10 Ways Switch 2 Is Better Than Switch

Rejoice, chap Nintendo fans. On Wednesday, nan clouds parted, nan sun rose, and nan divine spectra; manus of Miyamoto reached down from nan entity to grace america pinch Nintendo’s newest handheld carnival of joy, nan Switch 2. After years of speculation, we yet person a clear look astatine nan mysterious console hybrid.

Sadly, while sleek, compact, and powerful, nan rumours are untrue. The Switch 2 does not successful truth battalion a mini small Reggie into each GPU. But aft we spent an hr during nan Direct glued to each word: dissecting it, screenshotting each image, poring complete captured video for mini clues to its shape and function, we tin yet use thing too guesswork and springiness you immoderate coagulated facts, including each nan ways it leaves its beloved predecessor successful nan dust.

1. Switch 2 packs successful a batch much earthy graphical powerfulness than Switch

This is astir apt nan least-surprising revelation arsenic practically each next-gen Nintendo console has been importantly improved complete its predecessor (yes, moreover nan Wii). Still, erstwhile released successful 2017, Switch was hardly a cutting-edge powerhouse successful comparison to Sony and Xbox consoles, and 8 years later it noticeably struggles nether demanding games. Nintendo and its partners were progressively moving up against nan limitations of nan hardware.

This week we saw elements connected show promising america a vastly improved experience: handheld resolutions up to 1080p, docked up to 4K, some pinch HDR, and framerates extending up to 120 fps. It’s a invited upgrade that should let a wider assortment of games to travel to Switch 2. We whitethorn already spot immoderate of nan consequence successful EA’s determination to big shot and shot games connected Switch 2, and 2K’s volition to do nan aforesaid pinch wrestling and basketball.

Third parties revealed each mode of current-gen games to springiness america immoderate thought of nan Switch 2’s accrued capabilities, and what we saw was encouraging: a console/handheld tin of handling Elden Ring, Street Fighter 6, and different demanding software. And what Nintendo showed of their caller first-party offerings was simply gorgeous.

2. Switch plays GameCube games. Switch doesn’t

The small purple lunchbox that could yet comes to Nintendo Switch Online, exclusively disposable connected Switch 2. Nintendo has efficaciously drawn a obstruction betwixt online experiences connected Switch and Switch 2, and that intends that from this constituent guardant those who want to play immoderate of Nintendo’s champion retro games are going to person to ammunition retired for amended hardware. Sure, it’s only 3 games correct now, but those 3 games are absolute bangers: The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, F-Zero GX, and, beatified crap, Soul Calibur 2, complete pinch Link.

Okay, seriously. Soul Calibur 2 is incredible. If you’ve ne'er played it pinch a friend you are successful for specified a treat.

3. Switch 2 recognizes nan beingness of nan Internet

When humanity later reviews and catalogues nan glorious time successful video crippled history, nan opening section won’t beryllium astir really Mario Kart is now for illustration Forza Horizon, aliases astir Donkey Kong’s return successful Bananza, aliases moreover astir nan announcement of nan until-now concealed task called Duskblood. Instead, nan book will unfastened and possibly besides adjacent pinch nan astir importantly un-Nintendo point to hap this week: easy integration of online features commonly disposable connected different platforms.

The institution that brought america Friend Codes now graces america pinch GameChat, a feature-rich connection and ocular sharing characteristic group for Switch 2. A noise-cancelling mic picks up your sound and shares it pinch friends. An optional desktop camera allows you to stock your face, some successful window-corners and successful compatible games for illustration Mario Party. You tin besides stock screens crossed consoles remotely. It’s overmuch of what we gave up connected asking Nintendo for years ago... a simple, straightforward instrumentality for playing pinch friends. I’m looking guardant to seeing really it really plays out.

Talk to your friends! See your friends! Easily! At last, Nintendo.

So overmuch imaginable awaits pinch this feature. Where my mind keeps going is Monster Hunter, pinch teams of 4 benefitting from shared screens arsenic they prosecute and trap their prey. It’s simply go unthinkable for Nintendo to voluntarily connection fans specified a useful array of online features, but present we are surviving successful nan early astatine last.

4. Magnetic Joy Cons

Okay, we’d already guessed this but it’s still really cool. Joy-Cons now magnetically threat to nan Switch 2 assemblage alternatively than slotting in. Nintendo showed disconnected really nan alloy enarthrosis buttons connected each controller pull to nan magnetic facing on nan sides of nan screen, locking them together. A property of a fastener releases nan magnetic grip.

This is simply a beautiful awesome characteristic for my location setup, wherever a support apical obstructs removing nan Joy-Cons without removing nan full Switch from nan dock, which sometimes leads to knocking nan full point down. I’m a fan.

5. A bigger screen

Bigger isn’t ever amended pinch handhelds, but fixed nan sharper solution of nan 1080p portable surface and nan quality of astir Switch games, nan flimsy summation successful size to 7.9 inches should beryllium a nett summation for astir players. The first Switch sacrificed surface existent property for portability but I deliberation Nintendo is making nan correct telephone successful giving these elaborate, characteristic -rich games much abstraction to shine.

6. Mouse controls

Nintendo was weirdly excited to show disconnected its innovative Joy-Con rodent features. A Switch 2 Joy-Con laid connected its broadside tin beryllium scooted crossed a tabletop, and its telemetry tracked to supply precise pointing and rotation. It looks to beryllium heavily-supported astatine motorboat by games for illustration Drag x Drive, Civ 7, and Metroid Prime 4.

I do emotion wacky Nintendo. My conjecture is nan rodent characteristic won’t spot overmuch usage past motorboat model (much for illustration nan microphone connected nan aged DS) but I’m really 1000% successful connected playing Metroid Prime 4 pinch a mouse. As a PC gamer, I seldom bask FPS games that unit maine to usage a controller, truthful this astonishing action feels a spot liberating. Hopefully we get Mario Paint 2.

7. More storage

This 1 is much of a double-edged sword. Nintendo crammed nan Switch 2 pinch 256GB of outer storage, overmuch much than nan original Switch. But pinch each nan Switch 2’s other graphics capacity, those asset-rich crippled files are going to beryllium overmuch bigger too, truthful it whitethorn beryllium adjacent to a wash. The representation is quicker arsenic good to woody pinch larger crippled files, which intends you’ll request a new, faster representation paper for your supplemental storage.

8. Quality of life improvements are nary mini woody connected Switch 2

Nintendo tweaked nan Switch hardware successful consequence to astir a decade of feedback. Switch 2 now features 2 USB-C ports, pinch 1 added connected apical to assistance successful charging while playing successful kickstand mode. Nintendo added a instrumentality to nan doc to assistance successful cooling consistency. Sticks are larger and sound capabilities are improved.

Even nan Switch 2 Pro Controller is simply a measurement up, pinch an audio jack (at last!) and assignable buttons. No telling yet if nan caller controller contains nan aforesaid miniaturized prima that exists astatine nan halfway of each Switch Pro Controller, giving it near-unlimited artillery life.

And 1 of nan astir subtle features mightiness beryllium astir useful. I do a adjacent spot of Switch playing connected my tabletop. The truth that nan Switch 2 surface perspective is adjustable successful kickstand mode is simply a immense woody for me. Too often, ambient ray astatine an airdrome aliases nan perspective of a tight airplane tray array make playing successful kickstand look for illustration an workout successful futility. But pinch nan expertise to subtly displacement angles, coupled pinch nan caller rodent feature, leads maine to judge I mightiness really beryllium capable to bask a superior crippled of Civilization 7 connected nan go.

9. Switch 2 gives you much choices

So first off, Switch 2 is backward compatible. That’s ever good. Microsoft has already blazed a beautiful astonishing way toward optimized backward compatibility connected Xbox, and Nintendo has besides wisely taken a statement from its ain Gamecube to Wii to WiiU history, making astir Switch games a threat to play connected caller hardware. Backward capacity helps waste consoles their first year.

While nan Nintendo Switch 2 is backward compatible pinch Switch games, it besides supports typical caller Nintendo Switch 2 Editions of definite Switch titles for illustration Metroid Prime 4. These enhanced titles connection caller features including a action betwixt a higher-res Quality Mode aliases a faster framework complaint successful Performance Mode.

One really cool characteristic of these Nintendo Switch 2 Editions is that if you already ain nan original crippled connected Switch, you will beryllium capable to acquisition a elemental Switch 2 Edition upgrade and bask each nan caller features connected your caller hardware. Let's dream it's not excessively expensive.

It’s besides imaginable that Switch 2 Editions of Switch’s notoriously-janky Pokemon games could beryllium improved by these features. Let's dream so. Throwing hardware astatine things can’t lick each problem but sometimes it really helps.

10. You request Switch 2 to play nan newest games by nan champion developers connected earth

Mario Kart World does everything we expect of Mario Kart and adds 2 cardinal elements. The first is nan expertise to traverse a continuous world Forza Horizon-style, racing from people to course, free mode exploring, fooling around, and truthful on. The 2nd is nan swelling of nan section size to 24 carts, which is, well, a batch to get one’s caput astir erstwhile nan shells commencement flying. It sounds for illustration absolute bedlam. I can’t wait.

Nintendo took its clip showing disconnected caller games but toward nan extremity of nan show we bought astir a infinitesimal tease of a caller Kirby’s Air Ride game, Kirby’s Air Riders, an announcement that would apt person resulted successful a thunderous snooze were it not for nan astonishing engagement of 1 Mr. Sakurai, known arsenic for his self-immolating activity ethic and his position arsenic deity of Smash Bros. I emotion Kirby, but Air Ride sucked... BUT it’s Sakurai truthful I’m now 100% in.

Then location was The Duskbloods, a trailer that produced immoderate hysterics successful me. At first I thought it was Bloodborne 2, past I thought it was a licensed FROM Software return connected Castlevania, and past yet I accepted that what I was seeing was an wholly original Miyazaki crippled exclusive to Switch. My friends, remember: FROM Software does not miss. Probably you will die. Probably you will dodge roll. Certainly you will person a blast.

And of course; nan existent King of Kong makes his triumphant return to 3D pinch Donkey Kong Bananza. It’s a infinitesimal of absolution for Nintendo: 26 years aft dropping nan barbequed turd Donkey Kong 64 connected an unsuspecting planet, a wiser, much skilled Nintendo has returned to nan drafting committee pinch what’s judge to beryllium a landmark adventure.

Nintendo devs person been perfectly murdering 3D platforming connected nan Switch, not conscionable pinch Odyssey and Bowser’s Fury, but besides pinch Kirby’s unthinkable travel to nan shores of nan Forgotten Lands. Bananza was constructed to showcase acold much tin hardware than these modern-day classics, which intends that nan devs had opportunities to iterate connected ideas that wouldn’t person been imaginable connected a basal Switch.

Jared Petty is simply a erstwhile IGN editor who likes penning astir really awesome and silly video games are. You tin find him astatine Bluesky arsenic pettycommajared.