Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World

Nintendo Switch 2 With Mario Kart World
I’m really satisfied with this. However, it really depends on what you’re after and it might not suit everyone.I’m a gamer and have been since the beginning, I currently have everything, a Ps5, Xbox, Gaming PC, Steam deck, smaller emulators and of course a Switch OLED. I was a bit apprehensive to get this due to the price and a small amount of launch titles available. To be fair, it’s a good line up but it’s still early days. Depending what you own and your use case, this might well be for you or it might be worth holding off.Firstly, I’ve noticed a lot talking about the Seal being broken on the box. I looked into this and it seems to be country wide across all outlets. Mine was not broken, however, I notice that a new one had been stuck over one that was. It doesn’t concern me as it just seems to be a common thing everywhere and it’s possible that the game code was not included in some boxes so they needed to check it was. With that said, make sure you open it the right way round, as I didn’t and everything fell right out (onto my bed!). Everything was wrapped properly and there were no fingerprints on anything.Setup was okay. It was easy and not too time consuming but it wasn’t quite turn on and play. I did need to update the system and I needed my OLED model to transfer saves over. This required my device for authentication as well (phone/tablet) providing you have that security feature enabled you will need it to. It also needed both Switches to be connected to the power adapter. I couldn’t do but I got around it by just swapping the adapter between them when it asked. I was up and running from box to play in about 20 minutes, that includes putting on a screen protector.Weight wise it comes in around 534g a bit heavier than the 420g OLED. It’s still comfortable to hold and the weight is better distributed because of the larger screen.The LCD screen is surprisingly good, it’s not an OLED no, but actually, I found the darker aspects is actually more dark grey where the OLED seemed to have a green tinge on things (except for the proper black, which just can’t be beaten on the OLED). It’s nice and vibrant and it’s one of the better LCD’s I’ve seen, so I think Nintendo did a good job there.I’ve heard people complain about HDR on TV when docked. I think the HDR looks great but you do need to calibrate it, if you do this correctly it should look great. Apparently, it’s much better on TV’s with HGiG (HDR Gaming Interest Group) and I’m not even sure my TV has that or not, but I’m very happy with the picture and it doesn’t look washed out, but I did spend some time getting it right.I’m not a fan of the pricing of the games, I’m really not a fan of having to pay extra for Switch 2 Versions, but if you have the membership you do get the upgrade packs for Zelda.I’ve played a few back compatibility games and I’ve found that ones that struggled before were at least a lot more consistent now. For example, Xenoblade was all over the place on the original but now it’s nice and smooth, even if it is just 30FPS. Some games with uncapped frame rates get vastly improved!Some games, not all, might actually look a bit worse on the console when undocked, for example, Bayonetta looks a bit worse due to the larger screen but the console still recognising it as undocked and using the originals code. This isn’t a bug but it’s possible it will get fixed in the future. The difference isn’t night and day but it’s noticeable and only on some games.The battery life is okay, it’s dependent on the screen brightness and games of course and I’ve heard there’s actually an issue where the percentage isn’t correct with people saying they’ve continued playing for a while after the percentage reads 0%. I believe Nintendo is aware of this and a fix is coming. New console issues really.The Joycons are better and removing them is very simple! The mouse is surprisingly good and even works well on my bed with just the sheet under it. They’re larger and much better suited towards larger hands.Mario Kart World looks fantastic as do the new launch titles. Load times are improved slightly.Now, is it for you? If you’ve never owned an original Switch, then this is a great console to start with. If you want to have a handheld console, then again, this is really a good console. If you primarily play in docked mode then this is where things get a bit tricky. Currently, because of the large price if you own any other main console (Ps5/Xbox SX) then it can’t really compete. Games like cyberpunk will still look and have better performance on the other consoles compared to the switch. If you’re mainly into third party studio games, then you won’t be getting an overall boost here. Even compared to the Ps4 Pro and Series X it can get a bit tricky and I’d say to hold off for a while. If you don’t have any other console but just a Switch 1 then this is clearly an upgrade but you’ll have to ask your wallet if it’s a £439 upgrade. Currently, you aren’t missing out on a lot and there’s some practices Nintendo are doing I’m really not a fan of but at the end of the day, if you want the best of the best in regards to Nintendo, you’re a collector, you can afford it easily, or you really want improvements to your previous library, then I think the Switch 2 is a fantastic system that has played it safe without bringing a lot of new innovation, at least yet. I’m very happy with it and as a gamer, I’m pleased with it ultimately.

A Step Forward, But Still a Stumble…
As a man with sizable hands, I have to give Nintendo credit this time — the Switch 2 is noticeably more comfortable to hold. The improved ergonomics and more solid build make it feel less like a toy and more like a proper gaming device.But that’s where the praise ends. Now the negatives:1) Battery life? A dismal 2 hours for modern games. Unacceptable, compared to the OG Switch V2.2) Game library? Mostly recycled ports from the original Switch. Where are the new titles?3) “Welcome Tour”? A glorified paid tech demo.4) Pricing? All wrong. At £400, it’s priced like a powerhouse — but it’s nowhere near the performance of a Series X, which is 6–10x more powerful and similarly priced.5) And don’t get me started on £80 games.The Switch 2 has potential, but right now it feels severely underbaked. The battery life alone makes it hard to recommend unless you’re carrying a power bank the size of a brick — and even then, that’s just hassle.Verdict: Wait until they release the inevitable refresh with better battery life. It really isn’t worth it at the moment.

Everything was perfect, the console was complete and new, the Mario kart code was there and I redeemed very easily. And most importantly, the console arrived 3 days before planned, I couldn’t be happier.

Both seals on the box were cut.