TLDR Life: What I think about the Switch 2 after one month
What I think about the Switch 2 after one month
July 16, 2025
I like the Switch 2 but I'm worried about how it will fare on future games.

I'm satisfied with the Switch 2's performance on the games I bought at launch. Not to mention it was a painless launch experience for me. It's portable but it's noticeably heavy. I'm using its Handheld mode often, but it has a big perk when docked. So here's my layman's review:

The Good:
+ Impressed at the 60fps performance. The hardware looks robust. Its performance had a more powerful first impression than the Switch V1.
+ Mario Kart World is fun. There's a lot of game inside Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time. Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma on the Switch 2 is an absolute blast. Finally, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet felt new!
+ I like the 8-inch gorgeous screen.
+ Has games that I want to play on Handheld.
+ Native apps load fast. I don't have to wait long watching the loading screen of the e-shop which was silly.
+ A familiar home screen despite that it's a new system.
+ Satisfying quality of speakers on Handheld mode. Cute sounds.
+ The new Dock adds more power due to the 65W power draw. It's no longer about enlarging the game's resolution because I'm playing on the TV. But docking my Switch 2 will enhance picture vibrancy, add HDR, and boost the game's framerate.

What's uncertain:
+/- Cyberpunk 2077's performance on the Switch 2 could indicate how future games will perform on the Switch 2. Have we reached peak performance for the Switch 2? It reminds me of Wii U and Call of Duty: Ghosts.
+/- I have not experienced any Joy-Con drift. Yet there's a part of me that says, maybe we wait and see.
+/- I wonder what a Switch 2 Lite would look like.
+/- The Switch 2 is physically larger than the Switch OLED and I need to shop for big travel cases. Preferably with my Switch 2 wearing an armor plus grip and charger.

The Bad:
- Terrible battery life on Handheld mode which runs 2 hours or less. Played Mario Kart World on local wireless and we were able to play for about 45 minutes until the battery was almost drained.
- Not a fan of the game key-cards. At same price, I will choose an actual game cartridge. It's either physical or all-digital for me. Key-cards that you plug in to prompt the activaction key doesn't feel genuine. I'm buying a hunk of plastic.
- Frustrating that there's no Switch 2 upgrade of Animal Crossing or Xenoblade Chronicles at launch. I mean come on.
- It's an expensive hobby. Priced at CA$629 similar to a PS5 at launch. And then Mario Kart World priced at CA$109.
- Framerate dips on some occasions. Which is understandable but I still wonder though if the game is not optimized, the hardware is already being taxed.
- Launch model's screen is not OLED. So Nintendo will have its players double dip for a Switch 2 OLED.
- It's noticeably heavy.
- The screen can reflect glare when you bring it outside.

The biggest plus for me was that I had games that I wanted to play on the Switch 2. Especially on Handheld mode. I mean why spend CA$629 on a hardware I'm not going to use?

Moreover based on past experience, my time with a console doesn't last if it hasn't given me a great first impression. I had a good time when I tested the the Switch 2. But I also can't help feel that this should have been the original Switch experience. I expected the Switch V1 to perform 60fps when it launched. I've been so used to good hardware (with the PS4 and Xbox One) that I just accepted the first Switch as it was. Even though the framerate dipped on games like Xenoblade Chronicles. Eventually the fps on my Animal Crossing: New Horizons dipped too when running through my cluttered island.

I'm happy with my Switch 2 and I'm definitely using this expensive hardware. Though I have my worry about how it will perform with future games. Nintendo has to overcome its stigma regarding a console with "high performance". Still, I'm optimistic because of the exclusive titles.

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