Nintendo Switch 2 Review - It's A Switch, Too

The Nintendo Switch 2 feels like a victim of Nintendo's own history, having set decades-long expectations that new hardware will always be, if not always revolutionary, at least deeply strange. The Wii, DS, 3DS, Wii U, and Nintendo Switch each relied on some central gimmick that was new and novel. Nintendo made a name for itself creating not just games but entirely new ways to play. The Switch 2, by comparison, is an iterative step--a more powerful successor to its wildly popular predecessor. While some may lament that this isn't the system to change the game once again, it does feel like Nintendo has found a form factor that fits its design philosophy and development culture like a glove. And so, the Switch is likely the new normal.It's within that context that I feel the Switch 2 needs to be evaluated: as what it is rather than what it isn't. By that metric, it gets high marks. It's a well-made Switch successor with lots of little thoughtful touches and design improvements to make it feel like a more premium product. That means it's less toy-like than the original Switch, which makes me that much more nervous about handing it off to my kids. But in many ways, it feels like the Switch has grown up.Now you're playing with powerOf course, the primary upgrade is pure hardware power. The Switch did not launch as a powerhouse system in 2017, and technology has since started to far outpace its capabilities. That made it increasingly unusual to receive third-party games with any kind of parity alongside PlayStation and Xbox, and even Nintendo's own development needs were starting to get more ambitious than the hardware could handle. More on that later.Continue Reading at GameSpot

Jun 13, 2025 - 06:00

Nintendo Switch 2 Review - It's A Switch, Too

The Nintendo Switch 2 feels like a victim of Nintendo's own history, having set decades-long expectations that new hardware will always be, if not always revolutionary, at least deeply strange. The Wii, DS, 3DS, Wii U, and Nintendo Switch each relied on some central gimmick that was new and novel. Nintendo made a name for itself creating not just games but entirely new ways to play. The Switch 2, by comparison, is an iterative step--a more powerful successor to its wildly popular predecessor. While some may lament that this isn't the system to change the game once again, it does feel like Nintendo has found a form factor that fits its design philosophy and development culture like a glove. And so, the Switch is likely the new normal.

It's within that context that I feel the Switch 2 needs to be evaluated: as what it is rather than what it isn't. By that metric, it gets high marks. It's a well-made Switch successor with lots of little thoughtful touches and design improvements to make it feel like a more premium product. That means it's less toy-like than the original Switch, which makes me that much more nervous about handing it off to my kids. But in many ways, it feels like the Switch has grown up.

Now you're playing with power

Of course, the primary upgrade is pure hardware power. The Switch did not launch as a powerhouse system in 2017, and technology has since started to far outpace its capabilities. That made it increasingly unusual to receive third-party games with any kind of parity alongside PlayStation and Xbox, and even Nintendo's own development needs were starting to get more ambitious than the hardware could handle. More on that later.Continue Reading at GameSpot