Nintendo is switching a few things up with its new console as it enters the next generation of gaming.
The Switch 2 was unveiled Wednesday morning during a Nintendo Direct press conference, and Variety got a hands-on demo with the hardware and games launching on June 5. In addition to being bigger and more powerful, the Switch 2 now includes a built-in microphone to talk with friends online and a new way to use a Joy-Con controller like a wireless mouse. While it’s not as groundbreaking of a technological jump as the GameCube to Wii or the Wii U to Switch, the Switch 2 improves upon the original’s design and injects fun, upgraded gameplay into beloved franchises like “Mario Kart,” “Donkey Kong” and more.
“Mario Kart World” was the first game revealed during the Nintendo Direct, and the biggest change from previous entries is that now 24 players will compete against each other to see who can zoom through open-world racetracks the fastest. One giant map replaces the four individual tracks from past games, and racers will be much more immersed as the game seamlessly transitions through various regions — like sandy deserts, snowy tundras, sprawling cities, rainy villages and much more. There are 30 playable characters, with plenty of new and familiar faces. Just about everyone from the world of Mario is here. New racers include Paulina, Cowboy Mario, Goomba, Wiggler, Hammer Bro, Biker Bowser, Mariachi Waluigi, a viral Moo Moo cow and more costumed versions of classic characters. Players can use new items, like an ice flower to freeze enemies and a mega mushroom to grow and squish them, grind on rails, defy gravity by wall-jumping and turn their karts into boats or airplanes.
The game introduces Knockout Mode, which places the 24 players in a series of six races that eliminates the slowest drivers until there’s one winner remaining. For example, one race stretched from icy glaciers to overflowing rivers to a bustling town as racers frantically hit the gas, grabbed items and duked it out to the end. A free roam mode ditches the races and lets players drive through the massive world and discover new paths with friends. There will also be weather and a daytime/nighttime cycle that affect how each course looks.
Mario’s foe-turned-friend Donkey Kong joined in on the fun with his own game, “Donkey Kong Bananza.” It’s a 3D-platforming, action-adventure game that seems inspired by the open-world levels of “Super Mario Odyssey” and “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.” Set in a cavernous, underground mine, Donkey Kong can smash through just about every rocky surface — whether it’s a wall, floor or ceiling — and monkey-climb his way to high peaks. In addition to his super-powerful fists, he can pick up boulders to throw at enemies, smash his way through obstacles and even ride them like craggy surfboards. The level of destruction and detail in Donkey Kong’s demolition is impressive and no doubt wouldn’t be possible on the current Switch.
The technical upgrades come at a price, though. “Donkey Kong Bananza” costs $70, while “Mario Kart World” has a heftier price tag of $80. The Switch 2 itself costs $450, and if you want “Mario Kart World” along with it, you can buy it bundled with the console for $500. Current Switch titles cost $60, and when the console launched back in 2017 it was just $300. The Nintendo Direct announced the Switch 2 release date but sidestepped discussing its price, leaving fans riled up online. The Switch 2 is still cheaper than the PlayStation 5 and Xbox One X launch prices, but gamers are worried that this could signal a permanent price increase for the industry.
Current Switch owners will be able to upgrade existing titles like “Super Mario Party Jamboree,” “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” and “Tears of the Kingdom” with Switch 2 features. “Super Mario Party Jamboree” showed off six new minigames that used the Joy-Con’s mouse mode in inventive ways. There was a “Tetris”-esque block stacking challenge, air hockey with Koopa shells and a tracing game where players dragged a dangling Toad through an electric maze onscreen. The high-sensitivity controller put your hand-eye coordination to the test in the games, and a future “Mario Party” could bring even more creative minigames.
Finally announced last week, the long-delayed “Metroid Prime 4: Beyond” is now coming to the Switch and Switch 2. In the demo, space bounty hunter Samus Aran had to shoot her way through hordes of space pirates and a gigantic alien boss. Nintendo’s first-person shooter controls get a major lift as players can now use the mouse mode for more precise target practice. For non-PC gamers, it can take some getting used to as decades-old Nintendo controls are getting a modern facelift with the mouse, but Samus’ lasers soon hit their marks after some trial and error.
The “Metroid” and “Mario Party” demos had smooth desks to test the mouse controls on, but how will that translate to playing at home? Most people don’t have perfectly sized desks to sit at when reclining on their sofas and playing games on the TV. The new sports game “Drag x Drive,” which pits teams of players against each other in high-tech, wheelchair-basketball games, relies on the mouse controls, but seemed nearly impossible to learn without a desk to sit at. Nintendo has said that gamers can use their laps as makeshift trackpads for the mouse controls, but trying that out yielded some moderate, but awkward, success. Depending on the game or high-intensity boss fight, it may not be enough to simply slide your Joy-Con controller around your thigh to win a “Metroid” space shootout or claim victory in a “Mario Party” showdown.
As a new console generation approaches, Nintendo is relying on “Mario Kart World,” the sequel to the Switch’s best-selling game ever, “Mario Kart 8 Deluxe,” to push units. A wide range of third-party titles, like “Elden Ring,” “Cyberpunk 2077,” “Final Fantasy VII Remake,” “Hogwarts Legacy,” “Borderlands 4” and more, will bolster the Switch 2 library. There are also upgraded Switch titles, like “Breath of the Wild” and the upcoming “Pokémon Legends: Z-A,” which will revitalize those hours of entertainment, and a retro GameCube catalog that gives nostalgic gamers the ability to revisit their pasts. The Switch 2 may not have a new “Mario” or “Legend of Zelda” launch title or a revolutionary feature, like the Wii’s motion-control, but it’s a modern, powerful console that can stand alongside PlayStation and Xbox instead of lagging behind. The family-friendly party games and also more challenging adult titles should give gamers of all ages a reason to join Nintendo’s next generation — if only Mario would spare a few gold coins to bring the price down.
