A few weeks ago, Switch 2 arrived at the shops. As Nintendo has had the kindness of providing us with a unit since the day of its launch, during this time We have dedicated ourselves to trying the console and its deep accessorieswith the intention offer you a detailed relationship of its characteristics and an assessment of the possibility of buying it in the launch period.
Many changes in little space
With switch 2 in the hand, the first thing that attracts attention is, obviously, its design, clearly improved with respect to the first model. In addition to being larger than the original, the new hybrid is robust in its construction and materials, making its little sister look like a plastic toy compared.
The successor incorporates a Custom Nvidia Tegra processor in New Generation, designed with an updated architecture that significantly improves graphic performance and energy efficiency with respect to the previous model. In the memory section, the console offers 12 GB of RAM LPDDR5, twice as much as the original, which translates into faster load times and a much more efficient multitage.
For storage, there has been a jump with 256 GB of internal memoryexpandable by microSD cards. This allows you to download and store a greater number of additional games and content without depending exclusively on the internal space. Another interesting feature, although it seems small with the naked eye, is that it has two USB-C ports And this means that you can load it when you have it on a table in portable mode or connect accessories while loading, such as a Gamechat camera, for example.
Changes in Joy-Cons drivers
As you imagined, the changes applied to the Joy-Cons have enough relevance in the new model. Also They are larger, and their analog buttons and joysticks are more receptive in general. Without leaving the theme of the controllers, they now have a small protection around their base, probably to make them more resistant to the Drifting problem, so common in the original. When separating them from the console, they have even more differences. Now They are fixed to the LCD panel through very powerful magnets And some strength is required to press the button and remove them, guaranteeing that they do not accidentally dismantle.
Luckily, the SL and SR buttons inside the joy-with also They are bigger and easy to use. This was one of the main problems of the original design when they needed to use them individually. The mouse function is also surprisingly good and It works very well in shooters or other titles that require more precise controls.
Large screen
The Switch 2 screen, as you can imagine, is one of its most interesting aspects. After all, it is much bigger, but is LCD instead of OLED. Luckily, this screens technology has evolved a lot since the launch of the first switch, and when comparing it with its successor, the new console advances ostensibly in what its panel offers. The resolution has also significantly improved, since all models of the first switch have 720P screens, while Switch 2 supports a Full HD compatible with HDR and photograms of frames up to 120 fps. As for dimensions, with the comparison it is sufficient, since the original has 6.2 inches, Switch Oled has a 7 -inch and switch 2, an area of 7.9 inches.
In this sense, as happened with the original model, it is quite reasonable to think that Nintendo will end up manufacturing an OLED version of Switch 2, which should even assume slight changes in general design. But without news about it, it does not seem highly advisable to wait to get it, since it could still take a long time.
Battery
Another aspect that must generate doubts is the switch battery 2. With a larger screen, a more powerful hardware and more demanding games, it is expected that its duration both in portable mode or, at least, unplugged Be somewhat lower.
As you can imagine the extension of the load, it varies greatly according to the brightness and the game. With 50 %brightness, ‘Mario Kart World‘ and ‘Hitman: World of Assassination‘They consumed between 20% and 28% battery per hour. ‘The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom‘, With its installed update, it consumes around 36% battery every hour. With 100% brightness, the difference increases between 2% and 3% in each game we try as a reference.
All this means that in general, Nintendo estimates seem to coincide with realitywith a battery life between 2 and 6 hours, depending on the title. It is worth mentioning that there were few moments when we noticed that the console overheated.
Launch catalog
As for the games, there is not much to say. The main protagonist is’ Mario Kart World ‘, while the rest of the Switch 2 catalog includes games that were already available in the first or on other platforms, such as’Street Fighter 6‘,’Hogwarts Legacy‘ either ‘Cyberpunk 2077‘, For example. Of course, we will soon see exclusive and new games, but for the moment there is really not much to offer for those who already had the previous console or other platform such as PC, Xbox or PlayStation.
It gets along with accessories
The owners of an original switch will feel more than relieved to know that They will no longer have to deal with that fragile support when placing the console on a surface. Following the design of the OLED model of the previous generation, Switch 2 has a much firmer support which extends throughout the bottom rear.
Leaving the console aside, we also have to stop for a moment in its accessories. Input, we must emphasize that the new PRO CONTROLLER It is really incredible and is an improvement in all aspects with respect to the original. More ergonomic and comfortableyour buttons are now much more sensitive, easy to press, and your analog joysticks are softer.
Unfortunately, we cannot say the same of the official Nintendo Chamber. It is not precisely of very good quality against its current price. The important thing here is that, if you really want to use the GameChat function, you can use any camera that connects by USB-C to Switch 2, since it recognizes them without problem.
In summary
With all this in mind, is it worth buying a switch 2? In our opinion, if you are a follower of Nintendo and you like the hybrid character of the console, you will undoubtedly take advantage of you. The only nuance would be the recommendation to wait a little for more games to be launched, since its current catalog does not offer much variety, discounted, of course, the backward titles.
Broadly speaking, it is undeniable that Nintendo has done a great job maintaining the legacy of the original, especially by incorporating so many improvements. There is no doubt that it will be a great success and that we will continue to see many genius in this small portentous. So, when you have the opportunity, do not hesitate: it is always worth having it by hand.