10 Ways Switch 2 Is Better than Switch

Rejoice, chap Nintendo fans. On Wednesday, the clouds parted, the prima rose, and the divine spectra; manus of Miyamoto reached down from the entity to grace america with Nintendo’s newest handheld carnival of joy, the Switch 2. After years of speculation, we yet person a wide look astatine the mysterious console hybrid.

Sadly, portion sleek, compact, and powerful, the rumours are untrue. The Switch 2 does not successful information battalion a tiny small Reggie into each GPU. But aft we spent an hr during the Direct glued to each word: dissecting it, screenshotting each image, poring implicit captured video for tiny clues to its signifier and function, we tin yet use thing too guesswork and springiness you immoderate coagulated facts, including each the ways it leaves its beloved predecessor successful the dust.

1. Switch 2 packs successful a batch much earthy graphical powerfulness than Switch

This is astir apt the least-surprising revelation arsenic practically each next-gen Nintendo console has been importantly improved implicit its predecessor (yes, adjacent the Wii). Still, erstwhile released successful 2017, Switch was hardly a cutting-edge powerhouse successful examination to Sony and Xbox consoles, and 8 years aboriginal it noticeably struggles nether demanding games. Nintendo and its partners were progressively moving up against the limitations of the hardware.

This week we saw elements connected show promising america a vastly improved experience: handheld resolutions up to 1080p, docked up to 4K, some with HDR, and framerates extending up to 120 fps. It’s a invited upgrade that should let a wider assortment of games to travel to Switch 2. We whitethorn already spot immoderate of the effect successful EA’s determination to big shot and shot games connected Switch 2, and 2K’s volition to bash the aforesaid with wrestling and basketball.

Third parties revealed each mode of current-gen games to springiness america immoderate thought of the Switch 2’s accrued capabilities, and what we saw was encouraging: a console/handheld susceptible of handling Elden Ring, Street Fighter 6, and different demanding software. And what Nintendo showed of their caller first-party offerings was simply gorgeous.

2. Switch plays GameCube games. Switch doesn’t

The small purple lunchbox that could yet comes to Nintendo Switch Online, exclusively disposable connected Switch 2. Nintendo has efficaciously drawn a obstruction betwixt online experiences connected Switch and Switch 2, and that means that from this constituent guardant those who privation to play immoderate of Nintendo’s champion retro games are going to person to ammunition retired for amended hardware. Sure, it’s lone 3 games close now, but those 3 games are implicit bangers: The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, F-Zero GX, and, beatified crap, Soul Calibur 2, implicit with Link.

Okay, seriously. Soul Calibur 2 is incredible. If you’ve ne'er played it with a person you are successful for specified a treat.

3. Switch 2 recognizes the beingness of the Internet

When humanity aboriginal reviews and catalogues the glorious time successful video crippled history, the opening section won’t beryllium astir however Mario Kart is present similar Forza Horizon, oregon astir Donkey Kong’s instrumentality successful Bananza, oregon adjacent astir the announcement of the until-now concealed task called Duskblood. Instead, the publication volition unfastened and possibly besides adjacent with the astir importantly un-Nintendo happening to hap this week: casual integration of online features commonly disposable connected different platforms.

The institution that brought america Friend Codes present graces america with GameChat, a feature-rich connection and ocular sharing diagnostic acceptable for Switch 2. A noise-cancelling mic picks up your dependable and shares it with friends. An optional desktop camera allows you to stock your face, some successful window-corners and successful compatible games similar Mario Party. You tin besides stock screens crossed consoles remotely. It’s overmuch of what we gave up connected asking Nintendo for years ago... a simple, straightforward instrumentality for playing with friends. I’m looking guardant to seeing however it really plays out.

Talk to your friends! See your friends! Easily! At last, Nintendo.

So overmuch imaginable awaits with this feature. Where my caput keeps going is Monster Hunter, with teams of 4 benefitting from shared screens arsenic they prosecute and trap their prey. It’s simply go unthinkable for Nintendo to voluntarily connection fans specified a utile array of online features, but present we are surviving successful the aboriginal astatine last.

4. Magnetic Joy Cons

Okay, we’d already guessed this but it’s inactive truly cool. Joy-Cons present magnetically drawback to the Switch 2 assemblage alternatively than slotting in. Nintendo showed disconnected however the alloy enarthrosis buttons connected each controller pull to the magnetic facing on the sides of the screen, locking them together. A property of a fastener releases the magnetic grip.

This is simply a beauteous large diagnostic for my location setup, wherever a support apical obstructs removing the Joy-Cons without removing the full Switch from the dock, which sometimes leads to knocking the full happening down. I’m a fan.

5. A bigger screen

Bigger isn’t ever amended with handhelds, but fixed the sharper solution of the 1080p portable surface and the quality of astir Switch games, the flimsy summation successful size to 7.9 inches should beryllium a nett summation for astir players. The archetypal Switch sacrificed surface existent property for portability but I deliberation Nintendo is making the close telephone successful giving these elaborate, diagnostic -rich games much abstraction to shine.

6. Mouse controls

Nintendo was weirdly excited to amusement disconnected its innovative Joy-Con rodent features. A Switch 2 Joy-Con laid connected its broadside tin beryllium scooted crossed a tabletop, and its telemetry tracked to supply precise pointing and rotation. It looks to beryllium heavily-supported astatine motorboat by games similar Drag x Drive, Civ 7, and Metroid Prime 4.

I bash emotion wacky Nintendo. My conjecture is the rodent diagnostic won’t spot overmuch usage past motorboat model (much similar the microphone connected the aged DS) but I’m really 1000% successful connected playing Metroid Prime 4 with a mouse. As a PC gamer, I seldom bask FPS games that unit maine to usage a controller, truthful this astonishing enactment feels a spot liberating. Hopefully we get Mario Paint 2.

7. More storage

This 1 is much of a double-edged sword. Nintendo crammed the Switch 2 with 256GB of outer storage, overmuch much than the archetypal Switch. But with each the Switch 2’s other graphics capacity, those asset-rich crippled files are going to beryllium overmuch bigger too, truthful it whitethorn beryllium adjacent to a wash. The representation is quicker arsenic good to woody with larger crippled files, which means you’ll request a new, faster representation paper for your supplemental storage.

8. Quality of beingness improvements are nary tiny woody connected Switch 2

Nintendo tweaked the Switch hardware successful effect to astir a decennary of feedback. Switch 2 present features 2 USB-C ports, with 1 added connected apical to assistance successful charging portion playing successful kickstand mode. Nintendo added a instrumentality to the doc to assistance successful cooling consistency. Sticks are larger and dependable capabilities are improved.

Even the Switch 2 Pro Controller is simply a measurement up, with an audio jack (at last!) and assignable buttons. No telling yet if the caller controller contains the aforesaid miniaturized prima that exists astatine the halfway of each Switch Pro Controller, giving it near-unlimited artillery life.

And 1 of the astir subtle features mightiness beryllium astir useful. I bash a just spot of Switch playing connected my tabletop. The information that the Switch 2 surface space is adjustable successful kickstand mode is simply a immense woody for me. Too often, ambient airy astatine an airdrome oregon the space of a choky airplane tray array marque playing successful kickstand look similar an workout successful futility. But with the quality to subtly displacement angles, coupled with the caller rodent feature, leads maine to judge I mightiness really beryllium capable to bask a superior crippled of Civilization 7 connected the go.

9. Switch 2 gives you much choices

So archetypal off, Switch 2 is backward compatible. That’s ever good. Microsoft has already blazed a beauteous astonishing way toward optimized backward compatibility connected Xbox, and Nintendo has besides wisely taken a enactment from its ain Gamecube to Wii to WiiU history, making astir Switch games a drawback to play connected caller hardware. Backward capableness helps merchantability consoles their archetypal year.

While the Nintendo Switch 2 is backward compatible with Switch games, it besides supports peculiar caller Nintendo Switch 2 Editions of definite Switch titles similar Metroid Prime 4. These enhanced titles connection caller features including a enactment betwixt a higher-res Quality Mode oregon a faster framework complaint successful Performance Mode.

One truly chill diagnostic of these Nintendo Switch 2 Editions is that if you already ain the archetypal crippled connected Switch, you volition beryllium capable to acquisition a elemental Switch 2 Edition upgrade and bask each the caller features connected your caller hardware. Let's anticipation it's not excessively expensive.

It’s besides imaginable that Switch 2 Editions of Switch’s notoriously-janky Pokemon games could beryllium improved by these features. Let's anticipation so. Throwing hardware astatine things can’t lick each occupation but sometimes it truly helps.

10. You request Switch 2 to play the newest games by the champion developers connected earth

Mario Kart World does everything we expect of Mario Kart and adds 2 cardinal elements. The archetypal is the quality to traverse a continuous satellite Forza Horizon-style, racing from people to course, escaped mode exploring, fooling around, and truthful on. The 2nd is the swelling of the tract size to 24 carts, which is, well, a batch to get one’s caput astir erstwhile the shells commencement flying. It sounds similar implicit bedlam. I can’t wait.

Nintendo took its clip showing disconnected caller games but toward the extremity of the amusement we bought astir a infinitesimal tease of a caller Kirby’s Air Ride game, Kirby’s Air Riders, an announcement that would apt person resulted successful a thunderous snooze were it not for the astonishing engagement of 1 Mr. Sakurai, known arsenic for his self-immolating enactment ethic and his presumption arsenic deity of Smash Bros. I emotion Kirby, but Air Ride sucked... BUT it’s Sakurai truthful I’m present 100% in.

Then determination was The Duskbloods, a trailer that produced immoderate hysterics successful me. At archetypal I thought it was Bloodborne 2, past I thought it was a licensed FROM Software instrumentality connected Castlevania, and past yet I accepted that what I was seeing was an wholly archetypal Miyazaki crippled exclusive to Switch. My friends, remember: FROM Software does not miss. Probably you volition die. Probably you volition dodge roll. Certainly you volition person a blast.

And of course; the existent King of Kong makes his triumphant instrumentality to 3D with Donkey Kong Bananza. It’s a infinitesimal of absolution for Nintendo: 26 years aft dropping the barbequed turd Donkey Kong 64 connected an unsuspecting planet, a wiser, much skilled Nintendo has returned to the drafting committee with what’s definite to beryllium a landmark adventure.

Nintendo devs person been perfectly murdering 3D platforming connected the Switch, not conscionable with Odyssey and Bowser’s Fury, but besides with Kirby’s unthinkable travel to the shores of the Forgotten Lands. Bananza was constructed to showcase acold much susceptible hardware than these modern-day classics, which means that the devs had opportunities to iterate connected ideas that wouldn’t person been imaginable connected a basal Switch.

Jared Petty is simply a erstwhile IGN exertion who likes penning astir however fantastic and silly video games are. You tin find him astatine Bluesky arsenic pettycommajared.