In June 2025, the Nintendo Switch 2 was released to a worldwide audience. Meant as an improvement to the original Nintendo Switch gaming console, it sported a variety of new features that were appreciated by the community. I recently bought one (after months of saving up with my brother), and this is my personal review.
First things first, I’ll address my opinion on the console. Don’t worry – it’s positive, but I have my fair share of complaints. In general, I haven’t really found any use for the newer features, and I’m not too sure about the games either, but I think it was mostly a good decision. However, I do want to go into some more detail.
Possibly my biggest annoyance is the price – the basic system costs nearly $450, and if you want a game to go with it, that’ll set you back another $80. You can purchase one of the launch titles, Mario Kart World, in a bundle with the console for only $500, but it’s kind of a big ask considering the original Nintendo Switch launched at $300.
This gets to another question – is it worth it to get a Switch 2? I’ve thought about this, and my answer depends on a few specific circumstances. My bottom line is that I don’t recommend it unless you don’t already own a Switch (the first one) or you’re specifically interested in a console exclusive. Which leads into the last issue: the games themselves.
The Switch 2’s library is massive… which is a no-brainer given that it’s backwards compatible with all original Switch games. The Wikipedia category “Nintendo Switch 2-only games” lists only 30 titles that can’t be found anywhere else. This ties back to my recommendations – a standard Switch’s library dwarfs the Switch 2 exclusives, so unless you really want one of those 30 games or there’s not a Switch (either kind) in your house, playing on the Switch is best.
The only other thing that might influence you is the new features of the Switch 2 – or rather, I should say “feature”. The only introduction that really benefits everyone is the GameChat feature, which allows you to effectively start a video call with your friends while you all play the same game. But as I found out, unless you’re really committed to playing with friends, GameChat gets almost no mileage. The only person I know and play videogames with frequently who also has a Switch 2 is my brother, and we don’t have more than one Switch 2.
On a final note, I would like to say that a key part of my review is missing: I can’t speak for the game library, seeing as I bought the bundle with Mario Kart World and haven’t paid $80 for any of the other 29 exclusives, but I don’t think one game (even though it’s really good) can be worth spending $500 for.
