Last week , Nintendo gave us a whole wealth ofNintendo Switch 2details . We acquire about its games , its mysterious C - clitoris , and get more detail on how its shiner controllers worked . It was a display fill with surprise too , from a shockingKirby Air Ridersreveal to the announcement thatGameCube games are coming to Nintendo Switch Online . I experienced some real shockers of my own when I went hands - on with the Switch 2 and find myself enamored with its new mastery outline .
I ’ve had a lot of fourth dimension to process all the news since then , and even changed my line on matter I was initially decisive of , likeGameChat . Sitting down to reflect , there ’s one thing that still surprises me more than anything : just how next - gen the system actually feels .
I was n’t expecting much when it come to top executive heading into last week’sSwitch 2 Direct . Nintendo is historically allergic to fancy tech acclivity , and I can understand why . Franchises like Kirby and Mario do n’t needs need huge power boosts to keep them fun ; game design has always outdo in writing fidelity over at Nintendo . I figured that would hold true with Switch 2 and that features like 4 K and AI - upscaling were pipe dreams . Basically , I expected that a lot of mass were going to be very , very mad .
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Instead , Nintendo belong above and well beyond my prospect . Not only will the Switch 2 be able to output in 4 K ( the bob even has a cooling lover to make that happen ) , but it also will feature a 120Hz HDR screen . That ’s even an improvement over the Steam Deck , a twist that I envision the Switch 2 would n’t surpass . Later , we learn that the console supports ray - tracing and DLSS upscaling . It ’s a list of feature article that you ’d expect to see in a portable gaming personal computer like the ROG Ally , not a Nintendo organization .
I could really sense the tangible results of that top executive when I show the console , too . Metroid Prime 4 : Beyondis drop dead gorgeous and was running at a jaw - dropping 120fps when I try it . I playedCyberpunk 2077on the machine and it contain up as well as it does on my Steam Deck OLED , if not good . Even just seeing old Switch games likeThe Legend of Zelda : tear of the Kingdomrun at a much smoother frame charge per unit was enough to convince me that the console is a serious upgrade .
This is the part I keep coming back to more than games , pricing , or controls . For the first prison term in decades , it find like Nintendo has an real next - generation cabinet on its hand . It may not have the naked specs of the PS5 or Xbox Series X , but it realize a legal profession set by diligence - leading handheld PCs . That ’s enough power for Nintendo to introduce open - world geographic expedition toMario Kart Worldand fully destructible environments toDonkey Kong Bananza . It ’s also enough to get current - gen games like Split Fiction running on the gadget , even if it ’s with visual compromises . The gap between Nintendo and its more technically capable competition is close , which could make gaming more logical across all gimmick . The more that play tech reach out a tableland , the more next Nintendo systems will now be capable to eliminate that gap further .
Granted , this is all easy to say right now . The Switch 2 ’s true test will be how it holds up over an eight - twelvemonth lifespan while the portable PC blank continue to rapidly innovate . Microsoft could harbinger itsrumored handheld devicein two months with specs that put the Switch 2 to pity . We could get a Steam Deck 2 next twelvemonth that does everything Switch 2 does , even adopting mouse dominance of some form . The Switch 2 feels majuscule now , but it ’s coming five years into the PS5 and Xbox Series X generation . If Sony and Microsoft both release Modern systems three yr from now , how outdated will Nintendo ’s system finger ?
We ’ll span that bridge deck when we get there . For now , I ’m just happy to see Nintendo embracing techie features like VRR and DLSS now instead of waitress for its next generation . The Switch 2 feels far more futureproofed out the logic gate than its precursor and I hope that remains true a few old age from now . We ca n’t go through another eight year of hoi polloi pining for a Pro model that never comes .
The Nintendo Switch 2 launches on June 5 .
