Destructoid Checkpoint - The Way Too Early Switch 2 Review

It’s too early to do a review of the Switch 2, but I am going to do one anyway. The contrarian in me wants to throw off the shackles of polite console society and get down in the mud with the early adopters. You can consider this my thoughts after 24 hours, and then, down the line, I’ll be back to give my thoughts after 24 days. It’s fun to have fun, after all. 

First impressions: this thing feels PREEM

It was only as my hands touched the surface of the Switch 2 that I realized how much of a toy the original Nintendo Switch was. That is not hyperbole. It really does feel leagues ahead in terms of touch and ergonomics. This thing hugs my hand, so I’m not sure what that will mean for people who have less meaty paws than I do. 

The texture, no doubt carefully considered and designed by teams of engineers deep in a lab at Nintendo Tower, feels deliciously matte. It’s like holding a little shadow that wants to render pixels and polygons for me. That half-and-half approach of the previous iteration is dead, and now tiny crackles of dry lighting snap and flicker beneath the whorls of my fingertip as I trace it slowly across the surface of my newly unwrapped Joy-Con. 

Who could have anticipated such delight? Not me. 

In all seriousness, the Nintendo Switch 2 feels great in your hand. It’s larger than its predecessor but gives away more easily at the edges due to gentle curves that replace the older, harder lines of the Switch 1. This matters, and between the chunkiness, the smooth curves, the matte textures, and the overall sleekness of the jet-black design, the Switch 2 comes out of the blocks feeling expensive and opulent. 

This is good, as that is exactly how I would describe the $449.99 price tag. That jumps to $499.99 if you decide to get the Mario Kart World Bundle, which you should, but more on that shortly. 

Second impressions: Magnets!

I was unsure what to make of initial reports that the Switch 2 Joy-Con would use magnets to attach to the body of the device, but having experienced them, I have to say it’s very nice. A double set of magnets holds each Joy-Con in place, and a trigger at the top activates a small peg that pushes the uppermost magnet away from the body of the Switch. This tension reduction allows you to pull away the bottom one with relative ease. 

Better yet is the sultry snap as you reattach them, allowing the magic of magnets to do the work for you. If you’re into paying attention to the smaller elements of things, forced to derive joy from what some might refer to as the mundane, it’s a real treat.

There is a slightly gentle sag as you hold the device, just enough to trick the brain that magnets might not have been the best idea in the world. However, hold one of the Joy-Cons and allow the entire weight of the device to swing ponderously beneath it, and you will quickly lose any notion that you might suffer a gravity-related accident.

What are the chances that Nintendo, NINTENDO of all companies, would overlook a fatal flaw with the Joy-Con that might negatively impact hundreds and thousands of consumers? I can only assume we have nothing to worry about.

Third impressions: The subtle differences are oddly impactful

If I told you the sound that the Switch 2 makes when you enter the System Settings is different from the old system, what would you think? Because the actual operating systems are nearly identical, outside of the presence of things like Game Chat that are supported on the newer system only, Nintendo appears to have made small changes to the one area of the operating system that didn’t need to be so rigorously similar to offer a smooth experience for end users who would be passing between near identical ecosystems.

The soundscape is subtly different, offering small, sonic divergence that allows your brain to experience the thrill of a new experience, even while doing something very familiar. This is an almost ludicrously smart design, stopping the mundane things from feeling boring and samey, giving your ever-attentive brain the illusion that popping in and out of the same menus that have been your hunting grounds for the last eight years is a new and unique experience. 

It’s enough to add a new flavor to the user experience but not enough to break the organizational effectiveness that has been built up over the years that sees you shuffling rapidly through menus, into games, and most importantly, onto the Nintendo store, where every kind of digital delight awaits your hard-earned dollar.

Also, the new sounds are really neat.

Fourth impressions: Mario Kart World

There were some questions on the internet (I saw you chatting) about leading with Mario Kart World. It perhaps slipped some folk’s minds that Mario Kart Deluxe 8 was the best-selling game on the previous console. Moving 68 million units, that is a full 21 million units ahead of the nearest competitor, Animal Crossing: New Horizons. 

Appealing to the majority of people who purchased your previous console with a new console exclusive that they might actually want to play is not bad business, no matter how much you (or I, for that matter) wanted Astral Chain 2 to be a surprise launch title.  

I don’t want to get too deep into the details when Scott Duwe over on the main Destructoid site has done such a wonderful job reviewing the game, but I will say that I agree with both his thoughts on the game and his score. That is after a day with the title, so let’s see how it holds up with that 24-day rerun of this review.

Fifth and final: What you were missing was conflict

One thing I noticed in the run-up to the launch was that some folks said it didn’t feel like a console launch. The reason for that is simple. Nintendo has long since side-stepped the console wars, existing in a happy handheld space that is almost entirely its own playground. Outside of the Steam Deck and a few pretenders, also-rans, and has-beens, they have no competition. 

As someone who has purchased the device, I can tell you that it very much felt like a new console release. I fear that unless people feel that the technology is pushing Sony and Microsoft to do something silly that results in $1000 boxes next generation, the assumption is Nintendo is just doing another Switch. And this is true, but for the 152 million people and counting who bought that first Switch, that is everything we want. 

It’s also nice to buy a console without being caught in the middle of someone else’s insecurities. Nintendo is Nintendo, they somewhat stand apart in the gaming space, leaving the console wars to their younger cousins. It’s oddly prosaic that the console everyone thinks is aimed at kids allows you to feel a little bit more grown-up when you buy it.

What will be on rotation over the coming weeks will be a varied and interesting gamut of games, and I shall return to you with fully fleshed-out thoughts on the latest addition to the console space. 

Until then, I leave you with these positive first impressions and a beseechment. If you bought the Switch 2, take off one of your Joy-Cons, close your eyes, and gently bring the controller and the body of the device together just to enjoy the snap.

Ah, simple pleasures.