around here are going to take advantage of our free Dbrand products perk for this one. Do we have that? Oh,
that's hilarious. Um, but for the rest of you out there, if you want to make
sure you've got the best Switch 2 case at launch, you'll have to reserve yours
at, you guessed it, I am very short.com.
If you want some more Switch 2 details, you should check out the last video we
made, which is more about rumors, but still manages to include a deeper dive
into what are the likely technical specs of the