On April 27, I attended the Nintendo Switch 2 Experience in Toronto, where fans could go hands-on with the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 console as well as several games and accessories for the new platform. Here’s a rundown of the event and my thoughts on everything I was able to try out.
Invited attendees were first allowed to take a look at Nintendo’s new console including the controllers and dock. The size of the system immediately caught me by surprise. The handheld unit’s screen is 7.9 inches when measured diagonally, a sizable increase from the 6.2-inch screen of the original 2017 Switch. This means that the dock and Joy-Con 2 controllers are larger too, although they didn’t seem to sacrifice ergonomics for size. It helps that the new console is the same thickness as the original Switch, meaning the successor won’t be terribly heavy when held in the hands.
Next, I was able to hold the Switch 2 for the first time. I’m happy to report that the magnets connecting the Joy-Con 2 controllers to the primary handheld unit are incredibly sturdy and should keep the controllers steadily locked onto the console unless the release trigger is intentionally pressed. The Joy-Con 2 also didn’t jiggle when attached to the system (an annoyance I have with the original Nintendo Switch hardware), which should provide further stability when playing in handheld mode. I even dangled the handheld unit in the air, holding it up by one of its Joy-Con 2 controllers, and the system stayed firmly attached.
I asked a Nintendo representative if there should be any concern that the magnets will weaken over time, as magnets are prone to doing. I was informed that the magnets will essentially recharge through an electric current when the system is plugged in, an interesting fact that I haven’t seen Nintendo mention anywhere online. If the representative is to be believed, consider that your exclusive The Brock Press snippet of the day.
I was also able to connect the Joy-Con 2 to the system backward, and to my surprise, they both snapped on without a problem and were just as easily removed. In true strict-Nintendo-policy fashion, the Nintendo representative on standby would not allow me to take a picture of the unit with the controllers facing backward, although I was permitted to take pictures with the system oriented correctly. Oh well.
Next, we moved into an area dedicated to the Switch 2’s blockbuster release title, Mario Kart World. I was paired up with another attendee who came to the event by himself, and we raced against each other on a few different tracks.
Before we get into the game itself, it’s important to mention that we played the game in TV mode and I was using a pair of Joy-Con 2 controllers connected to a Joy-Con 2 Charging Grip, a purchasable accessory for the console. The size of the controller was very nice, especially compared to the small Joy-Cons included with the original Nintendo Switch. The Charging Grip featured new mappable GL and GR buttons on its grips, but I found them to be small and somewhat uncomfortable to reach with my fingers. I found the GL and GR buttons to be much larger and more ergonomic on the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller, but we’ll get to that later.
The game ran incredibly smoothly and was beautiful on the big screen. The art style of Mario Kart World really shines in the bounciness and cartoonish style of its characters, who are brilliantly animated with superb attention to detail. The Nintendo rep on standby even pointed out that characters will glance at each other when one races past another — it’s this sort of small detail that makes the game feel consistently fluid and expressive.
The new items on display were lots of fun, as were the new characters. Naturally, I played my first race as the fan-favourite cow from Moo Moo Meadows, whom the Nintendo rep informed me was a very popular selection at the event. New items that caught me by surprise were a question-mark block that provides several coins by mashing the L or ZL button, and a new Kamek item that spawns several large enemies on the racetrack. The new content provided plenty of surprises which added to the fun.
One of my favourite parts of the demo was the new physics system. For example, when racing on the surface of a lake, you can do tricks off the rippling waves, which can be triggered by various events on the water surface. Also, when you hit an obstacle or are hit by a shell, you stumble and roll across the track rather than experiencing a standard ‘explosion’ animation like previous titles. Changes to physics like these made the world of Mario Kart feel much more fluid and satisfying as a result.
I was also able to try a race in handheld mode, which played very similarly, as you might expect. Unfortunately, I found the colours of the system’s screen to be a tad dull, especially in comparison to the Nintendo Switch – OLED model that I use. It’s possible that the screen’s brightness was simply turned down at the event, but I wasn’t able to pull up these settings on the demo unit I was provided with. In fact, the Capture and Home buttons were both completely disabled on these units, so I wasn’t able to check out the home screen at all.
We were then allowed to experience a few minutes of the game’s Free Roam mode, which allows you to freely explore the open world of Mario Kart World, before going into a 24-player round of the game’s new mode, Knockout Tour.
Free Roam mode was good fun, and I could tell from the few minutes I got to play that the world is vast and simply begging to be explored. I couldn’t explore too deeply given the short playtime of this section, but I managed to find a huge suspension bridge and take control of a massive transport truck, the same mechanic that briefly appears in the game’s reveal trailer.
Knockout Tour, which takes you across a multi-track race that spans the length of the game’s world, was a true highlight of the experience. As you pass various checkpoints, you need to stay above a certain standing in the race to avoid being eliminated — for example, the first checkpoint requires you to be 20th place or higher to avoid elimination; the second requires you to be 16th place or higher; and so on.
I ended up being eliminated in 9th place as I missed the 8th-place cutoff of one of the checkpoints. My pivotal error seemed to be targeting one specific player with three subsequent green shells, which apparently caused them to vow revenge and target me for the remainder of the race. I totally got what I deserved, and that’s the fun of Mario Kart in full force.
I could tell that this mode will be incredibly special with online play once the game releases. It’s high stakes reward expert gameplay with 24 players competing for the top spot, a higher player count than the series has ever seen. Knockout Tour will likely be how many players primarily engage with the game when it releases.
Next, we were ushered into an area dedicated to Donkey Kong Bananza, a 3D platformer where you bash your way through walls and the ground itself to find caves and create paths. My hopes for this game were incredibly high, as I really enjoy huge, polished 3D platformers like Super Mario Odyssey and Astro Bot.
I could see elements of masterful platforming design at play, but unfortunately, much of my 20-minute game demo was bogged down by an unusual control scheme. See, the game has the A button make Donkey Kong jump rather than the B button, which is standard across the majority of Nintendo’s platformers. This led to me consistently missing button inputs and forcing myself to pause to reorient myself.
Thankfully, it’s been confirmed that Switch 2 will allow button re-mapping through the system’s settings, but seeing as I didn’t have access to that on the demo unit, it didn’t help me in the moment. Unfortunately, this meant that some of my time with the game demo was a bit frustrating, which is maybe the worst thing I can say about a 3D platformer’s control scheme.
The game itself was quite enjoyable, though. It seems like there will be hidden collectibles all over the place, and plenty of secrets to uncover. While the controls held it back, I think the final game will be a really fun experience with a lot of exploration in store.
Interestingly, at one point, I mentioned to a Nintendo rep that the game feels like it was made by the 3D Mario team, and she confirmed that this is in fact the case. Nintendo usually doesn’t reveal which team develops each game until they release, so either she had no idea what she was talking about, or she just told me something she probably wasn’t supposed to. If she ends up being right, I suppose that’s your second exclusive tip of the day!
This was also a demo I got to play with the already mentioned Switch 2 Pro Controller, which I have to say easily feels like the best Nintendo controller ever released. The controller keeps the ergonomic, comfortable design of the original Switch’s Pro Controller, but adds on GL and GR buttons that are easily reached by the middle fingers and a C button that can be used for Switch 2’s new online mode, GameChat. Something that caught me off guard about the controller is how quiet the joysticks are when you move them around. They glide around effortlessly and feel incredibly smooth. It’s a small touch, but it goes a long way in making the controller feel much more premium. I would highly recommend you avoid the Charging Grip and opt for the Pro Controller instead.
Next, we were moved into a “free play” area with plenty of demo units set up to play a variety of games at our own leisure. I had the opportunity to play a variety of games and add-ons for Nintendo Switch 2, which I’ll break down here.
One of the first new experiences I was able to try was a few of the additional minigames being added into the paid Switch 2 upgrade for Super Mario Party Jamboree. First, I tried a few of the new minigames that take advantage of the mouse functionality of the Joy-Con 2, and I’m happy to confirm that the mouse concept integrates seamlessly with the idea of Mario Party. The new mouse minigames are as clever and chaotic as ever, and it feels like a new generation of creative potential has just been unleashed unto the Mario Party developers. The $30 CAD Switch 2 edition upgrade might be worth it for the mouse minigames alone.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the new camera minigames, which require a USB-C camera to be attached to the device. I played a few of these minigames with three Nintendo reps, and honestly, it just felt a bit awkward the whole time. There’s a bit of standing around while you wait for your turn, which isn’t great when you’re all seeing each other on the big screen. We played one “minigame” where you need to shout as loud as possible for the Switch 2’s built-in microphone to gauge your volume, which was somewhat socially uncomfortable to play with three representatives I had just met. I suppose I can see some of the potential here, but the short amount I got to play with the camera and microphone simply wasn’t enough to convince me of the concept.
On the other hand, I was absolutely blown away by the Switch 2 edition of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. I played the game at 1080p on the big screen running at 120fps, and it truly felt like a carefully crafted next-generation experience. The game is visually stunning and its performance is like a dream. The game is made infinitely better by the addition of mouse controls exclusive to the Switch 2 edition, and honestly, I can’t imagine playing it any other way. There were some moments that felt specifically tailored to a point-and-click style of gameplay, and it would have been awkward to use traditional dual-joystick controls to complete these sections.
However, if you prefer standard play, you can simply lift the mouse and the game instantly transitions to a traditional gameplay style without any need to navigate a menu. It was all incredibly seamless, and the entire experience felt thoughtful in its execution. The engaging gameplay and world created by Retro Studios truly impressed me in this soon-to-be masterpiece.
I’ve never played a Metroid Prime game before, but the 15 minutes I spent with this demo was more than enough to convince me to pick the game up at launch. The game will probably also be delightful on the original Switch, but after experiencing the amazing performance and mouse controls included in the Switch 2 upgrade, I highly recommend you play the next-gen version if you decide to give this game a go.
I wasn’t nearly as big a fan of the new Nintendo IP, Drag x Drive, though. The game has you use two Joy-Con 2 controllers as mice to control a wheelchair — ahem, sorry, vehicle — from which you try to win a game of basketball.
The inclusivity of the wheelchair concept is a nice inclusive gesture, but unfortunately, that’s about all the game has going for it. The repeated motion of sliding two mice to roll forward is somewhat awkward, and the way you turn by sliding the mice in opposite directions is difficult to grasp. The player sitting beside me even told me that his wrists were starting to cramp from the fully motion-based gameplay, which I can see quickly becoming a problem for some of Drag x Drive’s players.
It doesn’t help that the aesthetic style of Drag x Drive is drab and uninteresting, with the gameplay taking place in a boring, grey arena featuring humanoid robots as the players. This game clearly fills the same role that ARMS did for the original Nintendo Switch in that it’s trying to justify a new control style unique to the console it’s designed for, but the difference is that ARMS’ art style is bright and unique while Drag x Drive’s art style is muted and dull.
If Nintendo releases Drag x Drive as a $20 digital title, I can maybe see the appeal. If this is released as a full-price physical title, though, I’d definitely recommend you stay away from this one.
I was also given the opportunity to try some of the GameCube library games being added to the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack catalogue using the re-released GameCube controller, and they were pretty much exactly what you’d expect. The games look and run well on Nintendo Switch 2, and it’s incredibly exciting to see a new generation of gamers being given the chance to play these games in an accessible way for the first time. It was fun to play snippets of these classic titles on the new platform, and I’m excited for Nintendo to release even more in the coming years of the Switch 2’s lifespan.
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Overall, I had a wonderful time playing Nintendo Switch 2 and seeing what it has to offer. While some games were definitely better than others, the event truly made me feel that this console will allow Nintendo’s next generation of games to shine brighter than ever before.
If the increased processing power of the Switch’s successor wasn’t enough, I was consistently impressed by the unique ways that the console makes use of its new mouse functionality, which could very well become one of the defining aspects of this new console.
With a bigger screen and better controllers than ever before, Nintendo has proven that they’re taking their next generation of hardware incredibly seriously.
Only time will tell at this point if Nintendo’s latest console will resonate with players in the way that the company is hoping for — but from what I could tell at the event, they’re certainly on the right track.