The Nintendo Switch 2 Experience in Los Angeles, held on April 11-13, allowed fans to try out the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 console, as well as a selection of games set to launch on the console later this year. Is the Switch successor worth its hefty $450 price tag? Here’s a rundown of the experience and some hands-on impressions of the console and games.
At the beginning of the event, fans were ushered into a room showcasing the Switch 2 in handheld mode. In hand, the Switch 2 felt like, well, a Switch — but that’s not a bad thing. Nintendo isn’t reinventing the wheel here. Instead, they’ve taken the chance to refine the design of the original Switch with the Switch 2 being an improvement in most aspects.
The Switch 2 features a 7.9-inch liquid-crystal display, which is 1.6 times bigger than the display on the original Switch. The display is also full HD and capable of up to a 120Hz refresh rate, giving more incentive to use the device in handheld mode.
The most significant improvement though is with the controllers, with the new Joy-Con 2 removal mechanism. Gone are the days of the sliding rail system from the original Switch controllers. Instead, Nintendo has developed Joy-Cons that attach to the console magnetically. The Joy-Con 2’s fit firmly into the sides of the console, and can be detached by pressing a dedicated trigger on the back. This mechanism felt very sturdy, so there’s no need to worry about the magnets decoupling during play.
After the first exhibit, fans were escorted to a room where they could play a couple of races in the upcoming game, Mario Kart World. The game introduces a few major changes to the Mario Kart formula. First off, there are 24 racers this time around, doubling the 12-player maximum from the most recent game in the series, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Also, as the name suggests, Mario Kart World connects all of the game’s courses into one giant map.
The courses are up to Nintendo standard, with incredible theming and tons of creative obstacles. Rather than repeating the same loop three times — as in prior Mario Kart games — the courses evolve across each race, giving the player a new experience with each lap. Nintendo has also given fans a plethora of new characters to choose from, spanning the spectrum from Mario to the cow from Moo Moo Meadows.
The new 24-player count is both a strength and a weakness for Mario Kart World. At its best, the increased player count did lead to more exciting chaos that the series has come to be known for. In some moments, however, it had the opposite effect. The Mario Kart World team clearly upped the size of the courses with the player increase in mind, so much so that some areas felt a bit bare.
The most intriguing addition Mario Kart World brings to the series is the new “Free Roam” game mode. In the game mode, players have the opportunity to explore the entirety of the game’s open world freely. While fans at the event only got to try out this mode briefly, it certainly had potential. The world itself was well designed and fun to drive around, but there was a severe lack of things to do. Nintendo recently revealed more information about Free Roam mode in a dedicated Mario Kart World direct, showcasing time-trial challenges and collectibles that will be scattered throughout the open world.
The final room at the Switch 2 experience gave fans the opportunity to play a wide selection of upcoming Switch 2 titles in docked mode, the configuration of the switch that connects to a larger screen.
Without a doubt, the best of the bunch was Donkey Kong Bananza. The game stars Donkey Kong in a 3D platformer akin to Super Mario Odyssey, featuring huge open-world-like stages brimming with secrets and collectibles. The twist: Donkey Kong Bananza features a nearly completely destructible environment.
Donkey Kong can smash the terrain around him to traverse the stages, discover secrets and even use it to take out enemies. Smashing is not only an extremely addictive and satisfying game mechanic, but one well considered by the development team. Each stage available to play at the event was designed with the mechanic in mind, implementing it into puzzles and ensuring there was always a reward for underground exploration.
Another game to look out for is Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.
In the action-adventure 3D platformer, gamers play as Samus Aran, a space-faring galactic bounty hunter. Although Metroid Prime 4: Beyond was originally developed as a game for the first Switch, a Nintendo Switch 2 edition will be available at launch, enabling enhanced resolution and performance. This edition of the game was playable at the event, and, honestly, it might be the best-looking Switch 2 game. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond runs smoothly and looks great with the 4K resolution enabled when playing the Switch 2 on a TV.
Fans at the event got to play the epic opening sequence of the game in which Samus protects a Galactic Federation research facility from invading space pirates. The sequence was action-heavy, highlighting the free-aim and mouse aiming options. Free-aim utilizes the Joy-Con’s motion control capabilities, allowing the player to aim by pointing the Joy-Con at the TV. This option was difficult to get used to and led to more missed shots than hits. Using the Joy-Con as a mouse, on the other hand, was much more accurate, but awkward to use since the Joy-Cons aren’t mouse-shaped. Hopefully, in the full game, a traditional joystick aiming system is available as a gameplay option.
To showcase the upgraded performance and resolution capabilities of the Switch 2, a couple of big, third-party games were playable at the event as well. Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition looked impeccable, with smooth performance and impressive graphics for such a small piece of hardware. Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut also ran great, though the game is less graphically demanding. Hogwarts Legacy was the only game that disappointed. While Hogwarts Legacy ran at a high frame rate, the graphics were noticeably fuzzy, detracting from the gameplay experience. While the Switch 2 is not quite as powerful as PC hardware or Nintendo’s console competitors, it offers a viable alternative for less picky gamers in most cases.
The Nintendo Switch 2 certainly lived up to expectations, offering an experience that fully realizes the potential of the original Nintendo Switch. For fans looking for more than just upgraded hardware, the Switch 2 exclusives alone make picking up the console worth the steep price hike. The Nintendo Switch 2 releases on June 5, so be on the lookout for pre-orders when they go on sale April 24.
Drew Askeland is an Arts & Entertainment Assistant Editor. He can be reached at daskelan@uci.edu.
Edited by Joshua Gonzales