Topic: Nintendo Switch 2

[ThePerm]

Are ya'll waiting in line yet?

Not yet.  I was thinking of doing it after one of my shifts tomorrow but the one Arizona Best Buy has a NS2 summer gaming event on the 21st of June. So I may just pick up a Switch 2 at that time.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/video-games/video-game-releases-events/pcmcat308100050002.c?id=pcmcat308100050002

When I posted that I was thinking it was coming out in July. I was getting the Superman and Switch 2 dates mixed up.
Jokes on me I guess.

[Caterkiller]

I've been hearing that the Switch2 feels more like a premium product than the last Switch and I'd say that is definitely true. Feels sturdier, looks a bit sleeker and just functions more efficiently.

I was waiting for a Xenoblade X patch to finish my run of the game but decided to play anyway. Holy smokes, the resolution and the frame rate! I can clearly make out the creatures and armor sets now! I was not prepared for darn near every game getting some form of a boost in a generic resolution and/or frame rate boost. It really is an amazing plus especially since I have so many games just sitting unfinished.

I tell you what though, Mario Kart World really is something special. I remember being wowed by Mario Kart 8's visuals on the Wii U so long ago but that was about where it ended. I enjoyed my time with Mario Kart 8, but haven't LOVED Mario Kart since the DS version. I buy all of them, I play them when there is nothing else to play and it serves it's purpose as a family game to bond with everyone.

Now though? Nah bruh, this Mario Kart? I haven't smiled so hard or laughed this much with a game in a very long time. There are a few moments during races where I am in awe. The spectacle and presentation really hits me hard sometimes! There are some really cool tracks in 8D,  but with this game there is real context of where everything is and later on if I want to I can go there, so these tracks don't just feel real, they are real!

The wide open spaces do not detract from the experience. Not when there are 23 other racers trying to clobber you at every moment. Not to mention the wild life, road hazards and local vehicles going to and fro. I am always jumping, dodging and moving my butt to keep from being annihilated.

And with so many tracks like Big Blue and Mount Wario I am in absolute love! For my tastes this is just what the doctor ordered! A race around the world like Flash vs Super Man. I don't mind 3 lap traditional races but man am I glad this is no longer the majority of races any longer.

The item balance isn't nearly as maddening as it once was! I mean you get hit over and over but the recovery of the vehicles is just better! Charge jumping can get you out of a few jams if you are skilled enough and reliably dodging blue shells with mushrooms is so much easier now!

And Donkey Kong looks like sentient being again. Thank God!

Just let me adjust the music volume! That music is so good I really want to hear it without all the frantic engines and items all over the place. Oh and there is no way to join friends while they are playing randoms online. Hopefully they add that in like it was in 8D.

Anyone try Gamechat? I see a few of you online with your chats set up and eventually I'm gonna send you a chat request. We've been on these boards typing since we were in our teens and now that I'm nearing my 40's you should all enjoy my receding hair line! Game Chat works really well, and it's surprisingly a seamless and pleasant experience. I did not think I would be into it but playing while chatting with one of my buddies was really nice.

[pokepal148]

I dislike this kind of messaging but it feels particularly apt here. The Switch 2 is straight up what the Switch should have been when it came out. The joycon 2s are substantial enough in your hands to actually feel like worthy successors to the Wii remote, the magnets are way better than that sliding rail nonsense on Switch 1, and having a second USB-C port on top of the system is something that honestly should have been there from the start.

[Kairon]

the magnets are way better than that sliding rail nonsense on Switch 1

The magnets I think are documented to have been what they wanted for the Switch 1, but that they didn't get fully working in time for release.

[lolmonade]

I'm pretty satisfied on the hardware front.  Even with losing OLED, the screen looks sharp.  The size up is pretty meaningful and a great upgrade for my eyes.  I was ok with the original joycon but they feel just right in the hands now. 

Software-wise my feelings are pretty muted:

- Street Fighter 6 is a good port of a game I like a lot, you can feel safe buying it if you're a fighting game fan.

- Mario Kart World is a mixed bag.  It's bursting with character, everything is so expressive and the soundtrack's like a love-letter to everything Mario.  Several of the tracks are way too wide, even with the additional racers (that said, we have the best Rainbow Road ever).  You can find yourself in 15-20 second stretches of not seeing any CPU racers in these stretches.  I'm ambivalent to the free roam mode.  Could use a lot more to do inside the world, and it'd be great if I could drive around at the same time as my sons.  Knockout Tour is the best thing that's happened to MarioKart in a long time.  it's some of the most grueling and brutal racing i've played, and it's a lot of fun overcoming that challenge.

- Breath of the Wild - I've had limited time to dive in, but in dabbling a little bit it's of course nicer looking, much more smooth running.  I struggle a little bit with it because i've played the original several times and my brain has a hard time not saying "this feels wrong".  Had a similar experience between Ocarina of Time & Ocarina of time 3D.

- I'm so happy that Gamecube games made their way to NSO.  Almost immediately jumped into Soul Calibur 2 & F-Zero GX.  I would have paid for an HD remaster but in lieu of that I'm really grateful it's here.


On the new software features, the most important one to me is funny enough the app integration with screenshot & video sharing.  Changing the setting to always transferring screenshots & video to the app makes it incredibly easy to share them with others.  I don't have a use case for the camera so some of the communication features aren't important to me.  i'm grateful the eshop has been revamped, flagging which of your wishlist games are on sale is huge.  An eshop that isn't snail slow is great too, but we'll see how long it takes for this one to buckle under the weight of thousands of games.


Overall satisfied with my purchase.  It's not a must have but for someone who plays primarily Nintendo I don't feel cheated on the hardware.  It's just a good thing i've got a decent backlog to burn time until something that appeals to me comes out.