On Friday, April 11, I visited London, invited by Nintendo, for a hands-on experience and a first hands-on encounter with the Nintendo Switch 2. The console has not been announced for long, and this was a good opportunity to see it before it hits store shelves, while the pre-order process is also underway.

Nintendo had reserved a space inside the Excel exhibition center, and people were already lining up to get a first taste. Entry was handled in complete order (always depending on the hall’s capacity), and the first stop was Mario Kart World. One hall was dedicated to the game that will accompany the console in the more “expensive” of the two bundles. After a quick tutorial, we got our hands on the system and played the new game. The 24-player setup makes the game extremely fun, while the effects flood every pixel of the new screen. Once again, the classic formula is here: the goal is to finish first by using many power-ups that appear on the screen.

Regarding accessories, now, beyond the Joy-Cons, we also saw the special grip controller that will be included in the purchase package and will accommodate the two sets of controls to create something like a traditional controller.

From there, we moved to a larger room that was divided into various games, both from Nintendo itself and from third-party companies and partners that have already revealed their cards. Here too, the classic queue for trials was in effect, with games like Metroid Prime 4 and Cyberpunk 2077 being the ones that attracted the most interest.

Regarding the games we tested, they were all improved compared to what we had seen before, with the most interest gathered by Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. This is because we had the opportunity to try for the first time the use of Joy-Cons 2 as a mouse in real-time, with the right one taking on the role of a mouse for aiming and the left one handling movement. The transition is extremely simple, and the player understands how this process works after a very short time.

Overall, the Nintendo Switch 2 leaves a very positive impression. The console is very light and particularly slim, while its design is clearly more modern. Connecting and disconnecting the controllers with the magnets is a breeze and is done with the press of a button. The “bond” of the Joy-Cons 2 with the main body is also quite strong, and we do not encounter the issue of imperfect contact that we mainly saw in the Nintendo Switch OLED version. In terms of performance, the console seemed to be doing very well, with vivid colors and a consistently high frame rate even in the more demanding new games. In older titles, which come with relatively minor upgrades (such as Zelda), the difference in performance is evident from the first few seconds. 

In short, this is the Nintendo Switch we have always wanted!

➡ Finally, you can also watch the corresponding video from the hands-on experience with the Nintendo Switch 2 on my profile.