I played Cyberpunk 2077 on Switch 2, and I couldn't believe what I was seeing
With Nintendo Switch 2 reviews being delayed due to Nintendo not sending out any review units prior to launch, here are my first impressions of the new console. But, don't worry, the Mirror's full Nintendo Switch 2 review will be coming soon!
I've had the Nintendo Switch 2 in hand for less than 24 hours, and I can already tell it's a huge upgrade on its predecessor. But will this evolution, rather than revolution, of its popular console be enough for people to justify parting with £400?
Nintendo didn't send out review units to games media for this console launch, which is why there aren't many Nintendo Switch 2 reviews right now. So, because it'll take me a bit of time to do a comprehensive review of the console, and you probably want to know, ideally right now, if you should buy one or not, here are my first impressions of the new device. Spoiler alert, it's been pretty impressive so far.
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Bigger equals better
Let's start off with the biggest upgrade of all, the upgraded resolution and graphical power of the console. In handheld mode, the Nintendo Switch 2 has a 1080p, 7.9-inch, HDR display, which is a big upgrade from the 6.2-inch 720p display of the original Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo Switch OLED. Thankfully, too, the screen also boasts a 120Hz refresh rate, which is double the rate of the original, and it's brighter too. These are big upgrades in their own right, but combined, they produce a superb handheld gaming experience, with games like Mario Kart World, Cyberpunk 2077 and Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo Switch 2 Edition) looking sharper, smoother, brighter, and more colourful. It really is in a different league compared to its predecessor and, in my opinion, it clearly rivals more PC -like handheld gaming devices like the Steam Deck or the Lenovo Legion Go S.
Cyberpunk 2077, in particular, was incredibly impressive in handheld mode. This is a massively demanding game, one that is known in the gaming community to be hard to run in the highest settings. But whether I played it in performance mode (720p, aiming for 30-40 fps), which was smooth but a bit less sharp, or in quality mode (1080p, aiming for 20-30 fps), which favours resolution, both were a great experience. The idea that Cyberpunk 2077 could run on a Nintendo console at all, even just a few years ago, would have been ridiculous, so the fact that it's running at this level of performance is a superb achievement.
In docked mode, using the included dock, the Nintendo Switch 2 can output 4K (in supported games). 4K is pretty standard nowadays, but this is a big deal; it's the first time ever that Nintendo has released a console that can output 4K resolution. It's pretty stunning, especially in Mario Kart World, a game in which you can free roam around fields, mountains, volcanoes and even beach settings, with the environments, characters and karts themselves looking super sharp and in brilliant detail.
The other big change visually comes with the improved Joy-Cons, the detachable controllers, which are now magnetic and snap onto the side of the console in an impressively satisfying way. I do like them, having used them in both handheld mode and in dual-grip mode, with the joysticks feeling tighter, and therefore, more accurate. The big let down, though, is that they don't utilise Hall effect, a magnetic joystick technology that is both more accurate and more durable. Despite Nintendo stating they have been redesigned from the ground up, the fear of Joy-Con drift remains, but I also understand why Nintendo haven't opted for the technology, as this may have added to its already beefy £400 price tag.
Mousing around
Speaking of Joy-Cons, you can also use them like a mouse in supported games, and honestly, it worked a lot better than I expected. In Cyberpunk 2077, aiming weapons with the standard joysticks is a bit of a pain, but in mouse mode, you can aim much more accurately by placing the right Joy Con on a flat surface, and it's pretty intuitive. It is sort of a mouse, after all! I haven't tried it with Fortnite, or any other shooter-type game for that matter, but I can imagine it's going to be a much better experience with this new feature. And, with Call of Duty seemingly coming to Switch 2 in future, against all odds, it could work.
The speakers seem to be louder too, with much more clarity, and the battery life, which Nintendo says lasts between two and six-and-a-half hours, depending on the game, seems to be pretty spot on. I played Cyberpunk 2077, an incredibly demanding game, for around 40 minutes, and it drained around 33% of its battery, all while getting between 20 and 40 FPS, depending on the mode. I'll be doing more comprehensive battery and performance testing in my full Nintendo Switch 2 review, but at first glance, two hours of battery life playing CD Projekt RED's AAA RPG is pretty impressive, even compared to the much-loved Steam Deck, and the frames weren't bad either.
Nintendo Switch 2 first impressions
And that, I think, is the Switch 2's biggest selling point. This console is now powerful enough that it can support some of the biggest third-party titles that, historically, Nintendo hasn't wanted to, or simply couldn't. Whether you want to play the latest AAA games like Elden Ring (coming this year), or you want to play a bit of Mario Kart World, or a family-oriented co-op game like Survival Kids, this console now seems to have the power to handle it all. It's not a revolutionary console, as it's too similar in terms of design and form factor to its predecessor to call it that, but it seems to be a statement evolution of one of Nintendo's most popular consoles.
The Switch 2 is largely backwards compatible with Switch games, so it's unlikely that any of your previous game purchases would go to waste. Although I need to do more testing, it seems to handle them pretty well, too. Whether all of that makes it worth shelling out £400 for is the big question, especially if you already have the original Nintendo Switch. There are still so many features, games and experiences to test, but on first impressions, it's probably worth the upgrade, especially with all of the potential AAA games that could come to this console in the future, as well as the Nintendo games we all know and love. Stay tuned for my full Nintendo Switch 2 review!
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