The Switch 2 is here: everything you need to know about Nintendo’s new console

If you choose to get an extra controller for your Nintendo Switch 2, you can spend a lot — and get a lot in return. Buying Nintendo’s own $89 Switch 2 Pro Controller, for instance, will net you the console’s only wireless controller with a 3.5mm headphone jack for private listening, not to mention great-feeling rumble and a slick design. It’s not perfect, but it’s otherwise the total package in terms of features.

But it’d be a disservice to you to call it a day there. There are several third-party models that are cheaper, yet don’t make too many compromises in terms of features. In fact, there’s now an affordable option that replicates the Switch 2 Pro’s OS-level rear button customization on a per-game basis, which was previously exclusive to Nintendo’s first-party gamepad. I’ve spent time testing a handful of these gamepads, including new ones as they release, and there’s a small batch of models that I think will satisfy most people, with a range of styles, prices, and features.

Unlike the original Switch, the Nintendo Switch 2 requires microSD Express cards for storing and playing games. While physically identical to microSD cards (aside from a small, easy-to-miss “EX” emblem etched onto the front of the card, as highlighted in the main image above), microSD Express cards are significantly faster. They advertise a 4.4x increase in transfer speeds over regular microSD cards.

That speed boost is necessary for loading Switch 2 games that have more detailed textures and larger worlds than those that are possible on the original Switch. You may not need to buy one immediately, however, unless you foresee quickly using up the Switch 2’s built-in 256GB SSD.

You might find it kind of sad to put your hard-earned Switch 2 into a protective case. To me, it’s freeing. Sure, it can take away from the slick design. But using a case relieves me of the worry that the console will accumulate tons of little scratches, or worse. I’ve tested several types of cases on the Nintendo Switch 2 since it launched in June, including flimsy shells that snap or slide onto the Switch 2 to provide a simple, aesthetically pleasing barrier from scratches to the console and its Joy-Cons. I’ve also tested carrying cases that protect the console when it isn’t in use.

It didn’t take long for me to find one that I think is the best, but that hasn’t stopped me from trying new options from brands that are familiar, as well as from companies that aren’t household names. There’s something for everyone — and every budget — below.

Following the initial reveal last September, Nintendo has released a new trailer detailing which Virtual Boy games will be available to Switch Online subscribers starting on February 17th alongside revamped headsets, and which titles will launch later this year. The company also revealed some new features for the games, including the option to change the color of Virtual Boy titles, which were notoriously limited to only bright red on the original hardware.

Both the $99.99 Virtual Boy headset accessory and the $24.99 cardboard version require a Switch or Switch 2 console to be inserted in order to play Virtual Boy games. The lineup of games launching alongside the accessories on February 17th includes Teleroboxer, Galactic Pinball, Red Alarm, Golf, Virtual Boy Wario Land, 3-D Tetris, and The Mansion of Innsmouth.

A glass screen protector is one of a few essential accessories that I strongly recommend to every Switch 2 owner. In fact, it should be a priority to stick one onto the console’s screen as soon as possible to avoid accidental scratches.

To test the candidates below, I installed and removed Switch 2 screen protectors on my console at an alarming rate, more than any sane person should, and here are the most important takeaways:

The Nintendo Switch 2 can be enjoyed right out of the box, but it’s even better with the right accessories. Some of these add-ons are more crucial than others, especially if you’re deciding what to buy early on. For example, a case and a screen protector can keep your console safe from scuffs, scratches, and drops, so both are what I’d consider to be essential. If you’re not a fan of how the Joy-Con 2 feel to use, a cheap but good wireless controller wouldn’t hurt, either.

On the other hand, a microSD Express card lets you add even more digital games to your library, although the console’s somewhat generous 256GB of internal storage means you may not need one right away (unless you buy a lot of games that are 50-70GB each, such as Cyberpunk 2077 and Madden 26). Some other accessories don’t add enough to the gaming experience to justify the cost. Those Joy-Con 2 steering wheel accessories? You can pass on those.

2025 was a big year for gaming, and that includes gaming hardware. Nintendo launched its Switch 2 console in June, and since then, numerous Switch 2 titles and noteworthy updates for original Switch games have launched. These include brand-new Nintendo experiences like Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza, as well as some belated but welcome third-party titles, including Cyberpunk 2077 and Divinity: Original Sin 2. Even classics like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild got some new life on the upgraded console.

If you’re considering buying a console, or you’re getting one for someone else, there are 11 games that we think are a must-buy for any Switch 2 owner.

Nintendo recently issued an update (21.0.0) for its Switch 2 console that, in addition to some small changes, has caused some third-party docks to stop working as intended. In the early weeks and months of the console’s availability this summer, companies raced to figure out the right commands, the right power draw, and the right chips to use in order to trick the Switch 2 into thinking it had connected to the real thing — Nintendo’s dock, which is included with every console. Now, some of them will have to figure out how to do it again.

You’re not alone if you think Nintendo did this on purpose. But did it? According to Nintendo, not exactly. Gaming site Kotaku published a new statement from the company that says it “does not have any intention to hinder or invalidate legal third-party dock compatibility.” Read in one way, it seems like Nintendo didn’t intend to cause these issues with its latest update. Read another way, Nintendo has apparently established that there’s a legal and an illegal way to create a third-party Switch 2 dock, and a lot of the ones out there were made illegally, apparently.

Third-party controller makers that have figured out how to wirelessly wake the Switch 2 from its standby mode are generally loud and proud about that feature. That’s because there still aren’t many controllers that can mimic one of the $89.99 Switch 2 Pro’s biggest selling points, which is letting owners turn the console on from their couch. It’s still something to brag about, and yet notable accessory company 8BitDo doesn’t seem keen to boast that it recently debuted new firmware for its Pro 3 and Ultimate 2 that enables this handy trick.

Version 2.0 of its firmware for both controllers (available now in its Ultimate Software V2 on Windows and Mac) brings shake-to-wake support on Switch 2. Once either controller is paired with this goofy one-time procedure, you can simply turn on your gamepad, give it a little shake, then your console will wake up. I’ve confirmed that it works on my Switch 2 with both controllers.

I got to try Kirby Air Riders this morning at a Nintendo holiday showcase, and I wasn’t prepared for how difficult it was — and how bad I am at it. The Switch 2-exclusive racer launches November 20th, and it’s full of modes, collectibles, and new characters to play as. To be clear, there’s absolutely nothing chill about Kirby Air Riders. It’s the sequel to Kirby Air Ride, a cult classic GameCube game, and a passion project for Masahiro Sakurai, the game’s director who was previously at the helm of the Super Smash Bros. franchise (it’s easy to spot the shared DNA).

The demo had us play through some tutorials, which were easy to grasp, yet it was eventually clear that this game has a lot more in common with F-Zero than Mario Kart. It’s fast and chaotic, words I never expected to ascribe to a Kirby game. While most Kirby games are generally easy — too easy for some — Air Riders gives you very little time to react to incoming obstacles, and aggressive vehicular combat is all but necessary to gain boosts to stay ahead.

I have a dead cockroach in my ceiling, and I only noticed it thanks to a Switch 2 screen protector that, ironically, is supposed to tame reflections. The protector in question is a pre-production sample of the Jsaux Obsidian AR screen protector, which is coming in October for $21.99.

The company claims it’s better than standard screen protectors because it features a similar physical vapor deposition (PVD) coating found in the Apple Studio Display. It’s supposed to reduce glare while retaining a glossy appearance — an ideal combination for gamers, since you can’t always choose where you’ll play games.

During today’s Nintendo Indie World showcase, I had two epiphanies. The first was the realization that friendslop games are about to hit the Switch 2 like a falling piano in a Road Runner cartoon. The second was that I love that for me, because that means I can finally play them.

My friends love “friendslop,” the initially derisive but now descriptive nickname given to indie co-op games with a loose gameplay structure that permits the kind of chaos that can make games go viral on social media. And from what I’ve seen, I would love it, too. Friendslop is known for low-quality graphics (hence the “slop” part) that give a game a stylized look that’s common among other indie games. The term hasn’t become a ubiquitous genre descriptor like metroidvania or soulslike, but it’s still useful for labeling the kinds of casual co-op games that have recently exploded in popularity, primarily on Steam.

Just about every piece of hardware that Nintendo sells is getting a little more expensive in the US — with the exception of the Switch 2. That includes all models of the original Switch, a bunch of accessories, and even a motion-activated alarm clock. The changes were made ahead of sweeping Trump administration tariffs that are scheduled to go into effect in August, and they show Nintendo is leaning on a strategy that it has employed across its business: largely avoiding risk. Raising the price of a new console isn’t the best look, and so the company is trying to claw back some of that money in safer ways, without gambling on the success of its most important product.

Earlier today, Nintendo announced that these new prices would go into effect starting on August 3rd. The actual increase hasn’t been announced yet, but a since-removed listing from Target suggests that the console hikes could range from $30 for the base Switch model to $50 for the OLED version. The move follows similar increases in Canada, and Nintendo says they’re being implemented “based on market conditions,” which is corporate speak for tariffs. Notably absent from the list of impacted products is the Switch 2. Nintendo says that current-gen hardware, along with games and Nintendo Switch Online subscriptions, “will remain unchanged at this time.”

With the Switch 2, Nintendo seems to be closing the release date gap with some of its third-party games. It’s a problem that plagued previous Nintendo consoles, which often received games years after other platforms, if at all.

While today’s Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase may have lacked the splash of anticipated third-party games like Hades 2 or FromSoftware’s The Duskbloods, what was on display offered some interesting insight.

GuliKit is following the release of its $49.99 Elves 2 Pro controller with a slightly cheaper alternative that brings a feature that’s still somewhat rare among third-party gamepads: remotely waking the Switch 2. The new GuliKit Elves 2 sacrifices some of the Pro’s more premium features like advanced haptics, but for $29.99 — available now in translucent black or coral red — it could be a budget-friendly alternative to the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller.

The Elves 2 could also appeal to gamers who prefer a symmetrical joystick layout, similar to what the PlayStation’s controllers use, or those who still have a soft spot for the Sega Saturn gamepad.