10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
The Nintendo Switch 2 Is a Huge Upgrade. But It Has Some Annoying Flaws
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Nintendo
Although only a few new games are currently available for the Switch 2, we actually enjoy playing the games we already own on the new console, thanks to its backward-compatibility features.
Over the past several years, playing games on our original Switch consoles has often been a zen-like exercise in acceptance that games just wouldn't run very well. Even bigger releases such as Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet could be downright painful to struggle through — Wirecutter writer Kimber Streams purchased a copy at launch and couldn't get past the awful performance, so they traded it in to buy other games. However, like a number of other original Switch games, Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet have received an update for the Switch 2 that breathes new life into them, fixing performance and providing a meaningful improvement in image quality.
Other games are also seeing major benefits from the Switch 2's more powerful hardware even without official updates, so we're actually considering picking up older games that might finally realize their potential on the new system. And it might just give you the perfect excuse to go back to that Animal Crossing: New Horizons island you've been neglecting (something Wirecutter editor Caitlin McGarry would rather we hadn't told her). It's fast and easy to use
The Switch 2 offers a night-and-day difference in responsiveness and navigation speed in comparison with the original Switch. In 2025, almost everything about the original Switch — from maneuvering through its menus to braving the extended stuttering waits of the Nintendo eShop storefront — suffers from a molasses-like sluggishness. We had almost given up hope that this experience would ever get better, but the Switch 2 turns out to be more than capable of gliding through the same hoops, more or less, with ease. It almost makes exploring the eShop a pleasure. The move to fast game storage and microSD Express (mostly; more on that later) also results in much, much faster game-startup speeds and greatly reduced load times for games old and new. The Switch 2's Game Chat feature supports the Switch 2 Camera and uses the microphones in your Joy-Cons or Switch 2 Pro Controller. Connie Park/NYT Wirecutter
We also like the promise of the Switch 2's Game Chat feature, which lets you join a party of friends with up to four simultaneous video feeds along the bottom of your screen, through the Switch 2 Camera. It isn't a revolutionary feature, but it does work easily thanks to microphones built into all of the Switch 2's official controllers, and we're excited to see how the feature develops as the Switch 2 platform matures. It feels great to hold, and the build quality is more solid Connie Park/NYT Wirecutter
The original version of the Nintendo Switch, and even the offshoot Switch Lite and OLED models, felt a little unstable, but the Switch 2 feels much more solid in comparison. The new system's larger size makes it a bit easier to hold for people with slightly bigger hands, which could be a pro or a con depending on how you feel about the current Switch. But more importantly, the new Joy-Con controllers lock into place far more solidly on the right and left sides of the system courtesy of a new magnetic locking system.
As a result, stressful sessions of Mario Kart World don't make us feel like we're going to break the Switch 2 as we grip the controls ever more tightly, which everyone knows makes you take corners more effectively — it's just science. (Not actually science, but it feels true.) Along with the far more useful revised kickstand design on the back of the console, which runs the entire length of the tablet, and the notably improved speaker quality, the more solid build makes the Switch 2 feel much less like a toy than its predecessor. We love the Switch 2 Pro Controller Connie Park/NYT Wirecutter
For players who can't tolerate Nintendo's Joy-Con controllers, the $85 Switch 2 Pro Controller is a pricey option. But on the bright side, it's been one of our favorite controllers in our time with it so far. 'I really love the Pro Controller,' said writer Kimber Streams. 'It's comfier than the [original], and the joysticks feel much smoother and responsive.' The Switch 2 Pro Controller also includes a headphone jack and a built-in mic, which you can use with the Switch 2's Game Chat feature. All of that, combined with a much more pleasing surface texture, adds up to an amazing controller, albeit an expensive one in comparison with the original Switch Pro Controller and its $70 price tag. Mario Kart World is the best party game of 2025 (so far) Mario Kart World. Nintendo
Mario Kart World takes the manic, goofy energy of previous entries in the series and doubles the player count, resulting in races that can be even more chaotic and unpredictable. It's also gorgeous and full of the kinds of personality and charm we expect from a Nintendo game, with a huge cast of characters and a ton of great tracks.
However, the most important thing about Mario Kart World is how consistently it levels the playing field between video game veterans and casual players. World , like previous Mario Kart games, regularly gives the back of the pack a leg up and a way back into the race, and almost no lead is ever safe. The result is a game that families and mixed friend groups can play together without worrying too much about one or two hotshots consistently ruining everyone else's fun. Plus, the new Knockout Mode, which periodically cuts the bottom of a race's leaderboard every so often, is the kind of thing that will cause much shouting and temporarily end friendships (in a good way). And we expect that Nintendo will continue to add tracks and new goodies to Mario Kart World , straining your relationships for years to come.
