Nintendo Switch 2: Early review thoughts from our first days with the gaming system

With the majority of us now in possession of our Switch 2, it’s time to start playing. You know, testing. Yesterday marked the release of the Nintendo Switch 2 in stores, and pre-orders began to be shipped to customers. Walmart preorderers seemed to have been the luckiest, as they received their units first thing in the morning along with extra snacks and beverages. For those of us who were unable to place a pre-order in April, the availability of the product in physical retail establishments was a pleasant surprise.

Although the Switch 2 has already been given a few in-depth hands-on opportunities, today marks the second day of availability, giving us unrestricted access to the new $449 Nintendo portable console with the most recent software installed. Here’s a brief recap of where we left off yesterday, but the liveblog below is a collection of our thoughts in reverse chronological order.

A brief summary of the current situation and the topics we have discussed in this liveblog is provided here as the day draws to a close. Even without pre-orders, it appears that most people who made trips to retail stores were successful in getting a Switch 2 on launch day, and there appears to be plenty of stock. Those who are searching for supplies online are finding it more difficult, and team members who placed preorders have had to wait a lot longer for their devices to arrive. Our Aaron Souppouris’ pre-order has arrived. the controller. However, his Switch 2 is still en route and has not yet arrived at his house.

Sam Rutherford, our senior reviewer, has been updating this liveblog with his evaluations today while he works diligently to compile our official full review. He observed that the Switch 2’s display reaches 450 nits when ambient brightness is turned on and 400 nits when it is not, according to the readings from his lightmeter. Depending on the game, the numbers can increase, but it’s relatively dim for an HDR device.

Sam has also not yet noticed that the device is overheating, and this isn’t solely due to the new dock’s integrated fan. He thinks the dock feels a little more substantial and sleeker than before. The new console has one extra socket, which somewhat evens things out, but he thought it was strange that the dock only had three USB ports rather than the four on the original Switch’s dock.

However, Sam noted that the dock only has one USB-C port, and that port is used for power. You might need adapters to connect your USB-C accessories, such as the official Switch 2 camera, because the dock’s other two ports are USB-A. For those who frequently dock and undock their systems, it is not recommended to plug it straight into the Switch 2. “..”.

Check out our Engadget Podcast livestream on YouTube if you would rather catch up via video. Sam Rutherford and Devindra Hardawar answered questions from our live audience and shared their impressions.

A wealth of information has already been written about the Switch 2, and you can review our previous coverage to learn about all the pertinent details to date.

Nintendo Switch 2: The last sneak peek As the title suggests, this isn’t a comprehensive review, but rather our thoughts after using the Switch 2 for a few hours at a Nintendo event that was closed to the public last month.

How to purchase the Nintendo Switch 2: In stock consoles and games: Walmart, GameStop, Target? The Switch 2 is oddly missing from Amazon, but here are some quick links to other online retailers. Please keep in mind that stock availability is not implied by a product page. ().

The best microSD cards for the Switch 2: Our Jeff Dunn provides an overview of the available options. Did you know that the Switch 2 uses a brand-new microSD card format for expandable storage?

Here is our liveblog from our second day using the Switch 2.