Here’s what I think about the Switch 2 after one month

I badly needed to get away from the university. And the Switch 2 release date was perfect. Especially with a painless launch release for me. I used a vacation week – with 5 weeks left of vacation. And I needed to get away from the university so it was time to boot it up.

Strikes a balance between screen, size, and specs

I am happy with the Switch 2’s performance on my day one games. Switch 2 feels large enough for immersion decked with a capable and portable hardware. But even though it’s portable, the Switch 2 is noticeably heavy. I’m using its Handheld mode often because of the 8-in display. I can get used to this 60fps handheld. But it also has a big perk when docked.

So what’s Good?

• The 60fps performance is simply impressive and promising.
• Mario Kart World is fun and the free-roam is a nice relaxing addition. There’s A LOT of game inside Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time. Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma is an absolute blast. Finally, I have hoped for an upgraded Pokémon Scarlet and Violet at 60fps.
• I like the 8-inch gorgeous screen.
• Has games that I want to play on Handheld mode.
• Apps load fast. I don’t have to wait long watching the loading screen of the eshop which was silly.
• The playing experience was familiar despite being a new system.
• High quality speakers on Handheld mode with cute sounds.
• The new Dock adds more power due to the 65W power draw. It’s no longer about enlarging the game’s resolution when using the TV. But docking my Switch 2 will enhance picture vibrancy, add HDR, and boost the game’s framerate.
• Transferring screenshots and videos from your Switch 2 looks more responsive.

What’s uncertain?

• Cyberpunk 2077’s performance on the Switch 2 could indicate how future games will perform on the Switch 2. Have we reached peak performance for the Switch 2?
• Not sure how much the MicroSD Express cards would go. Since the Switch 2 is not compatible with the usual MicroSD, I fear that the new cards will be expensive for a while. However these new MicroSD Express cards are faster. At least we’ll have to wait for more stock and brands to bring the price down.
• I have not experienced any Joy-Con drift. Yet maybe we wait and see.
• I wonder what a Switch 2 Lite would look like.
• The Switch 2 is has a larger size than the Switch OLED and I needed to shop for big travel cases. Preferably with my Switch 2 wearing an armor plus grip and charger.
• I wonder about the third-party apps like YouTube. Will there be more functional apps? Will there be Discord on the Switch 2?

What’s Bad?

• The battery life is terrible. We played Mario Kart World on local wireless starting at 85% charge. The battery was almost drained after 45 minutes.
• It’s not super bad, but the video recordings are still 30 seconds long but at 1080p resolution running 30fps. I wish there was a way to make 60fps video recordings. I’ll gladly buy a bigger MicroSD Express card for it.
• Not a fan of the game key-cards. At same price, I will choose an actual game cartridge. It’s either physical or all-digital for me. Key-cards that you plug in to prompt the activation key doesn’t feel genuine to me. I’m buying a hunk of plastic.
• Frustrating that there’s no Switch 2 upgrade of Animal Crossing or Xenoblade Chronicles at launch. I mean come on.
• It’s an expensive hobby. Priced at CA$629 similar to a PS5 at launch. And then Mario Kart World priced at CA$109.
• Framerate dips on some occasions. Which is understandable. But is it due to software or hardware limitation?
• The screen of the first model is not OLED. So Nintendo will have players double dip for a Switch 2 OLED. And perhaps with a bigger battery which will be more expensive.
• It’s noticeably heavy. I had to adjust my grip while gaming on the bed.
• The screen can reflect glare when you bring it outside.
• Its new Game-Chat feature is hilarious. It’s currently free for a year as a trial. And you will require the Nintendo online subscription afterward. So you’ll need to pay for voice chat.
• The voice chat clarity is impressive but the gameplay stream is laughably underwhelming. We’re just used to livestreaming via Discord.

So far so good with the Switch 2

The biggest reason why I like the Switch 2 is there are actual games that I want to play on it. Especially on Handheld mode. I mean why spend CA$629 on a hardware I’m not going to use? This was also my biggest issue with the Steam Deck. I don’t know what games I would want to play and enjoy on it that I couldn’t apart from my gaming PC.

The Switch 2 posed no problems relearning patterns for Handheld gaming. But I wasn’t having fun playing PC games on my Steam Deck. I had to learn the dual touch pads and controller scheme versus a mouse and keyboard setup; its bulky body felt a little cumbersome; and it displays a 50-50 performance so I have to dial down some graphic settings to make my game run well. Some of the games were not supported or optimized. Forget about running New World on it. In the end, the Steam Deck forced me to pick non too heavy games like Fable Remastered or Above Snakes.

Did I return the Steam Deck? No, but I couldn’t distinguish its perk from using my gaming PC. Which also brought a halt to whether I should even think about the ROG Ally or the Legion Go.

This is not the case for the Switch 2. I know what I want to play with the Switch 2. I know I have Nintendo exclusives in the future – *cough* a new Animal Crossing at 60fps *cough*. And I know in my case that I’m playing the taxing games like Cyberpunk 2077 or Witcher 3 on my gaming rig instead. But at least the Switch 2 has a reliable hardware that can run the above games at 30-40fps without cheaper texture.

This should have been the original experience!

I had a good time with the Switch 2. But I also can’t help think that this should have been the original Switch experience. I had Shining Resonance Refrain and Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna ~ The Golden Country as my first titles. And boy, the framerate dipped on those games; in addition to running at 30fps. And eventually the fps on my Animal Crossing: New Horizons dipped too when running through my detailed island.

I meant that I expected the Switch 1 to perform at 60fps when it launched like the Switch 2. I’ve been so used to consoles with beefy hardware (like PS4 and Xbox Series X) that I just accepted the first Switch for what it is. But hey, Mario Kart 8 ran at 60fps.

I’m happy with my Switch 2. I’m definitely using it and it’s an expensive hardware. Though I have my worry about how it will perform with future games. Still, I’m optimistic mainly on the exclusive titles. So we’ll have to see beyond this first month.