Gaming fans rush to buy new Nintendo Switch 2 before stock runs out
The console has been highly anticipated by gamers following the release of the original Switch more than eight years ago in March 2017.
Dozens of people, some dressed as characters from the Mario games, queued outside Currys in Oxford Street, central London, which opened at midnight for shoppers to claim their console, which the retailer is selling for £395.
Zac Young, from Kingston, was the first in the queue to get his hands on the device.
It comes as Game cancelled pre-orders just days before release, while several other retailers sold out on launch day following the high demand for the product.
Nintendo has reportedly upgraded its expectation of sales by the end of the financial year from 15 million consoles to 20 million.
Fans in London hit the shops early on Thursday morning to be able to claim their console on release day.
Ray Reyes, 36, a nurse from Lincoln, said: 'I tried to pre-order and it was impossible to actually buy one.
'It just wasn't available online at all. Most of the sites said we had to pop into the store to actually get one.
'I think it's to discourage scalping, where people buy one online and then sell it on for a much higher price of like £600 because there's so much demand.'
Mr Reyes is visiting London to see Beyonce in concert with his boyfriend, Joseph Agra, 31, and the couple used the opportunity of being in the capital to buy the console.
Mr Agra, who works for a bank in Lincoln, said: 'There's that feeling when you're buying the console on the day of release. It hits a bit different.
'We're going back to the hotel to play it now, I'm quite excited.
'It should be a better overall performance. Although the graphics won't be the same as on a proper console, it should be a massive improvement on the original Switch.
'I'm also excited to see what other developers can do with it now it's out.'
Tony Gu, 25, a computer science student who lives in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, was another who purchased the console early.
He said: 'I've spent almost 2,000 hours playing Splatoon on the original Switch, so I'm excited to buy the Switch 2.
'There was no stock online for pre-orders either in Saudi Arabia or the UK, so I've had to come here in person and buy it here.
'I bought Zelda, but I never played it on the original Switch as the performance was just terrible, so I hope it has improved.
'I also hope the graphics have gotten better. It's a bit frustrating because, in Japan, there's a Japanese-only version which can be as much as 70% cheaper.
'But given that I played Switch for thousands of hours I think it's worth it, but I still wish I didn't have to pay a lot.'
Simon Hudson, 44, a software designer from Perth, Australia, who has lived in London for 15 years said he bought two to play with his husband.
He said: 'I don't think it's hype bubble. I'm only picking it up today mainly because my husband's got a couple of games he's wanted to play that are coming out today, along with the release, like the new Mario Kart and Rune Factory.
'So he wants to be among the first ones on there. We've been playing that (Rune Factory) for 20 years, but the new version has come out alongside the Switch. So that's the main reason I'm here.'
Others have taken to social media to air their frustration.
Asked to post a comment about their favourite Nintendo character in order to enter a Currys giveaway for the console on X, one gamer replied: 'Dry Bowser as he is probably as rare as getting hold of a Switch 2 on release day.'
Another fan who managed to get hold of their console said: 'My Switch 2 pre-order is arriving right now. I survived the cancellation apocalypse.'
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The Guardian
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- The Guardian
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The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Nintendo Switch 2 review: What our gaming experts like (and dislike) about the console
Nintendo Switch 2 design Alex Lee: When the courier handed me the Switch 2 inside a plain cardboard box (wait, no fireworks?), I was weirdly thrown by how compact the package felt. But I opened it cross-legged on the floor, and the console itself is… huge. Almost an inch bigger than the OLED, and once the new Joy-Con 2's snap on, it's basically a mini tablet. It's not far off the size of an iPad mini, but it's almost double the weight (and it's noticeable). There's now a USB-C port on the top – a small but huge quality-of-life tweak. I can play it in tabletop mode now while charging, without the cable jutting out from the bottom and making things wobbly. The new Joy-Cons are sleeker too, with a matte texture and rounded edges, making them feel less toy-like, though again, chunkier than the OLED ones. I really like the new kickstand, too. It's sturdier than the OLED's and adjusts a little more smoothly. You can still expand the storage, but your old microSD cards won't work on this one – you'll need to buy the new microSD Express cards. Then there's the dock. Refined to an inch of its life, it's narrower, more polished, and I love that I don't have to tear off the back cover to unplug cables – everything's accessible even with the plate on. It's not a huge redesign overall, but it's all a lot sturdier – I'm not scared of breaking it, as I was with the OG Switch or even the OLED. Jake Brigstock: One thing to add about the packaging – maybe a weird detail to call out – is how smartly it's done. The first thing you see is the console and Joy-Con, and for anyone eager to power it on straight away (no judgement), Nintendo has set things up so you can unpack gradually. Its design feels almost identical to the original Switch – just bigger, and without the bright, colourful Joy-Cons that became so synonymous with the first console. Looking at the unit itself, it's unmistakably a Switch. There's a real sense of familiarity for anyone who's used the original. My first impression? It feels like an upgrade rather than something completely new, and that becomes even more apparent once it's powered on. Nintendo Switch 2 set-up Jake: The onboarding process walks you through everything gradually. It doesn't rush you, and you don't feel overwhelmed. It teaches you how to connect the Joy-Cons, set up the dock and shows you the different ways the console can be used. Data transfer is easy. Setting up a new console sometimes makes me anxious, but moving games and saving data from the original Switch to the Switch 2 was the easiest I've ever seen it. It's quick, too. Once you're in and the home screen pops up, you'll notice one thing straight away – the UI looks more or less identical to the latest version on the original Switch. Again, there's a feeling of familiarity. It isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it doesn't always capture that 'new console feel'. It has been eight years since the Switch launched after all, but if it ain't broke... Alex: Jake's not wrong – this is the least stressful Nintendo setup I've ever experienced. I signed into my account, continued the transfer from my Switch OLED, and it all just worked. I didn't even have to keep the two consoles in the same room. It was super polished, and nothing went wrong. One thing to flag – and it's a big deal for anyone who needs it – is that while Nintendo has finally introduced a proper suite of accessibility features on the Switch 2 (a huge step for the access-averse company), you can't turn any of it on during setup. You have to get through the entire onboarding process before you can enable things like magnification, text-to-speech or high-contrast mode. Even then, features like text-to-speech still don't work across the whole system, including in places like the eShop. While Jake found the familiar UI comforting, I think it's a bit stale. The interface looks almost exactly the same as the original Switch, and Nintendo could've done more to make it feel like a true generational leap. That said, I'm happy to report that the eShop finally got the upgrade it needed. It's way snappier now – no more waiting around for game pages to load or menus to catch up. It's so much smoother and easier to navigate. Nintendo Switch 2 performance and play Alex: I'm mostly a TV gamer, so I've mainly been playing with the Switch 2 hooked up to my 4K HDR TV, and while it does look better than ever, most of the real upgrades aren't for docked play. When plugged in, you'll get prompted to calibrate HDR (a nice touch), and games like Mario Kart World look crisp, vibrant and colourful. However, there's still a lot missing compared to next-gen consoles. There's no HDMI 2.1 support, so if your TV can do 120Hz or VRR, you won't be taking advantage of it. There's no Dolby Atmos either – a bit of a letdown when you consider the Switch 2 does support spatial audio in handheld mode. That said, DLSS is doing some noticeable work when docked, especially with backwards-compatible games. Titles that looked soft on the original Switch, such as Super Mario Odyssey, now get surprisingly close to 4K. Handheld mode is where the Switch 2 really flexes. The bigger 1080p LCD screen might not be as rich or inky as the OLED panel on the Switch OLED, but it's sharp, bright, and looks brilliant in motion, especially at 120Hz. I'm a bit disappointed that there's no streaming support for Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, and the YouTube app isn't compatible (at launch, anyway). I think this is one thing that'll stop it from competing with Microsoft and Sony. It has the games and the fans, but it doesn't have the full entertainment platform to match its rivals. Jake: I'm also traditionally a console gamer, so my preferred way to play is curled up on the sofa, using the Switch 2 in docked mode – and it's in the display and performance where the upgrade really comes to the fore. When docked, the console can run at 4K resolution at up to 60fps, and the games I've played so far look incredible. HDR makes a noticeable difference here, too, adding more depth and richness to the image. That said, handheld mode has seriously impressed me. The 8in display runs at 1080p with support for 120fps, and the bigger screen makes a huge impact. It's sharp, fluid, and feels much more modern than what we had before. The backwards-compatible games I've tested that haven't had any updates seem to benefit. They load faster, run more smoothly and generally look better. As someone with a mountainous Nintendo back catalogue, the Switch 2 feels like the best way to revisit it all in glorious 120fps. Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Cons Jake: The new Joy-Con controllers are bigger, and that's an incredibly welcome change. They feel more comfortable to hold, especially in longer sessions. One slight disappointment is that the wrist strap attachments no longer include the shoulder buttons like the original Switch, which made the controllers feel a bit more protected and functional when used horizontally. The Joy-Cons themselves feel familiar if you've used the original ones, just with a couple of key upgrades. The rumble has been improved (HD Rumble 2 is noticeably more precise), and the big new feature is the addition of mouse-style motion controls. I first tried these at Nintendo's preview event back in April, and they felt fun and intuitive in the right context. I gave them another go while playing Cyberpunk 2077, but to be honest, it wasn't really for me. As a console-first player, I naturally gravitated to the new Pro controller, which Nintendo kindly sent me to test. It's very similar to the last-gen one but includes a C button, HD Rumble 2, and now an aux port, which is great if you want to plug in wired headphones or a mic. Alex: One thing I keep doing – out of sheer muscle memory – is sliding the Joy-Cons on the old way. You don't need to anymore. The new magnetic attachment system means they just snap into place with a satisfying click, and it's so much easier than the old rail system. I didn't realise how awkward the original design was until I stopped using it. I'd also add that the HD Rumble 2 is absolutely fantastic – the vibrations are sharper and more detailed. It's frightening when you get shocked by lightning or blue-shelled in Mario Kart World. The Joy-Cons feel great overall, though I do find they're maybe a bit too big for my hands. It's not uncomfortable, just something I've noticed over longer sessions. The new dedicated GameChat button is a nice touch too, letting you quickly mute or jump into a chat during online games, something Nintendo's never really tackled before. However, the mouse controls are finicky and a little inaccurate. I think it's a nice feature to have, but I'll need to try it out with more compatible games. Right now, I don't think I'll be using it very often. It's worth flagging that older Joy-Cons don't work on the Switch 2, though the older Pro controller does work with the new system. While the new design feels sturdier, there's no official word yet on whether Nintendo has finally fixed the Joy-Con drift issue. Fingers crossed, but we'll have to wait and see. Nintendo Switch 2 features Alex: One of the biggest new features on the Switch 2 is GameChat – Nintendo's attempt at building social features directly into the console, so you can say goodbye to Discord calls. It's baked into the UI and works incredibly well. I tested this with another group of reporters, and I could jump into a group call from anywhere – whether I was mid-game or was just on the home screen, even if we were all playing different games. The new GameChat button on the Joy-Con and Pro controller made it easy to open up the menu, mute myself, turn on or off the camera or share my screen. I think it'll be a big deal for competitive gamers. The built-in mic is genuinely really good. It picks up my voice clearly from across the room and filters out background noise well enough that I didn't feel the need to grab a headset. It's not quite Discord-level quality, but it's really impressive. Then there's the new plug-in 1080p camera. Right now, there's not a huge amount you can do with it – it's mostly used for showing your mates' faces on screen while you play. When you're racing against your friends in Mario Kart World, their little face pops up above their kart in real-time. It's a bit uncanny and very Nintendo. What I did like was that, even when I was playing solo but plugged into a GameChat session, I could still see faces below the game screen, making it feel less lonely. The camera's not the best quality, but it's decent enough. There's definitely room for Nintendo to build on this. AR minigames are the big one – and the company's already hinted at this for Super Mario Party Jamboree. I've also seen some reports that third-party cameras work too, so you could get a higher-res one (and it might be cheaper, too). Another addition is GameShare, which lets someone else play your game locally, even if they don't own it. I've not been able to test this one yet, but it's a nice way to share games without splashing out on a second copy. It's a feature that was on the old Nintendo DS – I remember playing Super Mario Bros. with friends who didn't have a copy. Jake: GameChat is a great addition – and not just because it lets you see people's faces mid-race. What stood out to me was how much more social it made everything feel. When we played a Knockout Tour with three other reporters (including Alex), it was hilarious to watch everyone's reactions in real-time when the inevitable Mario Kart item chaos hit. I'm sure there was a collective groan when I crossed the line in first and celebrated with a smug fist bump – sorry, Alex. I'm especially excited to see how this plays out in Super Mario Party Jamboree TV Switch 2 Edition – the minigames are chaotic enough already, and seeing everyone's faces as it unfolds will only add to the fun. Nintendo Switch 2 games Jake: Now on to the most important part – games. A console is nothing without them. Aside from Mario Kart World (which I'll leave to Alex, as he's spent more time with it), the first-party launch line-up includes Nintendo Switch Welcome Tour. I'm firmly in the camp that if Astro's Playroom was free on the PS5, then Welcome Tour should be too. It's fine for what it is – a quick way to show off the new console features – but it's unremarkable. More exciting are the Switch 2 Editions of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, both of which look and run so much better than on the original console. Watching comparison footage is one thing, but experiencing it firsthand is another. Cyberpunk 2077 has been dubbed a 'miracle port' by some tech experts, and while CD Projekt Red downplayed how tough it was to get it running, it's still impressive, especially in handheld. From what I've seen, the game has stayed within the advertised performance limits, and – hot take, maybe – keeping motion blur on actually helps here. It adds to the cinematic look and smooths things out in a way that feels necessary. If a demanding title like this can run well on Switch 2, it could open the floodgates for more ambitious third-party games down the line. It's also great to see other titles like Split Fiction available at launch. While there are a few backwards compatibility quirks floating around, the vast majority of older games seem to run without issue, and I haven't encountered any problems myself. Alex: I'm more into my first-party Switch titles, so I've stuck to Mario Kart World, but I've also played Survival Kids – one of the new Switch 2 launch titles. I'm conflicted. Visually, Mario Kart World is one of the best-looking Nintendo games I've ever played. The art direction is stunning, and it really shines on the Switch 2's brighter screen. But the whole open world just feels... lonely? Soulless? You drive long straight stretches between tracks in Grand Prix mode, often through massive, empty spaces, just holding accelerate and praying for a coin. The intermissions between tracks feel more like corridors than actual racing, and I don't feel like the 24-person races add anything because of the vastness of the tracks. Worse still, most Grand Prix races only give you one lap on a proper circuit. I don't mind Nintendo trying something new, but I just wish there was an option for classic three-lap Grand Prix races (which I guess is just VS mode). Maybe it's just me being too used to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, but everything here feels a bit too spread out. I needed a palate cleanser after the colourful, attention-grabbing Mario Kart World, so I gave Survival Kids a go. You and up to three friends are shipwrecked on an island, and the goal is to survive by chopping wood, cooking food, building tools and gliding over ravines with makeshift umbrellas. There's no real peril, it's just a nice, slow and gentle. Nintendo Switch 2 battery life Alex: Nintendo says the Switch 2 should last between two and six-and-a-half hours on a full charge, depending on what you're doing. I found that I got closer to the lower end of that spectrum while playing Mario Kart World and using GameChat. It'll probably last longer if you're not playing a CPU-intensive game and running GameChat at the same time, but at least it's easier to charge while gaming now. Jake: I got around two-and-a-half hours out of it while playing Mario Kart World with a few game downloads running in the background. You're not always going to be downloading while gaming, of course, but it's probably smart to top up before long sessions. Also, a small but welcome new feature is the option to cap charging at 90 per cent to help preserve battery health long-term. The console is physically bigger than the original, which makes it slightly less portable, but not to the point where I'd leave it behind.
Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Do you have one of these gathering dust in your attic? Experts reveal the retro video games that are now worth a FORTUNE
Many of us have a box of old gadgets, video games, and used batteries gathering dust in the attic. While clearing this out might sound like a chore, it could land with you with a tidy profit. Experts from Currys have revealed the retro video games that are now worth a fortune. Topping the list is Zelda Majora's Mask [Adventure Set] for Nintendo 64, which now has a whopping estimated value of £3,715.01. Meanwhile, if you have a copy of Snowboard Challenge for NES, you could be in line for a £2,935.80 payout. However, to make this kind of cash, you'll have to have the original box - as well as all the extra bits it came with. 'Most gamers unwrapped their new games, played them endlessly, and it never crossed their mind to hold onto the boxes they came in,' Currys explained. 'But for those who did, that decision could be worth thousands today.' Currys analysed retro game resale data on PriceCharting to uncover the 20 most valuable non-sealed PAL video games. While you might have played these games in the past, they'll still need to be complete in box (CIB). 'Complete in box (CIB) games still include their original box, manual, inserts and any extras that were packaged with the game at release,' Currys explained. 'So, they have been opened and used, but everything's been kept.' With an estimated resale value of £3,715.01, Zelda Majora's Mask [Adventure Set] for Nintendo 64 tops the list. 'Leading the PAL-region is Zelda Majora's Mask [Adventure Set] which can rake in an impressive £3,715 for a full box,' the experts explained. 'Special editions like this – especially ones with additional packaging and extras – often become the most valuable. 'Even if a game isn't factory-sealed, a well-preserved CIB copy with all its original materials can sell for significantly more than a loose copy.' Snowboard Challenge for NES is next on the list (£2,935.80), followed by Mega Man X3 for Super Nintendo (£2,465.32), Zelda Oracle of Ages & Seasons Limited Edition for GameBoy Color (£2,259.44), and Darxide for Mega Drive 32X (£2,245.68). Other valuable games include Hammerin' Harry for GameBoy (£1,488.32), Snowboard Kids 2 for Nintendo 64 (£1,715.19), and Family Fun Fitness Stadium Events for NES (£1,457.31). Unfortunately for Brits, the real money is in NTSC games, which are used in North America, Japan, South Korea, and some other regions. Currys' analysis found that a copy of Metal Slug for Neo Geo AES could fetch a whopping £47,005! 'This game was already considered a luxury item back in the 90s and was produced in lower quantities,' the tech giant explained. 'So, finding one with its original box and manual is rare.' If the news has sparked your interest in game collecting, Roy Raferty, a Trading Card and Video Games Specialist for Stanley Gibbons, advises disregarding the notion of collecting for 'investment' purposes. 'Collect and play what you genuinely want to play, and simply enjoy the hobby,' he said. 'In time, an individual is bound to pick up something that naturaly increases in value. 'If you're not passionated about gaminy, you'll likely pick up the wrong title or not even know when to sell out of an item (like if a re-wave or digital release drops). 'When it comes to investing, stick to what you know. 'When it comes to games - stick to playing them!'
