I played the Nintendo Switch 2 for two hours — here's my pros and cons

The Nintendo Switch 2 is on the way with a global release date of June 5, and it will retail for $449 in the U.S. and £395 in the U.

K. The uncertainty over tariffs has led to Nintendo postponing Switch 2 pre-orders stateside, but the U.K.



and other regions are still able to try and snare a console before launch day.I was able to get my hands on the upcoming hybrid console at a demo event in London, where a small cluster of launch games were available to play for about a half hour each. My colleague Anthony Spadafora has already had extensive Switch 2 hands-on time and you can read his thoughts.

To me, getting a bit of time with the hardware itself was more interesting than the meagre play time afforded under the watchful eyes of Nintendo's reps. Once I got the console in my hands (we were able to play in docked and handheld mode) it confirmed several early thoughts I had about Nintendo's new device.If you're shopping for a Nintendo Switch 2 yourself, then make sure you keep checking our Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order live blog.

And if you're one of the lucky ones that snags a console, here's a complete list of all the Switch 2 launch games coming to the system.So after a couple of hours testing out the Switch 2 first-hand, here are my early thoughts on the good and the bad elements the console has to offer.Nintendo Switch 2: What I likeThe screen is a massive improvement(Image credit: Tom's Guide)Anyone out there concerned that Nintendo has dropped down from an OLED display to an LED one for the Switch 2 can breathe easy.

Not only is the quality of the screen improved with HDR and a 120Hz VRR update, but the size increase makes all the difference in the world.Moving the Switch 2 up to a 7.9-inch screen over the original Switch's 6.

2-inch feels like a gigantic step up when you've got the device in your hands. There's slightly more weight to the console than the Switch 1 but the larger screen and reduced bezels mean that games feel way more immersive.Moving the Switch 2 up to a 7.

9-inch screen over the original Switch's 6.2-inch feels like a gigantic step up when you've got the device in your hands.I never worried too much about the original Switch's 720p handheld display since Nintendo games aren't known for graphical prowess and the screen was pretty tiny anyway.

But the Switch 2's 1080p upgrade was an absolute must-have in 2025 and I'm glad Nintendo has made the jump.Joy-Cons feel more secure(Image credit: Tom's Guide)The original Switch was (and is) a gaming juggernaut but there's no getting away from the spectre of Joy-Con drift. Even if you didn't suffer the problem yourself, it has to be said the Switch 1's unique detachable controllers felt.

..a little flimsy.

Without wanting to get ejected from the Nintendo event, I tried suspending the Switch 2 vertically holding onto just one of the Joy-Cons to test the magnet strength. It barely faltered. The plastic toy feel of the original Joy-Cons has been replaced with a much more sturdy set for the Switch 2.

Connected via magnets, they slip on and off with a quick press of the release button on the back of the device. It's a much more elegant system than the slide-out method of the original Switch.Without wanting to get ejected from the Nintendo event, I did try suspending the console vertically holding onto just one of the Joy-Cons to test the magnet strength.

Of course, it barely faltered. And when you want to reattach, they snap on with a very satisfying thunk.If there's a downside, I feel it's the lack of color.

The Switch 2 is all-black, including the Joy-Cons with just a ring of red and blue around the sticks (which are also much improved) and on the inside. I'm a big fan of the way you can mix and match Joy-Con colors on the OG Switch and I'm hoping Nintendo introduces some new options later into the Switch 2's lifespan.The Pro Controller is the greatest accessory(Image credit: Tom's Guide)OK, so I may have just been talking about how good the new Joy-Cons are but the real VIP as far as I'm concerned is the new Switch 2 Pro Controller.

For my money, the original Nintendo Pro Controller was the best gamepad you could buy and Nintendo has cemented that in my mind with the follow-up.It's beautifully contoured to fit your hands just right and the buttons are tactile and responsive. Speaking of buttons, Nintendo has added two new mappable buttons to the back of the console where your middle fingers naturally rest.

There are some things that it doesn't get right. For example, I don't agree with Nintendo's decision not to put analog triggers into the Pro controller and I also think it picks up smudges a little too easily. Plus, at £75/$80 it's not what you'd call cheap.

But all that being said, I would still 100% recommend buying a Pro controller to go along with your Switch 2 and I'd be very surprised if it doesn't top our list of the best Nintendo Switch controllers before too long. If you want to know even more about why it's great, Anthony has done his own deep-dive on the controller here.Third-party games (Image credit: Tom's Guide)I got a bit of time with Cyberpunk at the Switch 2 London event and although the game has been around for awhile now, picking it up on a handheld is still an impressive feat.

Many people will buy a Switch 2 to play the likes of Mario Kart and Zelda, but in a world where we now have the likes of the awesome Steam Deck and Asus ROG Ally X, Nintendo needs more than just toadstools, koroks and karts.The USP of the device will be offering the likes of Cyberpunk or Elden Ring on your commute or at a coffee shop without any necessary tinkering or fiddling with settings to get it to play the way you want.The Switch 2 is a mass appeal device and handheld PCs are a long way from offering the same ubiquity.

The likes of the ROG Ally X may win on power, but it's not going to match the Switch 2 for benefits like ease-of-use and battery life.Nintendo Switch 2: What I don't likeI'm not sold on mouse mode(Image credit: Tom's Guide)As part of my time with the Switch 2, I got an extensive demo of Drag X Drive, the new Rocket League-style competitive game where you pilot wheelchairs around a basketball court. It was meant as a way of introducing us to mouse mode, with the Joy-Cons held flat on a table and moved around in tandem to steer the chair.

I appreciate my colleague Kate Kozuch enjoyed her time with the game, and it's a great concept. But I'm not convinced that controlling with the mouse mode isn't any better than using a conventional controller.To control your chair, you have to slide both Joy-Cons forward and lift off.

If you want to spin just one wheel — left or right — use the corresponding Joy-Con to achieve it. And to be clear, the mouse mode did work as advertised. But as I frantically slid my Joy-Cons around a pristine tabletop to chase the ball, I reflected I could probably manage just as well with my thumbs on a pair of analog sticks.

What's more, Nintendo enthusiastically tells you it's even possible to use your legs as a makeshift surface when you don't have a table. I don't know about you, but I don't see myself in too many gaming scenarios where I'll want to pop off the Joy-Cons and use them on my legs to play a game.Don't get me wrong, I love some RTS games.

But generally speaking, if I want to play them, I'll just use an actual mouse on an actual keyboard. Maybe Nintendo will prove me wrong here but I don't see this gimmick winning me over just yet.Game pricing is going to bite(Image credit: Tom's Guide)Much has been made of the Nintendo's Switch 2 pricing decisions since they were revealed and I don't want to wade into it too much here.

Suffice to say, I understand why Nintendo has chosen to do it but to me, paying £75/$80 for yet another Mario Kart isn't going to have me lining up on day one.It's another area where a Steam Deck successor could really score a win over the Switch 2 with the frequent — and generous — Steam sales knocking triple-A games down in price on a regular basis.Bottom lineI packed up and took off from my couple of hours with the Nintendo Switch 2 with two very concrete takeaways.

Firstly, Nintendo's hardware improvements are exactly what's needed in almost all areas. The screen, controls, kickstand, connectivity, internal storage and accessories have all been improved to make this a bigger and better Switch than the first version.Secondly, none of the games were enough of a draw for me to want to pick up a Switch 2 from day one.

I don't love Mario Kart or Donkey Kong enough to pay the prices Nintendo's asking for. There's no Breath of the Wild moment for me here where I'm genuinely blown away by the software on offer.As a final aside, I guess it would have been nice for one of the new features on the Switch 2 — like mouse mode or GameChat — to really hook its claws into me, but it didn't.

Unlike the original Switch which felt like a revolution back in 2017, this new console strikes me as a much-needed and well-crafted evolution. And while I probably won't pick one up at launch, I expect I'll become a Nintendo Switch 2 gamer before too long.More from Tom's GuideNintendo Switch 2 pre-orders liveNintendo Switch 2 vs Nintendo Switch — here’s everything that's newI played over a dozen games on the Switch 2 — and I have a surprise favorite so far.