[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] This is a gift. If it's as stated in the listing then it will be exactly what was requested by a family member

The Nintendo Switch 2 builds smartly on its predecessor’s hybrid formula, offering better performance, a sharper OLED display, and improved battery life. Games load faster thanks to the upgraded processor and SSD-like storage, and the system handles more graphically demanding titles smoothly—even in handheld mode. Backward compatibility with Switch 1 games is a huge win. The Joy-Con redesign adds comfort and reliability, finally addressing drift issues. While it’s still not as powerful as PlayStation or Xbox rivals, the Switch 2 excels in portability, family-friendly gaming, and exclusive Nintendo titles. It’s a worthy upgrade for both new players and longtime fans.

Switch 2 is sadly a bit of a mixed bag. The hardware on offer is fine. The price I would say is about in line with what I expected. The real problem with the Switch 2 is the "hidden costs" that pile up. For starters the system is not an OLED model and the LCD panel they used is slower than the original switch or the Switch OLED. This can cause motion blur/ghosting in some games. Customers may already be aware, but it bears repeating that Switch 2 will have a high volume of third party titles that are "game key cards". What that means is if you buy a game in store the game is not on the cartridge and you then have to download the games. For large games in excess of 50-60 GB? This can become a problem. The issue is compounded by the fact that Nintendo skimped on internal storage only offering a paltry 256 GB of storage. And if you move from Switch 1 to Switch 2? The Switch 2 tries to move EVERYTHING from Switch 1. The best bet is to migrate only stuff you want one at a time or download cloud saves if you are subscribed to NSO. So your internal storage will get used up pretty fast. So with so many game key cards, unless you buy additional storage? You are going to be uninstalling and redownloading a lot of titles. And this additional storage is a different format with SD Express. This has faster read speeds and all that. But ideally with how many titles are game key card? You are going to want that 1 TB and that costs another $200. Add to that to buy Mario Kart World outside of a bundle? You are looking at $80 for a game that Nintendo themselves set the value of at $50. If you buy that same digital version separately on E-shop you will pay an extra $30. If you are someone like me that values physical games? Switch 2 is a machine that may be a bit less appealing if you want to play third party titles on it. And many of these will be ports of games that are already available elsewhere and at a cheaper price. I mentioned hidden costs, and already discussed the storage. But to use voice chat? You need to have a subscription to NSO and the expansion. Welcome Tour which is nothing more than a system demo is $10. They also upped the prices on Switch 1 consoles and accessories. I personally am not buying any game key cards and will not buy those titles digitally. I will not be paying $80 for Mario Kart either. So what game did I buy? Cyberpunk 2077. A game I already own and played on Steam. It's all on cart. And that's worth supporting. The reason I bought Switch 2 was largely as a replacement for my aging launch Switch 1. (though I will keep my Switch 1). Because Nintendo somehow think it's ok to remotely brick a $500 piece of hardware even if you buy a used title that someone dumped and redistributed. I have no complaints about Walmart. They handled my preorder well, and it felt like Walmart cared more about me as a customer than Nintendo did.

The Switch 2 is a very welcome upgrade to the Switch. I can’t boast its graphical capabilities but its upgrades to Switch games are already magnificent. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet give me whiplash with how smooth they run. Also, while the screenshare function is laggy and slow- overall me and my pals love talking over Gamechat. Could we just use discord? Yeah, but it’s somehow invigorating doing it from the console.

I am happy with the purchase; the console looks sleek, and the buttons on the Joy-Cons are bigger than the Joy-Con 1's, along with the thumbsticks. The screen being much larger than the Switch 1's display makes a HUGE difference. It's quite a nice upgrade. The dock is also much improved and better than the OG Switch dock! As far as games, I would say the leap is noticeable. Mario Kart does feel next gen; Street Fighter and Cyber Punk obviously look and feel fantastic. Fast Fusion is simply a beautiful game on the Switch 2. I look forward to experiencing games like Metroid Prime 4 in 120 FPS! Final thoughts: if you already have a Switch 1 or an OLED, you aren't missing that much yet; do not panic or feel the need to overspend. If you get the Switch 2 this early, just know what you're getting into! There aren't going to be many games to play; you most likely may find yourself playing your Switch 1 games still anyway. The long-term value of this console is there, but right now it feels more like a phone upgrade compared to the Switch 1 due to the lack of game selection! Enjoy your Switch 1. If you are waiting to buy this, you will be fine!

Pricey, but absolutely worth it for the performance upgrade. I only bought Switch 1 two years ago, but the large amount of added frames per second on titles like Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild, ($10 switch 2 upgrade required) as well as lag free menu perusal, makes this a no brainer. If you are on the fence: Breath of the Wild runs SO much smoother. It runs smoother at 3440x1440p than Switch 1 does at 1080p. Add HDR and the colors really pop, especially with a q-oled screen. Magnetic Joycons feel much more primo. Everything feels snappy and responsive. For those who are wondering, the process of transferring your data from your Switch 1 to the Switch 2 is very straightforward. I dont remember every step off the top of my head, but the last step is you bring your switch 1 next to your switch 2 and it transfers the data wirelessly. Just need to be connected to the internet and follow the prompts. Mostly pretty easy peasy. BIG added hardware grunt. I remember reading a blurb where Nintendo claimed it was 10x faster. I dunno how accurate that is, but im willing to believe in practice its most of the way to that claim. Also, for those who have some of the newer 1440p or 4k alienware monitors, go into your joystick OSD menus and turn on 'Console Mode' its the only way to activate resolutions higher than 1080p. Then swap over to your S2, and go to system settings, display, and turn it to 1440p or 4k. For those running any 1440p or 4k monitor that isnt alienware, i imagine there's a similiar process. Google it. Comes with several times more storage space than the Switch 1. Can add another SD card later if you require more. What else...has a number of Switch 2 titles for an added subscription, you can get NES library, SNES library, N64 library, Gamecube (Windwaker!), Wii (i think i saw skyward sword on there) and Switch 1 library. Not sure about Wii U. All in all, expensive, but a serious step up over its predecessor. 10/10

Took what felt like forever to get. Constant refreshing online. It was around 2 am when 1 was left. I heard mixed reviews from people I know. A friend said his friends who bought it said the switch 2 was not as good as they thought. But my kid (35) who has been gaming since they could hold a controller said it is amazing. I had to get it. I have been playing dragon quest builders 2 on my switch for some time. The island i have been working on has been lagging because there is so much stuff. Was so annoying. Switch 2-- no lagging (not exaggerating). It is more clear %26 the loading time is amazing. I cannot wait to play botw %26 totk again on the switch 2. The only downer is the charging takes a lot longer %26 it stays charged about 2-3 hours of continual use. Not too bad considering it is larger than the switch. Overall, I have no regrets!

i bought the Mario kart world bundle for the switch 2 on June 05 day one at the walmart release walked in grabbed the bundle the box was a little scratched but its fine tue contents inside was untouched so i did not really mind, works flawlessly and the performance was way better than the original switch. tue second one i bought online for my brother because he really wanted one as-well so i got him it and he loves it too. only con for me personally is the battery life of the switch its alright they could’ve squeezed in more of a bigger battery to last an extra hour or two considering the pricing of the console. other than that it is a great system so far no issues 👍🏻

Awesome upgrade to the original Switch. It’s bigger and better than the OG. Games look crisp running at 4k 120fps and even the games that run at lower frame rates or resolution look better. If you have a ton of original Switch games you can play them on the new system and some of them have even been upgraded. The Switch 2 feels really comfortable in hands and I have big hands. Sound is also amazing, almost Atmos like. It’s just a good system. Can’t complain!

The Nintendo Switch 2 has even worse connectivity issues than the Nintendo Switch Lite, and yes, I checked to make sure my internet wasn't what was causing the problem. The battery also isn't all that good. You would think that with it being bigger, it would have a battery that could hold more of a charge, but no, it's even worse than the Nintendo Switch Lite.