We tried the Nintendo Switch 2: what actually stuck with us
Two weeks between the train, the couch and late-night sessions. The Switch 2 is the hybrid Nintendo always wanted to build: quicker, smoother, still unmistakably itself. With two caveats.
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Nintendo
Switch 2
The definitive hybrid, second edition
Our score
✓ Pros
- ＋Loading times all but gone
- ＋Near-total backward compatibility
- ＋Magnetic Joy-Cons finally solid
✗ Cons
- －No OLED model at launch
- －Pricier first-party games
⚖ Verdict
The most versatile console on the market, again. It makes sense for anyone except owners of a Switch OLED with no new game to chase.
✎ PREXO · 3 min read
The testing notebook
The first night ran well past midnight
It takes ten minutes to see where this console is heading. You snap on the new Joy-Cons — the magnetic ones, that click into place with a satisfying clunk — wake the 7.9-inch screen, and the menu glides at 120 Hz without a stutter. Then you open a heavy game and realise the chair you dropped into for a "quick two-minute test" has kept you there for three hours.
The leap isn't in the numbers on the box, it's in the feel. The old Switch had been struggling lately: long loads, frame dips, mushy textures in handheld. All of that is gone, and what's left is the game.
What changed from the first Switch
The Switch 2 is the hybrid Nintendo wanted to make from the start: play it in your hands, propped on a table, or docked to the TV, but with power from another tier entirely. Its list price sits above the old generation and aims at players who want quality without giving up portability. It doesn't chase PlayStation and Xbox on raw graphics — it plays a different game, the "anywhere, right now" one.
Everyday life with it
On the train and on the move
This is where the Switch stays untouchable. The 7.9" panel is bright enough to fight a sunlit window, and 120 Hz makes even scrolling menus feel fluid. Battery is the one compromise: two to six hours depending on the game, so for a long trip the charger stays in the bag.
Docked in the living room
In the dock the image climbs to reconstructed 4K, and the gap over the old model is obvious on a big panel. It isn't the sharpness of a high-end home console, but it's more than enough to enjoy an open world from the sofa.
Evenings with friends
Slide off the two Joy-Cons, hand one to a friend, and thirty seconds later you're both playing. That's the old magic, and now the magnetic controllers no longer wobble in their rail. A small detail you feel every single time.
The surprises, good and bad
The thing that caught us off guard, in a good way, is loading. Worlds that used to demand twenty seconds now open in a few. It changes the rhythm of play, not just the dead time. Backward compatibility is near-total too, and seeing your old library run better than before is a quiet pleasure.
On the downside, two things. First, no OLED at launch: the LCD is excellent, but anyone coming from the Switch OLED will notice shallower blacks. Second, first-party game prices have crept up a notch.
It's for you if… / Look elsewhere if…
- It's for you if you skipped the first Switch and want to jump in the best way now.
- It's for you if you play a lot on the move and portability matters more than absolute graphics.
- It's for you if you own a Switch library and want to finally see it run smoothly.
- Look elsewhere if you're after the raw graphical muscle of a top home console.
- Look elsewhere if you already own a Switch OLED and no new game is truly calling you.
The verdict
The Switch 2 gets almost everything right: more powerful, smoother, sturdier, and still unmistakably itself. The caveats — no OLED, pricier games — weigh little against how much the experience improved. Score: 9 out of 10. If money is tight and you don't need the latest power, the original Switch OLED is still a sensible pick today, especially on sale.