It’s been nearly six months since the launch of Nintendo Switch 2, and Shacknews decided to take our time with the new hybrid handheld home console instead of rushing out a review back in June. While 2025 has been full of highlights for Nintendo’s new system, there are some glaring flaws with the sequel to the original Nintendo Switch that have become clear in the first half of Switch 2’s launch year. A new level of industrial design polish The Nintendo Switch 2 feels like a more premium product than the original Switch and Switch OLED devices. The new Nintendo console’s detachable Joy-Con 2 controllers introduce a new magnet-based mechanism for attaching and removing them from the tablet screen that have the device feeling less flimsy compared to the predecessor Switch. The new buttons on the back of each Joy-Con 2 controller used to detach from the device are much improved from the wonky buttons on the original Joy-Cons. The materials used in the Switch 2 feel better than the more Fisher Price plasticky feeling of the original Joy-Cons, Switch tablet, and dock. The device also features a materially improved kickstand that is an upgrade when compared to the Switch OLED model’s upgrade. The entire device is bigger than all past models of the Switch, and that has led to better feeling buttons and analog joysticks on the Joy-Con 2 controllers. The Nintendo Switch 2 Grip Controller even feels better as a result of the increased size. Bigger is not necessarily better Switch 2 is the largest handheld device Nintendo has ever shipped, and while this may be in response to industry trends seeing the success of larger handhelds like Steam Deck, it does bother me that gone are the days of being able to put a dedicated handheld gaming device in your pocket. While some people will probably welcome the larger screen with 1080p resolution and HDR support, I do find myself playing the system far less in handheld mode as a result of the size and weight increases. That being said, I have ended up playing the Switch 2 in kickstand mode far more as the device is a nice dedicated portable gaming TV/tablet that can be used while traveling on a plane, train, or automobile. The size of Nintendo Switch 2 will not be a dealbreaker for everyone, but it is one design compromise that has stuck out to me during this launch year. I struggle to play it for extended periods of time without experiencing hand cramping, which was not as much of an issue on the original device. Now you’re performing with power (most of the time) The power of Nintendo Switch 2 has been showcased all year long with a slew of very impressive first-party software releases. Players have never been able to legally see their favorite Nintendo characters in 4K resolution, and the launch releases of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom Switch 2 Editions immediately demonstrated the value of the new system. Playing those two classic Switch releases in 4K at 60 frames per second (FPS) was a wow moment at launch. Mario Kart World showcased 1440p resolution and 60 FPS gameplay performance in docked mode and actually allows for up to 24 players to connect in multiplayer races online. The original Nintendo Switch online experience was not great, and it seems as though someone finally figured out how to Internet over at the Big N in the year of our lord 2025. While it may seem silly to praise a video game console’s online multiplayer support in the 2020s, it is undoubtedly one of the biggest improvements Switch 2 has brought to the table in its launch year. Modes like Knockout Tour shine in Mario Kart World because there is finally a stable online environment to play. While many games on Switch 2 look and perform better than any previous Nintendo consoles, there are some issues that have already appeared in the launch year. Donkey Kong Bananza uses DLSS to upscale docked resolution to 4K, but still sees frame drops in several key moments of the game. It is quite disappointing to see a first party flagship launch title struggle on new hardware with slowdown. New features, some of which you may use Nintendo Switch 2 adds several software and hardware features that probably should have shipped with the original console including a built-in microphone, a USB-C port on the top of the device, GameShare for local and online sharing of games, and GameChat. GameChat is very much Nintendo telling players that “we have Discord at home.” It’s pretty apparent that Nintendo wants to maintain its kid-friendly reputation among parents with this feature, but it misses in a lot of spots. The ability to drop in and out of voice chats with friends is a great feature, but Game Chat fails miserably when it comes to streaming gameplay among friends in what can only be described as an abysmal resolution. It also supports webcams for video calls that have been integrated into games like Mario Kart World in unique and fun ways. I have used the proprietary service a handful of times, but many of my friends and I are pretty conditioned to using Discord to gather together for gaming audio chats. It’s been months since I used GameChat, but I do appreciate that they have improved the service in recent updates with the ability to use GameChat while in fullscreen mode. GameShare performs a bit better in local settings than it does online, and it is rather cool to be able to share games across generations with the original Nintendo Switch. The online GameShare experience runs into a similar issue with resolution as GameChat, which takes away much of the utility. It is important to note that both services are free for all Nintendo Switch 2 owners until March 31, 2026 at which point it will require a Nintendo Switch Online subscription. The new USB-C port on the top of the device has so far only been used as a way to plug in a webcam while the Switch 2 is in docked mode. This is a bit of a disappointment as I had hoped that this might have been a solution to being able to stream the device while in handheld mode. The Nintendo Wii U had some great handheld gaming experiences like Super Mario Maker that truly shined on Twitch livestreams, and it is unfortunate that this new port has been relegated to being a charge port while in tabletop mode and a webcam port while docked. A better Switch Nintendo Switch 2 has received some incredible upgrades by way of an improved operating system and outstanding backwards compatibility that enhances many eShop purchases from the past generation. Some games require a purchase for Switch 2 Edition upgrades and others just simply run at better frame rates and with faster load times. The resulting experience has Switch 2 feeling more like buying a new PC when compared to past Nintendo hardware upgrade cycles. These combined upgrades have resulted in a much more seamless experience when trying to share content. Switch 2 offers improved button mapping and mouse control features that open the door to a new level of accessibility which has been a weak point for Nintendo in past console generations. Another way the Switch 2 shines is with support for up to 120 FPS gaming in both handheld and docked. One truly next generation gaming moment I experienced in this launch year was playing Hades 2 at 120 FPS on the Nintendo Switch 2. Another truly magical moment was trying out Metroid Prime 4: Beyond with the new Joy-Con 2 mouse gameplay option running at 120 FPS. The Switch 2 device truly stands out as a discernibly new experience when playing games at high performance frame rates or 4K resolution. Switch 2’s handheld and tabletop modes are also enhanced with a better wireless online gaming experience. While it is still recommended for players to play online multiplayer games in docked mode with the an ethernet cable plugged in, games like Mario Kart World, Fortnite, and F-Zero 99 all performed well using my home’s wifi network. Some of the improvements featured in the Switch 2 may have been scope limitations left off of the predecessor device and some of these new features may not have been possible in 2017, but the combination of all of these improvements has undoubtedly created a better Switch experience for everyone. Echoes of weakness Nintendo’s decision to make an iterative leap with Switch 2 that builds on the success of the original hybrid gaming handheld and home console brings several compromises and limitations with it. Many of the issues that appeared during the original Switch product cycle have returned in this second iteration of the form factor and design philosophy. The Joy-Con 2 still feature D buttons as opposed to a more function D-pad. This leads to the same frustratingly bad experience when playing games that require precise input like Tetris 99, F-Zero 99, or countless side-scrolling platformers. Maintaining continuity with the original Switch has led to the exact same issues when it comes to the handheld gaming experience, and both iterations of the Joy-Con sit side-by-side as the worst Nintendo controllers ever made. Luckily, the Switch 2 Pro Controller is an excellent iteration of its predecessor and remains my main way of playing games while docked. The implementation of GameChat has impacted the available memory on the system and even created a C button on the controllers that has largely gone unused. The integration with certain games like Super Mario Party Jamboree Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV and Mario Kart World felt pretty novel at first, but I don’t know if the feature has the staying power Nintendo had hoped for. Battery life performance is another issue that has somehow gotten worse in this new iteration of the Nintendo Switch. Depending on what games are being played in handheld or tabletop mode, players can expect a wide two and a half to six hours range of playtime and I never once achieved the six hour mark. It’s frustrating to have a brand new system with slightly worse battery performance even if the hardware runs better. Another continued disappointing trend from the past Switch continues in the form of the GameCube Switch Online app experience. The inconsistency of ports to the games served to Nintendo Switch Online subscribers continues on the Switch 2 console with a game like F-Zero GX running materially worse than it does on the actual GameCube hardware. This is quite inexcusable given how well the game has been emulated by software like Dolphin. Nintendo’s implementation of backwards compatibility for software has created what I believe to be the most irritating part of the overall Switch 2 experience and another echo of its predecessor. Switch 2 has opened a pandora’s box of software issues by continuing to support a very similar cartridge format. The data speed running off of Switch 2 cartridges has created performance limitations for some first party titles and prevented many third-party games from shipping on actual physical media. The Game-Key Card was born out of the physical media issues present on the Nintendo Switch 2 and feel like the company is pushing users to accept an all-digital future. This hampers game preservation and has collectors furious. I have largely moved on from collecting physical media, but it is undeniable that the Game-Key Card solution was a compromise and not the innovation that some software developers would like to claim. It does accomplish one thing that is somewhat useful in that a Game-Key Card allows users to download a game without having a credit card on the Switch 2 system. Just like on the original Nintendo Switch, the performance of third party software is an irritating game of roulette. Some titles like Street Fighter 6 and Cyberpunk 2077 absolutely shine on Switch 2, while other games just work good enough to be released. It is important to note that some of this varied performance of third party games on the new system may be related to the lack of dev kits made available to developers during the launch year. It’s unfortunate to see a redux of this same inconsistency from the Switch 1 era in the first year of the Nintendo Switch 2, and I am worried what this will mean over the next few years as developers grapple with the new platform. The Nintendo Switch 2 is hampered by the company’s decision to iterate on the original device’s form factor and design. As game file sizes increase, players can expect to have to juggle what games are installed, purchase a rather expensive microSD Express card when the internal storage inevitably runs out of space, and wait for reviews and impressions of third party titles before diving into the ecosystem with both feet. While I understand the decision to become a company that makes Switch devices much like Apple did with iPhone, it is frustrating to see so many new and similar limitations of the form factor and device present in a brand new device. Perhaps these issues will disappear over the long arc of time, but that does not feel great when buying a new system priced at $450 here in the United States. Good enough Despite the many criticisms and flaws laid out in this review, I still love my Nintendo Switch 2. I was still regularly playing my Switch OLED last year as I am firmly entrenched in the Nintendo software ecosystem. While the device is the largest Nintendo handheld ever shipped, it still feels rather sleek in a gaming landscape littered with heavier and clunkier PC handhelds. Many of my favorite gaming experiences in 2025 have taken place on Switch 2. I have nearly 100 hours played in Donkey Kong Bananza, have tallied wins in F-Zero 99, and returned to classic games like Animal Crossing: New Horizons and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Seeing a game like Madden NFL 26 running on Nintendo Switch 2 even brought a smile to my face this year, and games like Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 providing players with the same experience as on other platforms with a simultaneous release date as its competitors felt like a huge win for all gamers. Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa recently restated that the company’s goal is “creating smiles for generations.” While there are some frustrating aspects to the iterative approach to the Nintendo Switch 2’s design and experiences it emphasizes, the product still succeeds in delivering fun experiences that feel like a new generation of games. The original Nintendo Switch was a revolutionary breakthrough gaming product that set industry trends for years going forward, and Nintendo Switch 2 builds on its legacy. For most people, a better Switch will undoubtedly be good enough. This review was based on a Nintendo Switch 2 console provided by the manufacturer. Nintendo Switch 2 launched on June 5, 2025 for $449. 99.
https://www.shacknews.com/article/146967/nintendo-switch-2-review-score
