The Nintendo Switch 2 Experience is a must-see attraction

There has been much malaise and discourse surrounding the Nintendo Switch 2, in the wake of the eye-catching Nintendo Switch 2 Direct. Wild excitement swiftly turned to frustration, post-event, as a high price tag was revealed, and this was subsequently followed by the announcement of global trade tariffs installed by the United States government. Then, the pause of all console preorders in the United States and Canada.

The uncertainty around these global changes has left the Nintendo Switch 2 feeling like an abstract concept, at the mercy of world leaders. The price tag, taken in isolation, has been discussed as prohibitive, even taking inflation into account. The slim array of new launch titles has also been a point of contention, with many saying they’d rather wait for a more robust lineup.

Having now played the Nintendo Switch 2 for myself, at the New York version of the Nintendo Switch 2 Experience, it’s no longer a concept. More to the point, getting hands-on has helped to push me off the fence, and made clear what the console’s biggest strengths are.

If you’ve managed to nab tickets to the Nintendo Switch 2 console experience in your local city, it’s more than likely you’ll be in a similar boat – and you’ll be able to see exactly what Nintendo has planned for this long-awaited release. While the concerns around the console remain valid – the price tag is high! – there’s a significant shift in perspective that getting hands-on will give.

The Nintendo Switch 2 is a familiar, but novel upgrade

As I previously covered in my hands-on report, the Nintendo Switch 2 will be familiar to those who’ve played the original Nintendo Switch. It’s notably heavier than its predecessor, and its controls have novel new features, but the principles remain the same. It’s a clever choice, as the original Nintendo Switch became a best-selling console for good reason (largely, great design).

It’s the smaller tweaks that make the most difference for this console, and you can really see these changes in action when you’re standing in a hall full of Nintendo Switch 2 games, all offering unique gameplay styles, controller functionality, and interactivity.

At the New York version of the event, which subsequent events in cities around the world will emulate, there were dozens of Nintendo Switch 2 games on show, each with their own dedicated stations. Many of the games offered were those third-party releases like Cyberpunk 2077, Split Fiction, and Street Fighter 6, but the experience also includes demos for new release titles like Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza, Drag x Drive, and some of the Nintendo Switch 2-enhanced ports of classic NS games.

Each offered some new twist, guiding by that core Nintendo fun. There are so few things in the world that effectively capture the carefree joy and freedom of childhood, in a way that can be experienced by anyone, of any age. In the mix of new and familiar, the Nintendo Switch 2 Experience in New York effectively conveyed that joy, while highlighting what’s new, and what’s old, with this upcoming console.

The “chat” button means a lot more than first appears

I didn’t get to experiment with one of the biggest changes for the Nintendo Switch 2 – the inclusion of a “chat” button – but during the event, it became clear that it’s a defining part of the console. That the Nintendo Switch 2 aims to connect people through gaming, no matter where you are in the world.

Personally, I’m not enamoured by the chat feature itself. My idea of gaming is very different to what was presented during the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct, and if a friend called me during my gaming time, I would have certain words with them. But the idea of expanding the reach of gaming, to be a more social activity, enjoyed with others, is admirable, and feels much-needed in a world becoming more disparate.

In multiplayer games like Super Mario Party Jamboree, new social features helped to create a warmer, hyped-up atmosphere around gameplay. It was only in having the literal space to play games alongside friends, with the air of excitement throughout the Nintendo Switch 2 Experience, that I understood this new focus on togetherness.

It was in seeing my exhausted little face (it’s a 23 hour journey between Sydney and New York) cheering for Bowser in a rock concert in Super Mario Party Jamboree that I really got it. This particular mini-game uses the console’s new camera accessory to place in you in the action alongside your friends – and it’s both hilarious and wonderful.

Prior to the event, I would’ve said I was done with Jamboree, and that a camera wouldn’t add much. But the bizarreness and absurdity of seeing myself on-screen, half-delusional from lack of sleep, cheering my lungs out for Bowser, was euphoric. I want to bottle the feeling, so I can remember how fun and silly it all was.

I experienced that same sense of euphoria while playing through Mario Kart World‘s Knockout Tour mode, competing to be the best racer in a room of dozens. This particular mode tasks you with staying ahead of the pack, and making the cut-off in rounds around race tracks. Much like Fortnite or Fall Guys, you’ll need to be the best to survive. In the process of elimination, it was hilarious to hear various shouts or screams across the room in the Nintendo Switch 2 Experience, as competitors just missed the cut-off for the next loop around the map.

It pushed me to race faster, to attempt to get ahead. I fell in the process, but it remained a fantastic experience, made better by the folks around me.

A demo of Drag x Drive also benefitted from the Nintendo Switch 2 Experience rub. In this game, you are competing in rounds of wheelchair basketball, using the Switch 2’s unique mouse controls (where you run the Joy-Con 2’s along a surface) to control each wheel of your ride.

In isolation, I’m not sure I’d find enduring fun in this particular game, but surrounded by folks in a similar boat, learning the controls, making plenty of mistakes as they zoomed across the basketball court, it was an absolute blast. It also helped to highlight the good vibes backing the game and the console, and the all-importance of chat, as a concept.

How to attend the Nintendo Switch 2 Experience

If you’ve got the chance – whether by nabbing tickets early, or getting lucky with the waitlist – you need to check out the Nintendo Switch 2 Experience. For those who missed out, this article may be salt on the wound, but for those who do have tickets, it should inspire well-earned excitement.

For those still on the fence, the Nintendo Switch 2 Experience is likely to push you right off. For those already excited for the console, it’s a welcome tease for the future – a highlight reel of all the best things on the way. Mostly, for me, the Nintendo Switch 2 Experience proved to be a tangible, real glimpse at what this console can achieve, and why Nintendo has chosen such a familiar route for its next era.

Now is the time to get excited about a bright future – one that tariffs, inflation, and the state of the world, can only somewhat dampen.

Tickets for the Nintendo Switch 2 Experience have now been allocated, but you can join the waitlist for your local event on the Nintendo website.

_{GamesHub attended the Nintendo Switch 2 Experience in New York, lightly modified for media, as a guest of Nintendo. Flights and accomodation were covered for this trip. Nintendo did not have editorial oversight of this article.}