Nintendo Switch 2 Review: Greatness Awaits, As Do the Games

While Nintendo does not have an Indian presence, that hasn’t stopped me from getting my hands on the Nintendo Switch 2. Much like the first Switch that didn’t make it to Indian stores officially, the Nintendo Switch 2 found itself on the shelves of many a parallel importer and grey market store in the country from its June 5 release date onwards. The first Nintendo Switch was also available here on its March 3, 2017 release date without a hitch and it ended up being one of the most popular consoles in India despite Nintendo’s absence in the country thanks to its price, usually ranging between ₹27,000 and ₹35,000 depending on availability. For comparison, the PS5 retails for ₹45,000 upwards.

The Nintendo Switch 2 India price is around ₹60,000 depending where you buy from and what you get with it. It’s a pricey step up from what the official US price of $450 (around ₹39,000) or $500 (around ₹43,000) if you buy the version bundled with Mario Kart World. It will likely be this way until more stock trickles in (don’t expect a lower price until August at the earliest).

Is it worth the price of admission? Not right now.

In terms of build quality, the Nintendo Switch 2 is a joy to hold. It’s not as bulky as handheld PCs its predecessor inspired such as the Steam Deck. There’s an overwhelming sense of familiarity. Be it the detachable Joy-Con controllers (now called Joy-Con 2) or minute details such as the cartridge slot and button construction being near identical to the original Switch. My only grouse is the kickstand which is flimsy enough for me to avoid using it. Compared to the heavy plate of a kickstand we got on the original Switch, the Nintendo Switch 2’s does not give me any confidence that it will hold up at all.

One of the few points of differentiation on first glance is the screen. As it maintains a slim frame not too dissimilar to its predecessor, the screen is 2.5 to 0.9 inches larger depending which Switch you were using — LCD or OLED respectively.

And speaking of screens, the Nintendo Switch 2 uses an LCD panel. Sure, pixel peepers would revile at the thought but the screen itself holds up well both indoors and direct sunlight. The colours on the Nintendo Switch 2 screen aren’t as vivid compared to the Switch OLED but the difference is marginal. This trade-off for a higher resolution, bigger screen size, and faster refresh rate, makes it worth the while. Be it squashing squids in Splatoon 3 or taking in the sights and sounds of Hyrule in The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild, the experience on the Nintendo Switch 2 screen is pretty good. Battery life is decent. I clocked in about 3 hours rotating between the aforementioned games before draining the battery completely.

The Nintendo Switch 2 plays well on a big screen too. Faster internals ensure the Nintendo Switch 2 can output games at upto 4K resolution, depending on the game and settings, on a bigger external screen. The original Switch was limited to 1080p when used with an external display and that was the best case situation. Equally inoffensive is the Nintendo Switch 2 Dock which has a couple of USB ports, a USB-C port for the charger, and an HDMI port. The modest port selection is a minor step up from the last console’s dock.

That said, although Nintendo’s never put raw graphics performance as a priority, the difference is obvious. Existing original Switch games which received free updates for the  like Pokemon Violet and the aforementioned Splatoon 3 are smoother to play and look better too even on bigger screens. As if they were intended for the Nintendo Switch 2 rather than the console they launched on. This is more so for Pokemon Violet which was notoriously sluggish on the original Switch. Others with paid upgrades such as The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild and The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom feel like moving from standard definition to Blu-ray in terms of visual clarity and fidelity.

However, you’re not spending over ₹60,000 to just play old games (albeit better)now are you?  Sure ports like Cyberpunk 2077 offer up a way to play by using the Joy-Con 2 as a mouse providing pinpoint accuracy and Mario Kart World is a treat with friends (like every entry before it) but that’s the extent of it really. There’s an absolute dearth of compelling reasons to buy a Nintendo Switch 2 right now. It’s missing a big tentpole title to make it worth anyone’s while like the original Switch launching with The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild. This is where the Nintendo Switch 2 launch feels hollow.

It’s not all smoother playing older titles or shiny retreads. To me, the best title of the Nintendo Switch 2’s launch lies on the Nintendo eShop - the company’s digital storefront. Fast Fusion is a $15 (around ₹1,300) game that’s all about racing at blistering speeds across exotic locales in futuristic vehicles. Not only does it look like a proper new generation Nintendo Switch 2 game, it plays like one too with responsive controls and a sense of speed that makes it tough to put down even when you’re not in pole position. Is it a game you buy the Nintendo Switch 2 for? No, but it’s nice to have if you end up with one now.

What’s also nice is the user experience. If you’ve used a Switch you know what to expect -- tiles of games for you to tap through and a simple enough settings section with a few new additions for features like HDR and battery charging limits. Also there’s GameChat which is Nintendo’s attempt at Discord. Except it won’t work as it requires a phone number in the region Nintendo has an official presence in. As I signed up for it, the lack of an option to choose India’s calling code made it obvious. Since you can’t add Indian calling codes you can’t use this feature here at all.

Thankfully this isn’t a dealbreaker when Discord exists and while sharing game screenshots and videos to social media requires you to use the mobile app, there’s a workaround. iOS users will have to create or use an account in which the Nintendo Switch 2 has launched to access it (US or Europe would be safe bets) while Android users would have to side load it (do this at your own discretion). No phone numbers needed. You can copy your game screenshots and videos to a microSD Express card, which is the new format that the Nintendo Switch 2 supports for faster loading speeds but they’re next to impossible to find at a fair price in India right now costing upwards of ₹6,500 for 256GB.

Historically, console launches have been rough and this is no different. However with Nintendo moving 3.5 million units of the Nintendo Switch 2 in four days, I won’t be surprised to see more game developers support it soon enough like they did with its predecessor. Throw in Nintendo’s own exclusive franchises such as Mario, Zelda, and Donkey Kong along with developer GameFreak’s long-running Pokemon games, and there’s enough of a reason to get one. A lower price, which is expected later as I mentioned at the start of this review would help too. Right now though, you’re better off waiting.