Latest news with #Joy-cons
Stuff.tv
3 days ago
- Stuff.tv
This is the one thing you must not do with your new Nintendo Switch 2
There will be a lot of Nintendo Switch 2 consoles leaving their boxes today after certainly weeks and probably months of cardboard imprisonment. But there's one thing that Nintendo has had to tell new owners that they should not do as part of the small print. The Switch 2 screen has a layer of film over it – and you must not take it off. In the manual, Nintendo tells users not to take off the layer of film – it's there for protection in case the display is fully smashed (hopefully by accident). It prevents shards of glass from spreading. 'The screen is covered with a film layer designed to prevent fragments scattering in the event of damage. Do not peel it off' is the warning that Nintendo provides. That warning is contained in very small print in what appears to be a guide to warnings and some usage tips such as how to use the Joy-cons and integrated kickstand. There's only 2.5 pages of instructions per language in the guide so hopefully it will be more obvious that you don't need to remove the film when it comes to actually unboxing the console. Otherwise we can see a lot of people removing the film thinking it's the kind of packaging protector you get on new smartphones. Although, the film should stay, additional screen protection is already available from several vendors and this would then go on top of the film finish. The Switch 2's screen is considerably larger than the original Switch's 6.2in display at 7.9in, but the console's thickness hasn't changed generation-on-generation. When full details of the console were revealed in early April, I was disappointed at the lack of an OLED display as it felt like a downgrade from the 7in Switch OLED. I said at the time that 'most of us are very used to OLED displays now on our phones, TVs and high-end laptops and while Mini LED is now a big segment of the large-screen market, OLED is the new mainstream for mobile displays (it already had over 50% of the market in 2024). LCD is yesterday's news.' But not everyone felt that way, reasoning that the resulting extra battery life would be worth the retention of LCD over OLED. The 120Hz Switch 2 display certainly looks nice and bright too and with HDR on board things should be very positive on the screen front despite my early reservations. Although the Switch 2's display is predictably Full HD in resolution, you can also experience games in up to 4K resolution at 60Hz if you plug it into your TV.
New York Times
03-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
We Played the Nintendo Switch 2, and You're Going to Want One
Lisa Fischer/NYT Wirecutter The Nintendo Switch 2 looks similar to the original at first glance, but it's hiding a lot of improvements under its matte black finish. In many ways, it's a lot like using a modern flagship phone after years with an older one: many of the improvements sound minimal on paper, but they fundamentally change your experience for the better across the board. The Nintendo Switch 2 is much more powerful than the original Nintendo Switch, thanks largely to a new Nvidia chip. It also has much faster memory and 256 GB of internal storage, along with micro SD-Express support for external storage increases. This new hardware provides an enormous jump in performance compared to the previous Switch, which means two main things: bigger, more advanced, better-looking games and, if you already have a Nintendo Switch and a library of games, improved performance playing the ones you already own—and, if you're willing to pay for them, special upgrades for certain titles. The Switch 2 is also bigger than the original Switch, at about 10.6 inches wide, 4.6 inches tall, and just over half an inch thick. The Switch 2 has an approximately 8-inch display, which is larger than even the OLED Switch's 7-inch screen, and it uses a 120 Hz HDR-capable LCD touch panel, which means less lag time and a crisper image. (Yes, LCD. Don't be surprised when an OLED version comes later.) Arthur Gies/NYT Wirecutter With a bigger body comes bigger, improved Joy-con controllers. The Switch 2's Joy-cons attach to the console via electrically-activated magnets, rather than the clip and rail system of the original console, and are released via a button on the underside of each controller. You probably don't need me to tell you that this is a vast improvement. If you've played your Nintendo Switch a lot, chances are you've gone through more than one pair of Joy-cons, and not just to buy more colors. The original Switch's analog sticks were notorious for failing or 'drifting.' However, the Switch 2 has traded the original Joy-con analog sticks' potentiometers for Hall effect sensors, which should withstand significantly more use without problems (though we plan to test them long-term to determine their reliability). That also means you can't attach your original Joy-cons, but they remain compatible for multiplayer titles, so you won't need to rush out and buy more for your game nights. These new Joy-cons also have a sensor on the inside edge of their attachment points that allows for computer mouse-style input. Arthur Gies/NYT Wirecutter Aside from redesigned Joy-cons, more social Switch owners are likely to appreciate another new hardware feature, the new 'C' button found on each controller. This button activates the Switch 2's Game Chat feature, which puts your game in a window surrounded by video feeds of your friends so you can watch them playing their own games, and their own video feed, if they plug in the new Switch 2 Camera (sold separately for $50), or a supported USB camera. The Switch 2's controllers have built-in mics designed to filter out background noise, and Nintendo is also promising various gameplay features tied to Game Chat and the mic and camera. Finally, there's the Switch 2's dock, which has two USB-A ports, one HDMI port, and a USB-C port for power, just like the original Switch. However, the HDMI port has been upgraded to HDMI 2.1 to support 4K video to your television or receiver, and the Switch 2's dock also includes a cooling fan to keep it running smoothly at high performance without slowing down due to overheating. Like the Nintendo Switch OLED model's included dock, the Switch 2's dock also includes an ethernet port. While Nintendo isn't talking about it yet, we also expect the Switch 2 to offer longer battery life thanks to new battery technology and more power efficient hardware.
