I can now say I’ve been a proud Nintendo Switch 2 owner for two weeks, and I am very happy with the new hardware. I got lucky and was able to pre-order mine for Day One as I mentioned in Nintendo Switch 2 Release | Part I. I even got to pick mine up at midnight the night before release.

Midnight Release

Back in the early 2010s I attended a couple of midnight game releases each year (usually the latest Madden). There were also midnight movie showings on Thursday nights. This was before seat selection was available, so you’d have to get there extra early and wait in line. Today, you can watch a new movie a few days before release at a reasonable hour because no one really cares any longer. You can also pre-order your games digitally and pre-download them, another welcomed improvement.

What I realized on the night of the Nintendo Switch 2 Midnight Release was that this was my first time pre-ordering a video game console. In the past I’ve told myself, I don’t really need the new one yet, only to start hunting for one a few weeks (sometimes days) later.

I was hoping my Best Buy would put on more of a spectacle for the midnight launch of this new Nintendo generation. I know the Nintendo Stores (New York and San Francisco) went all out for the release. My Best Buy did have one employee dressed up as Mario, but I’m pretty sure that was his own choice. There was also a private security guard in camo and a bulletproof vest just in case any of us nerds stepped out of line — no one did.

Since my friend was also picking up his Nintendo Switch 2 at the same Best Buy — because I made him do that — I made it into a full night event for the two of us. We started off with the movie Friendship, starring Tim Robinson and everyone’s favorite Nintendo console spokesperson since the 90s, Paul Rudd. Next, we ate some legendary Sports Grill wings (Miami, FL) and headed over to Best Buy.

On arrival, we were put off by the extremely long line to the left, but we quickly learned that line was for walk-ins (or non-pre-orderers). The pre-order line to the right was much shorter. We got in line and made it inside about an hour later at around 12:30 am. I wonder how long the first people in the walk-in line had been out there — I remember seeing people camp out for PlayStation 4 at a Best Buy a few days ahead of release.

The funny part is that once I got home I didn’t even get to play any Nintendo Switch 2 (or Mario Kart World) until the next night. I mainly wanted to make sure I set up my new console and downloaded whatever I needed for our trip to Naples, FL the next day.

It went the way that almost every midnight release in the past had gone. I’d get home excited to play my new game, only to run into 50+ GB of information to download before playing. Goodnight, Madden. See you tomorrow. Still, it felt nice knowing that you were going to be ready to play your new game the next day.

Launch Game(s) Strategy

The Nintendo Switch 2 launch was more like getting a new iPhone than a new console in the past. Instead of having only one or two launch games to play, I can also choose to continue any of the games I was previously playing on my original Nintendo Switch. In a few months, after a few more exclusive games drop, I’m sure it will feel like a bigger deal.

There was really only one big launch title, Mario Kart World. Nintendo also released Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, but that should have been a pack-in tech demo — like PlayStation 5’s ASTRO’s Playroom which taught all the great new features. The rest of the launch games were third-party games, like Survival Kids, Cyberpunk 2077, and Split Fiction.

Mario Kart World ended up being the perfect launch title for the Nintendo Switch 2. It’s a great strategy by Nintendo. They could have gone with Donkey Kong Bananza or some other single player adventure, but that might have slowed sales. Mario Kart World is also a game that we will all be playing for this whole console generation, and I’m sure they plan to continuously update it with new characters, tracks, and more for years to come.

With the increase in console prices (and everything else), you want to launch with a game that people can play together. To play Mario Kart World you will only need one Switch 2 per household at the moment (up to four players). Also, you don’t want to be the friend who’s still playing the eleven year old Mario Kart 8 Deluxe after all of your friends have moved onto Mario Kart World — and you can’t play Mario Kart World on the original Switch.

The original Switch launched with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. It was also available on the Wii U. I have one friend who played it on the Wii U, and I wondered why he didn’t just wait a little longer.

The previous Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has also remained in the top selling games category for the Nintendo Switch for the entire generation — and it was originally a Nintendo Wii U game. In fact, it was the sole reason I purchased my Wii U — to play with my nephew. I still purchased the Deluxe Edition when it came to the Nintendo Switch. So, the Mario Kart franchise is definitely a “System Seller.”

Switch 2 Features

I already compared the Nintendo Switch 2 upgrade to getting a new iPhone, but there’s still a lot I’m loving about this new console. It’s a bigger handheld console with a larger screen, but it is also somehow lighter. I also now have the choice to play some of those “next-gen triple A titles” on a Nintendo console, which wasn’t an option before (Cyberpunk 2077, Borderlands 4, Madden and FIFA).

I’m obsessed with the new magnetic joy-con attachment. It’s much more satisfying than sliding them on and off. There was tons of small changes in the menus and UI, which make it feel familiar but also updated. The background sounds have been slightly updated (or remixed) to make every little thing feel a little bit better. I still have many features to test out and learn about, maybe I will eventually purchase Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour.

I’m very happy with my new Nintendo Switch 2. All I have left to say is, “Bring on the games, Nintendo (and everyone else)!”