The Switch 2 is here: everything you need to know about Nintendo’s new console

Just about every piece of hardware that Nintendo sells is getting a little more expensive in the US — with the exception of the Switch 2. That includes all models of the original Switch, a bunch of accessories, and even a motion-activated alarm clock. The changes were made ahead of sweeping Trump administration tariffs that are scheduled to go into effect in August, and they show Nintendo is leaning on a strategy that it has employed across its business: largely avoiding risk. Raising the price of a new console isn’t the best look, and so the company is trying to claw back some of that money in safer ways, without gambling on the success of its most important product.

Earlier today, Nintendo announced that these new prices would go into effect starting on August 3rd. The actual increase hasn’t been announced yet, but a since-removed listing from Target suggests that the console hikes could range from $30 for the base Switch model to $50 for the OLED version. The move follows similar increases in Canada, and Nintendo says they’re being implemented “based on market conditions,” which is corporate speak for tariffs. Notably absent from the list of impacted products is the Switch 2. Nintendo says that current-gen hardware, along with games and Nintendo Switch Online subscriptions, “will remain unchanged at this time.”

With the Switch 2, Nintendo seems to be closing the release date gap with some of its third-party games. It’s a problem that plagued previous Nintendo consoles, which often received games years after other platforms, if at all.

While today’s Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase may have lacked the splash of anticipated third-party games like Hades 2 or FromSoftware’s The Duskbloods, what was on display offered some interesting insight.

GuliKit is following the release of its $49.99 Elves 2 Pro controller with a slightly cheaper alternative that brings a feature that’s still somewhat rare among third-party gamepads: remotely waking the Switch 2. The new GuliKit Elves 2 sacrifices some of the Pro’s more premium features like advanced haptics, but for $29.99 — available now in translucent black or coral red — it could be a budget-friendly alternative to the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller.

The Elves 2 could also appeal to gamers who prefer a symmetrical joystick layout, similar to what the PlayStation’s controllers use, or those who still have a soft spot for the Sega Saturn gamepad.

Now that the Switch 2 is out, and the console’s biggest exclusives — Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza — are delighting fans, it’s time to see what else this thing can do. Nintendo’s hosting its next Direct presentation on Thursday, July 31st, bright and early at 9AM ET. You can watch the direct on YouTube here and, of course, in the Nintendo Today app.

According to Nintendo, the 25-minute presentation will be a partner showcase, focusing on third-party titles for the Switch and Switch 2. (Sorry, y’all are gonna have to wait a little longer for more news on Metroid Prime 4.)

Last night, Nintendo quietly added Mario Paint to Nintendo Switch Online’s catalog of Super Nintendo games. Originally released back in 1992, Mario Paint was a unique SNES title, because although it included a handful of minigames, it was first and foremost a creative tool letting players draw, paint, animate, and even compose music using the 16-bit console.

What also set Mario Paint apart from other SNES games was that it didn’t rely on the console’s standard gamepad. It came bundled with a two-button mouse and a plastic mouse pad that made drawing and navigating the game’s on-screen menus and drag-and-drop interface much easier.

Perhaps we’ve been thinking the same thing, you and I. That there won’t be a long-standing drought of Nintendo Switch 2 availability after all. The console has been easy to buy online from several retailers this week, including Best Buy, Target, and Walmart. Amazon, which didn’t sell the Switch 2 at launch, is currently selling it by invitation only.

The console’s messy preorder process and spotty launch availability made it feel a little like late 2020 all over again, when the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Nvidia RTX 30-series GPUs launched in extremely limited quantities due to component shortages. However, Nintendo appears to have adjusted the right dials to boost production quickly enough to meet US demand. The company reportedly delayed the Switch 2’s planned late-2024 launch to build up stock, according to Nikkei (translated by VGC). If that’s true, that decision seems to have paid off for customers.

A glass screen protector is one of a few “set it and forget it” purchases that every Switch 2 owner should make, along with buying a microSD Express card and a protective case for the console. In fact, it should be a priority to stick one onto the console’s screen as soon as possible to avoid accidental scratches.

I’ve been installing and removing Switch 2 screen protectors to test others on my console at an alarming rate, more than any sane person should, and here are the most important takeaways:

We already knew that Nintendo got off to a strong start with the Switch 2’s launch, and now that the console has been out for a bit, we’re getting a clearer picture on exactly how it performed. According to market research firm Circana, Nintendo’s new console “debuted as the fastest selling video game hardware device in US history,” selling 1.6 million units in June. That topped the previous launch month record held by the PS4, which moved 1.1 million units in November of 2023.

Unsurprisingly, Circana says that the Switch 2 was the best-selling console in the US in June overall, in terms of both units sold and dollars raked in. And overall the launch buoyed what the firm says is “a record high for hardware spending” in the month of June at $978 million. The previous record was $608 million in 2008.

The Switch 2 technically launched with an F-Zero game, as F-Zero GX was available on Nintendo Switch Online’s premium tier as part of the GameCube lineup. But if you’re looking for a new F-Zero or Wipeout, the console has a spiritual successor that costs just $14.99: Shin’en’s Fast Fusion.

Fast Fusion pits you in futuristic sci-fi hovercraft races where you fly forward at hundreds of miles per hour. Races are all about managing boosts by collecting coins to build your boost meter and driving over boost zones on the tracks themselves. (You can boost into opponents to make them spin out to earn some extra coins, which never gets old.)

You might find it kind of sad to put a hard-earned gadget into a protective case. To me, it’s freeing. Using a case relieves me of the worry that it will accumulate tons of little scratches. So, I wasted no time testing cases on the new Nintendo Switch 2, and it didn’t take long for me to find one that I think is the best.

I tried several types of cases on the Switch 2. I tested flimsy shells that snap or slide onto the Switch 2 to provide a simple, aesthetically pleasing barrier from scratches to the console and its Joy-Cons. I also tried slim cases that have one job: to protect the console when it isn’t in use.

In past Donkey Kong games, like Tropical Freeze or DKC Returns, I would often find myself stuck against a particularly challenging platforming sequence. And there wasn’t much I could do. If I wanted to progress, I had to nail those jumps or avoid those spikes to move on. Donkey Kong Bananza, on the other hand, offers a different tactic: smash some shit up. While the game is a 3D platformer, it also introduces destructive gameplay that lets you find new solutions or pathways just by smashing up the world around you. It perfectly suits the character, and also builds on a design trend Nintendo has steadily been pushing on for years now. In some way or another, all of its biggest franchises are opening up and becoming more exciting as a result.

The most obvious example of this is Breath of the Wild. Before it, the Legend of Zelda adventures were comparatively linear, pushing players along a preordained path. But Breath of the Wild featured a true open world, letting you explore in any direction you chose. Its sequel, Tears of the Kingdom, took things a step further with underground areas and gameplay built around combining objects to build something new, which players took in all sorts of creative directions. Even Echoes of Wisdom, which was a return to the top-down structure of classic Zelda games, introduced a mechanic that turned everyday objects into useful tools, creating all kinds of opportunities for creative problem solving.

My first thought upon starting up Donkey Kong Bananza was, “Why yes, I actually would like to go ape shit.” The game starts by having Donkey Kong smash through a wall to reveal a glittering gem waiting to be liberated from the rock. But instead of punching the bright yellow gem into bite-size pieces, I kept punching through the walls and floors, digging tunnels into the landscape.

With the Nintendo Switch 2 finally out in consumers’ hands for more than a month now and the luster of the console’s newness fading, we’re left asking, “What’s this thing actually capable of?” The first big exclusive, Mario Kart World, was a nice aperitif, giving players a bit of the new — processing power and graphics — firmly enmeshed in the old familiarity of Mario Kart. Donkey Kong Bananza, now the console’s second major exclusive, represents the Switch 2’s first real course, and it’s a fantastic feast.

It’s been over a month since the Switch 2’s record-breaking launch, and the console is becoming easier to get with each restock. However, if you’ve been waiting for the launch of Donkey Kong Bananza to buy one, Best Buy sneakily announced that its next in-store restock will happen Thursday, July 17th, the game’s launch day. Every Best Buy location will have consoles in stock.

Best Buy’s in-store restock announcement doesn’t mention whether both the standalone console ($449.99) and Mario Kart World bundle ($499.99) will be available, or if one will be available in higher quantities than the other. It only states that stores will have “limited quantities.” We’ve reached out to Best Buy for more specific information, and we’ll update this story if we receive a response.

iFixit has shared a full teardown video of the Switch 2 Pro controller and is not impressed by how difficult it is to access the $85 accessory’s internal components, including its rechargeable battery that will inevitably lose its ability to hold a charge over time.

The online repair site goes so far as to call the Pro 2 a “piss-poor excuse for a controller” for several different reasons. Opening the controller requires you to first forcefully remove a faceplate held in place by adhesive tape before a single screw is visible. But you’ll need to extract several other parts and components, including the controller’s mainboard, before its battery is even accessible.

One of the pleasant surprises of the Switch 2 launch was how well the hardware managed big games not made by Nintendo. It’s something the company’s underpowered consoles have often struggled with, but the Switch 2 is a good place to play technical showpieces like Cyberpunk 2077 — though that originally debuted in 2020. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4, which is launching simultaneously on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and both versions of the Switch, makes for an interesting test case of what’s possible on the Switch 2 with a new game. I’ve been playing it on both the PS5 and Switch 2, and from what I’ve seen, the remake bodes well for the future of Nintendo’s newest console.

For the uninitiated, the latest Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater is a sequel of sorts. In 2020, Activision released a remaster of the original two games in the iconic series, maintaining the tone and structure but also modernizing the experience with updated graphics and controls, online features, and an expanded cast featuring the current generation of skateboarding stars. It did a remarkable job of keeping the best parts of the games while also making them feel current. THPS3+4 does the same thing, but for the third and fourth entries in the series. There aren’t too many surprises if you’ve played the original, though THPS4 has a more rigid structure compared to the open-ended nature of the original version.

Over the last two weeks, I’ve sought to uncover why the Nintendo Switch 2 didn’t work with a host of USB-C accessories that worked perfectly fine with other devices, including third-party docks and some of the best-reviewed webcams. But today, I have first-hand confirmation that existing gadgets can work — as long as their manufacturers issue the right firmware updates, and as long as Nintendo doesn’t break compatibility from here on out.

You shouldn’t necessarily need to buy a brand-new gadget to plug a TV or video glasses into your Nintendo Switch 2. Three manufacturers have already proven that firmware updates are enough for now, and hopefully more will follow!

Amazon finally has listings for the Nintendo Switch 2 in the US – though right now, you can only register your interest for an invitation to purchase a console. If you’re interested, here are links to the console and Mario Kart World bundle and the console on its own.

It’s a big change following Nintendo removing listings for its products from Amazon starting last year. Bloomberg reported in June that Nintendo pulled the listings because third-party sellers sold games at prices “that undercut Nintendo’s advertised rates.” Nintendo and Amazon pushed back on Bloomberg’s report in statements to the publication but didn’t go into specifics.

Since its launch, the Nintendo Switch 2 has been notoriously difficult to buy, with many retailers selling out of their allotted stock within minutes. Luckily, there’s good news: starting at 7PM Eastern today, Walmart Plus members will be able to purchase Nintendo’s latest handheld console — either the standalone Switch 2 or the Mario Kart World bundle — through its website. The restock is happening just before its Walmart Deals event begins on July 8th; the event lasts through July 13th.

The standalone Switch 2 will go for $449 from Walmart. If you plan on picking up the excellent Mario Kart World, then you might as well opt for the Mario Kart World bundle, which will also be available at Walmart for $499. The bundle includes everything that comes with the Nintendo Switch 2 — a dock, a pair of Joy-Con 2 controllers, etc. — as well as a download code for a digital copy of the new Mario Kart game (valued at $79.99). It will be available as a limited-time purchase through fall (or while supplies last).

A bigger, more powerful Switch means bigger, more intensive games that take more time and money to make. But as development costs skyrocket across the industry, Nintendo seems to have a plan to keep things in control as it transitions into the Switch 2 era.

In response to a question during a recent shareholders meeting about the increased costs of making games for its new console, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa admitted that “recent game software development has become larger in scale and longer in duration, resulting in higher development costs. The game business has always been a high-risk business, and we recognize that rising development costs are increasing that risk.”

You want your games to play the smoothest they possibly can — but sometimes, screen technology gets in the way. That’s why some of the latest TVs and handhelds feature variable refresh rate (VRR) screens that can compensate when your graphics can’t deliver a consistent 60 or 120 frames per second.

The Nintendo Switch 2 has a VRR screen — and originally, Nintendo advertised that the Switch 2 would also work with your VRR-capable TV. But Nintendo soon scrubbed mentions of docked VRR from its website, and on May 16th, it apologized. “Nintendo Switch 2 supports VRR in handheld mode only,” the company told Nintendo Life, apologizing for “the incorrect information.”