My Nintendo Switch 2 Review (Doesn’t Matter?)

Summary

MKBHD reviews the Nintendo Switch 2 from the perspective of a tech reviewer who occasionally plays games. He emphasizes that game console reviews are fundamentally about games, not hardware - the console is just a vehicle for playing them. The Switch 2 represents a fascinating second-generation product where Nintendo had to decide whether to bias toward handheld, docked, or both modes. They chose to improve both significantly: the handheld gets a massive new brighter screen with higher refresh rate and bigger Joy-Cons with satisfying magnetic attachment, while docked mode now supports 4K60 with HDR and includes ethernet. The Joy-Cons with their new magnetic system are the most improved part. However, downsides include mediocre battery life (especially during intense gaming), a 50% price increase to $450, expensive accessories and games, and potential stick drift concerns since Nintendo didn’t use Hall effect sensors. The verdict: if you want Nintendo games, this is your vessel.

Highlights

”Second Generation Products Are Always the Most Interesting”

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“I’ve said this many times. The second generation product is always the most interesting. See, when Nintendo launched the original Switch, the concept was pretty novel… It’s like a two-in-one. It’s risky, but the value proposition was there and it happened to take off.” — Marques Brownlee, 1:08

”The Joy-Cons Are the Switch”

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“These new joy-cons with bigger joysticks, but also the extremely satisfying magnets, this is what makes the Switch the Switch, and I think they’ve nailed this part. Instead of sliding off on rails, now it’s magnets.” — Marques Brownlee, 4:03

”It Breathes New Life Into Previous Games”

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“If you are a Switch 1 gamer, then even without buying new games, the Switch 2 kind of breathes new life into a lot of your previous games, for a price.” — Marques Brownlee, 6:45

”Battery Life is the Weak Point”

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“The truth is, the battery is the weak point I’ve been able to find in my testing. And in hindsight, it probably makes sense ‘cause when you take a device and give it an even bigger display and even more frames per second and an even more powerful chip, of course battery life suffers.” — Marques Brownlee, 7:02

”It Really Comes Down to the Games”

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“If you’re in a purchase decision, it really comes down to the games. Like which games do you wanna play? If you’re a Call of Duty person, you were never gonna buy a Switch 2. But if you love Mario, well then, here we are.” — Marques Brownlee, 10:52

Key Points

• It’s All About Games (0:02) - Game console reviews are unique because the purchase decision is almost never about hardware, it’s about games
• Second Gen Is Most Interesting (1:08) - Second generation products reveal the direction a company chooses based on lessons learned
• Usage Data Insights (2:43) - Investor briefings show 50% of players use both handheld and TV, with slightly more mostly handheld than mostly docked
• Massive New Screen (3:03) - Bigger, brighter display with higher refresh rate for handheld users
• Dock Upgraded to 4K60 (3:26) - Now supports 4K60, HDR output, cooling fan, USB-C, and built-in ethernet
• Magnetic Joy-Cons (4:03) - No more rails, satisfying magnetic attachment with color matching animation and sound
• Improved Joy-Con Buttons (4:57) - SR and SL buttons much more usable for two-player games
• Mouse Mode (5:07) - New feature that works on different surfaces including pants leg, awaiting game support
• Backward Compatibility Boost (5:54) - Old games run better on Switch 2 hardware even without updates
• Bomb Rush Cyberfunk (6:18) - Goes from choppy 30fps on Switch 1 to locked 60fps on Switch 2
• Resident Evil 5 (6:23) - Runs flawlessly on Switch 2 compared to stuttering on original
• Battery Concerns (7:02) - Battery life similar or sometimes worse due to bigger display, higher FPS, more powerful chip
• Rapid Battery Drain (7:45) - Intensive games can drain 1% per minute or faster
• $450 Price Tag (8:07) - 50% increase over original Switch’s $300, but adjusted for inflation that’s closer to $400
• Expensive Ecosystem (9:15) - MicroSD Express cards, accessories, and games all cost more; $80 for a single game
• Welcome Tour Is $9 (9:32) - Not as good as PS5’s free Astro’s Playroom demo
• Download Required Games (9:44) - Physical cartridges often just keys, requiring downloads before playing
• Stick Drift Concerns (10:21) - Nintendo didn’t use Hall effect sensors, so potential for drift remains unknown
• Mario Kart World Bundle (11:22) - Most popular game, get the bundle to save $30

Mentions

Companies

• Nintendo (1:13) - Console manufacturer, replaced both Wii U and 3DS with Switch
• Sony/PlayStation (0:55) - MKBHD’s primary gaming platform
• Microsoft (0:20) - Forza reference for Xbox
• Dbrand (11:48) - Makes Killswitch case with grips and travel cover

Products & Technologies

• Nintendo Switch 2 (0:02) - Main subject of review
• Joy-Cons (4:05) - Controllers with new magnetic attachment system
• 4K60 Output (3:29) - Upgraded dock resolution
• HDR (3:29) - High dynamic range support
• MicroSD Express (9:15) - Faster storage cards, more expensive
• Hall Effect Sensors (10:38) - Technology that prevents stick drift, not used in Switch 2
• Dbrand Killswitch (11:51) - Ergonomic grip case for handheld gaming
• Dbrand Prism (12:51) - Screen protector for Switch 2

Games

• Forza (0:20) - Xbox exclusive
• Mario (11:09) - Nintendo exclusive franchise
• 2K (0:56) - Sports game series
• Bomb Rush Cyberfunk (6:18) - Now runs at 60fps on Switch 2
• Resident Evil 5 (6:23) - Runs flawlessly on Switch 2
• Call of Duty (11:01) - Not a Nintendo platform game
• Mario Kart World (11:22) - Most popular Switch 2 launch game
• Welcome Tour (9:32) - $9 intro game, worse than free PS5 Astro’s Playroom
• Backyard Baseball (13:06) - Game MKBHD is playing

Surprising Quotes

“Game console reviews are funny because the reason you’re buying one is almost never about the actual hardware, it’s about the games.” — 0:02

“So I’m a tech reviewer that happens to play games sometimes. I don’t get a lot of downtime, but when I do, I’m watching YouTube videos and then occasionally playing, usually on PlayStation.” — 0:45

“In a world where we also have $1200 smartphones every single year, this feels maybe more reasonable.” — 8:58

“Even the Welcome Tour game, which is not as good, by the way, as the free PS5 Astro’s Playroom demo, it’s $9 for some reason.” — 9:32

Transcript

0:02 Game console reviews are funny because the reason you’re buying one is almost never about the actual hardware, it’s about the games. So new console season has always been interesting because yeah, of course you expect the new hardware to be higher fidelity and better in every way than the old one. But if you only play Forza, then you were never gonna buy a Nintendo. But if you really wanna play Mario, well then, you were only ever gonna consider a Nintendo.

0:30 So it’s not about the hardware itself, this thing is just a vehicle for playing your games. It’s all about the games. So what am I doing here?

0:45 So I’m a tech reviewer that happens to play games sometimes. I don’t get a lot of downtime, but when I do, I’m watching YouTube videos and then occasionally playing video games, usually on PlayStation. Some 2K here and there. So hearing what I have to say about the Switch might not be that interesting.

1:03 But you know what’s more interesting? The fact that this is a second generation product. I’ve said this many times. The second generation product is always the most interesting. See, when Nintendo launched the original Switch, the concept was pretty novel. Look, most video game consoles are either a sit at the couch console, like PlayStation and Xbox, or they’re a handheld on the go console, like the Nintendo 3DS or a PS Vita.

1:30 So Nintendo comes along with a device that can switch back and forth between a handheld with controls built in and a sit down console so you can be on the TV. It’s like a two-in-one. It’s risky, but the value proposition was there and it happened to take off. I always say the second generation of a product is the most interesting because that’s when you pick a direction and move forward with all the things they learned.

2:05 Nintendo basically has replaced both the Wii U, the couch console, and the 3DS, the handheld console, with one device. So the Switch is successful as a two-in-one. But now think about designing the second generation. Do you wanna, you know, bias toward mostly handheld use? You think that that’s how people use it more? Or do you think people will mostly dock it so you kind of lean more toward the TV? Or do you try to ride the line and try to be good at both? ‘Cause two-in-ones of anything are really hard.

2:38 And it turns out, people use it back and forth a lot. Like there’s some investor briefings that say something like 50% of players use both handheld and TV gaming. And then slightly more use mostly handheld versus mostly docked. But this is a healthy mix.

3:00 So for the slightly larger group that’s almost always handheld, they’ve clearly focused on improvements for the Switch 2. This is a massive new screen. It’s brighter, higher refresh rate, still has decent sized bezels but generally looks much better than before. The joy-cons also got huge improvements even over the Switch OLED.

3:17 But then for docked gaming, whether it’s for more immersive longer sessions or just for better fidelity, they’ve clearly improved the dock too. The dock does 4K60 now instead of 1080. It can do HDR output. There’s now a cooling fan, so performance stays better for longer. And they threw a USB type C port on the front so you can plug in extra accessories. Also adding ethernet probably after seeing everyone playing online with an adapter, underrated.

3:46 So if the mission was to make meaningful improvements for both handheld only people and docked only people, I think they can claim to have done that. Which also means that the people who go back and forth regularly also win. Especially because the joy-con experience is the most improved part of this console.

4:03 These new joy-cons with bigger joysticks, but also the extremely satisfying magnets, this is what makes the Switch the Switch, and I think they’ve nailed this part. Instead of sliding off on rails, which is already pretty satisfying, now it’s magnets. It’s just pushing this little button and then pulling them apart and then reconnecting them is even easier with this nice color matching animation and a sound that goes with it.

4:32 Niceties, that’s a fun word, and it means exactly what it sounds like. Any new thing like this is gonna have niceties. And there’s also some downsides, which I’ll get to, trust me, but the Switch 2’s updates go beyond just the classic gen two improvements. Like I said, the joy-cons are the heart of the Switch, and I think that this is the biggest upgrade from the first generation.

4:55 That’s why they’re bigger, built better. The SR and SL buttons are way more usable for those two player games where you’re actually using those. It’s dramatically more comfortable. The magnets are great. But also, mouse mode is a new thing, and it’s interesting, it doesn’t actually do anything in most of the games I happen to play and ridiculously easy to activate. It works well on different surfaces including my pants leg.

5:22 But like I said at the beginning, this is all about games, and you know there will be games that support this to a deeper level than just clicking through menus. Like I keep coming back to that gameplay demo a few weeks ago when I saw the mouse mode used. That’s still all I’ve been thinking about with this feature. But this definitely leaves the door open for some more interesting mouse-based games potentially in the future.

5:45 And then the other obvious nicety is literally just performance. New console means new compute, even if you’re not playing new games. Just seeing the games that you already own on a bigger screen at higher frame rates is already a pretty sick update. There’s been some pretty impressive testing of different games that were kind of choppy before seeing way more consistent frame rates even without any updates.

6:10 This game, Bomb Rush Cyberfunk, used to run at 30 ish frames per second looking kind of choppy sometimes. Now it’s locked at 60 FPS on the Switch 2. It’s so much better. Now Resident Evil 5 is another one. It looks great, you know, but typically runs with some stuttering on the original. But again, the Switch 2 handles it flawlessly. Doesn’t even blink, no questions asked.

6:36 So yes, moving through menus is faster and going through the eShop and launching games is quicker. All that stuff is to be expected. But there’s also that bonus of if you are a Switch 1 gamer, then even without buying new games, the Switch 2 kind of breathes new life into a lot of your previous games, for a price.

7:02 The truth is, the battery is the weak point I’ve been able to find in my testing. And in hindsight, it probably makes sense ‘cause when you take a device and give it an even bigger display and even more frames per second and an even more powerful chip, of course battery life is gonna suffer.

7:23 My bottom line is it’s very similar to the original. Sometimes a little better, sometimes a little worse. Standby time when it’s just sitting there is fine, it’s around the same, sometimes a little better than before. But if you really get into a game, like a high intensity graphically demanding game and just play for a while, you will see the battery drain quickly. Like sometimes dropping 1% per minute or faster. So it’ll fly from 100 to 50% before you know it.

7:52 So when you’re away from a charger, plan accordingly. Like I was hoping maybe on like a four or five hour longer flight, I’d be able to just use this thing the whole time and not really think too hard about it. But you do have to think about battery life.

8:03 But the downside that’s gotten a lot of attention is the price. So the price tag for the Switch 2 is $450. So if you remember the first Switch was $300, so it’s a 50% increase in price. And so that feels like a lot, but my take is that’s not that crazy.

8:26 ‘Cause keep in mind, one, that first Switch came out in 2017. So adjusted for inflation, that’s almost $400 in today’s money. But then also, it’s been eight years since that original console came out. So eight years later, with a bigger, better display and better dock and all this re-engineering and all that doesn’t feel that crazy, if you’re gonna have this for another eight years.

8:58 In a world where we also have $1200 smartphones every single year, this feels maybe more reasonable. So the console’s price itself is fine. In my opinion, that was a bit overblown. But what’s not overblown is the criticism of everything around the console also being expensive.

9:15 Like microSD Express cards are faster and way better performing but they are more expensive for sure. Accessories across the board are more expensive and games are also more expensive, $80 for a single game. Even the Welcome Tour game, which is not as good, by the way, as the free PS5 Astro’s Playroom demo, it’s $9 for some reason.

9:41 And it looks even worse when physical game cartridges are just keys, but you still have to go online to download the rest of the game files before you can actually play them. It’s crazy. The reason they do that is because some games apparently are too big to fit entirely on one cartridge. So they split it up and put some on the cartridge and then download some others. But yeah, it looks bad, you can see how the headline writes itself.

10:07 So if you’re buying a Switch 2, make sure you then go and download all of the stuff you need while you have wifi so you don’t fire it up for the first time offline on a plane and realize you don’t have your games. Anyway.

10:21 Now, I also should mention, stick drift. So this didn’t happen on mine, but one of the most common issues with the original Switch was the joy-con sticks starting to drift after a while. And everyone kind of assumed that Nintendo obviously knows about this and would fix it with hall effect sensors. But these new sticks are not hall effect.

10:47 So will these also start to drift eventually? Unknown. Only time will tell.

10:52 So like I said at the beginning, if you’re in a purchase decision about the Switch 2, it really comes down to the games. Like which games do you wanna play? If you’re a Call of Duty person, you were never gonna buy a Switch 2. But if you love Mario and Zelda and all the Nintendo exclusives, well then, here we are.

11:12 It’s still early in the cycle, so people getting Switches now, you’ll notice there’s not really that many new games made specifically for it yet. But I mean Mario Kart World is by far and away the most popular one. So you might as well get the bundle with that and then you save your $30 there. But from there, it’s your call.

11:35 This plus a wall plug will be your vessel for whatever games you play for the next several years. Now you might have also noticed a lot during this video the joy-con skins from Dbrand. Pretty sick. But a few of us around the office have also been using the Killswitch case since the impressions video.

11:55 Best part is probably the grips on the joy-cons. Major key if you’re one of the people planning on going handheld with it a lot. And like I said in the review, I appreciate bigger joy-cons, but the shape is still not ideal for super long gaming sessions. So the grips on the Killswitch solve that. This super ergonomic handle feels like it was actually designed for human hands.

12:16 Now if you’re wondering how it fits inside the OEM dock, well it doesn’t, but Dbrand includes a dock that gives full 4K60 pass through and then doesn’t affect any of the performance. But the other thing I think is underrated is this travel cover. So if you’re going somewhere you just throw this little bungee cover over the front and then the front’s protected, ready to go. Plus it lets you store some games or accessories inside of this travel cover shell.

12:42 And then last but not least, considering Switch 2’s got a non-removable plastic film applied over the glass that gets scratched super easily, you’ll probably wanna pick up a screen protector. Dbrand’s Prism is super easy to install. It comes in a two pack and if you grab it at the link below, you’ll save 35 bucks. So if you already have a Switch 2 or if you’re gonna get one, I highly recommend checking it out. Link will be below.

13:04 Anyway, I’m gonna get back to playing some Backyard Baseball. Thanks for watching. Catch you guys on the next one. Peace.