I’ve been covering toys since 2018, but I’m not sure I would describe myself as a “gamer.” Then again, I have logged a lot of time behind Nintendo consoles, starting with the original NES in the ’80s, and continuing through now, when I find myself in endless Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros. contests with my 9-year-old. (I won’t tell you who wins.) So, when I was invited to try out the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2, I jumped at the chance like Donkey Kong going for a banana.
What I like most about our Nintendo Switch is the way everyone is encouraged to play together. Whenever we have relatives visit — be it cousins in their 20s or my father in his 70s — we can usually sit down with a game like Mario Party and be on a (mostly) even playing field.
The features
So the most intriguing new feature of the Nintendo Switch 2, to me, is the new GameChat. That lets up to 12 players connect with each other while they’re gaming, and an embedded microphone is said to pick up a player’s voice while filtering out background noise. (But not clapping. The Nintendo developers made a point of saying that cheering is important, and wouldn’t be silenced.)
People can also share their screens and show off what they’re playing — even if everyone is doing an entirely different game. And if they connect a camera, they can simultaneously show off their screen while also filming their own faces and reactions. While I’d be sad to give up the feeling of gathering in one room to compete together, I like the idea of the 9-year-old getting to play with those same relatives — and see their faces and hear their voices — even if they weren’t nearby on a visit. And the developers promised that GameChat only works with friends (that can be approved by parents, in the case of kids), and that players are never added to chats with a room full of strangers.
I didn’t get a chance to test the GameChat feature, but I did test out the camera during a version of Super Mario Party Jamboree re-vamped for the Switch 2. I got to see myself wear a digital Mario hat and pop out of warp pipes, and I did get a kick out of watching a miniature version of me on screen next to Bowser. I was also thrust into a Mario Kart World “Knockout Tour” race with 23 other people attending the event — at certain checkpoints, the bottom four racers were eliminated from the competition. It was mayhem, but in the best way. So, after my one day of testing, I would say collaboration is the strongest selling point of the Nintendo Switch 2.
I made it through a couple check points before I was knocked out. Maybe I would be better suited for the “Free Roam” mode, where drivers can just tool around.
I’m not a tech expert, but the Switch 2 also has some hardware upgrades that even I can appreciate. The most noticeable is the way the Joy-Con 2 controllers attach to the console. They attach magnetically, and just click into place. No more sliding on and off the top rail. As a parent, for me that means there are fewer pieces to lose or break, so I approve.
The games
For some games, the Joy-Con 2 controllers can be used like a computer mouse — I got to see it in action during Drag x Drive, a new wheelchair basketball game. (Something neat: You don’t have to have a table to work the mouse — it works on your pants.) That was novel for me, but then again, I grew up in the age of Minesweeper and know my way around a mouse. I’d love to see my Gen Alpha daughter, who has only ever lived in the trackpad era, and see if I finally have an advantage over her, tech-wise.
Speaking of games, Nintendo announced a slew of them, including a bunch of family-friendly titles that I can see my brood gathering around to play, including Donkey Kong Bananza, Kirby Air Riders and a new Zelda game,Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment. But it also seems like Nintendo is partnering with third-party developers to bring other games to the Switch 2 — games that skew older, like Cyberpunk 2077, Fortnite, Hitman World of Assassination, Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut and Borderlands 4. (Parents, time to make sure you know how to set those parental controls.)
The price
The Nintendo Switch 2 launches on June 5, but you have to save those coins, because the price starts at $449.99. That doesn’t include the camera ($50) or the subscription to Nintendo Online, both of which are needed to use GameChat. The games, too, are a little higher in price: Donkey Kong Bananza will be $70, and Mario Kart World will be $80. (There’s a Switch 2 bundle that comes with Mario Kart World for $499.99.) The question: Will seeing your far-flung opponent’s face fall as you destroy them in a kart race be worth the price tag?
Marisa (she/her) has covered all things parenting, from the postpartum period through the empty nest, for Good Housekeeping since 2018; previously, she wrote about parents and families at Parents and Working Mother. She lives with her toy-collecting husband and daughter in Brooklyn, where she can be found helping out her team at bar trivia or posting about movies on Twitter and Bluesky.
