You can use your iPhone (and likely Android phone) as a webcam for the Switch 2 if you connect them via a USB-C to HDMI cable and HDMI converter cable — total cost about $30.
No need to buy a dedicated webcam just for the new console, which are typically worse than the cameras on modern phones anyway.
Nintendo made the original Switch’s game cards taste terrible, coating them in a bitter chemical called denatonium benzoate. So we had to know... do Nintendo Switch 2 cartridges taste better? Time for a taste test! And while we’re at it, why not add a button battery coated in the same stuff, a Nintendo DS cartridge, and a 3DS cartridge too? Don’t try this at home, kids.
Have a look: we tested load times on three Nintendo Switch games on the Switch 2, and they’re noticeably faster. So is the eShop.
We aren’t having great luck, and Reddit’s seeing mixed results too. Though Nintendo assured the public that “you can use... any compatible USB-C camera you’d like,” our USB-C toting Logitech Brio 4K, Opal Tadpole and DJI OP3 aren’t working, even while a nine-year-old Logitech C922 with USB-A does when docked.
Redditors say the Elgato Facecam, Insta360 Link, Sony ZV-E10, and Sony’s various PlayStation cameras don’t work, while aging Logitech and Microsoft Lifecams apparently do. Modern cameras that seem compatible: Razer Kiyo Pro, Logitech StreamCam, Logitech Brio 300. We’ve pinged Nintendo, and are calling in more cameras.
Pokémon Home has become the centerpiece of Nintendo’s larger Pokémon ecosystem, and the company announced this week that the cloud storage service is getting a new feature called Wonder Cards that will make it easier to receive event pokémon and special item giveaways.
Nintendo has acknowledged an issue with Ultimate when a match is played online between people on Switch and Switch 2 and one of them is Mii Fighter, IGN reports. An update is in the works.
Staples (the retailer) is selling the Switch 2 today, but some people getting the console at Gamestop say they had staples (the office equipment) on the front of their console boxes that damaged the screens on their Switch 2s. IGN covered some of the reports.
A Reddit user opened up one of Nintendo’s reissued GameCube controllers for Switch Online members and discovered the D-pad internals are redesigned. They note the original controller’s D-pad sat further from the board, requiring a shaft to accommodate the gap. The new model’s main board is closer to the surface, which they claim improves accuracy.
Nintendo’s other surprise upgrade for its $64.99 controller include support for motion controls.
I drove by Best Buy last night, saw the line, and bailed. But this morning, the Target two doors down just had a bunch of them in stock! I got the second-to-last Mario Kart World bundle, but there was a shelf full of consoles left, and the staff said it hadn’t even been overly busy this morning. Anyone else having a shockingly easy time getting a Switch 2, or am I just having a good day?
Nintendo Japan’s support site has shared how much it’s going to cost to fix the Switch 2 and, not surprisingly, repairs and replacement parts are more expensive. Replacing the Switch 2’s mainboard costs 27,500 yen (~$192) compared to 14,300 yen (~$100) for the original Switch.
Screen replacements are 15,400 yen (~$108) while a battery swap will set you back 9,900 yen (~$69). Nintendo is also charging a flat rate of 3,960 yen (~$28) for individual Joy-Con repairs.
As most Switch 2 owners eagerly dive into Mario Kart World, some are instead dissecting their consoles to reveal its secrets. Following the first teardown yesterday, someone on Reddit has disassembled the new Joy-Cons, as spotted by Nintendo Life.
Confirming what Nintendo of America’s Nate Bihldorff already said, the joysticks in the Switch 2’s Joy-Cons don’t appear to feature any magnets, which means they’re unfortunately not using drift-resistant Hall effect or TMR technology.
Body painting, giveaways, and a surprise appearance from Nintendo’s Doug Bowser
Happy Switch 2 launch day to all who celebrate. If you’re in the UK the console is surprisingly easy to purchase, and is available at a number of retailers today. Smyths has plenty of stock both for delivery and collection at local stores, as does Argos. Even Amazon UK will ship the Switch 2 and Mario Kart World bundle to you for delivery by 10PM today.
I got in line shortly after 9pm, and finished shortly after 11. The very last customers in line are about to check out now. Unfortunately, I couldn’t tack on a camera or gamepad to my order: Best Buy had plenty of the former, but its system wouldn’t let them sell any cams until tomorrow... and the latter sold out.
Employees have been nothing but friendly and gracious, but it’s a little odd to see many preorder customers could have gotten home 30-45 minutes ago if they’d gotten in the other line by 9pm. Only preorders are still waiting.
Also, Best Buy offered to let some folks jump ahead if they signed up for a Best Buy card. Felt a little shady! I’m nearly at the front, though.
My small-town Best Buy line is now just 300 people long, down from 400 an hour ago, as buyers trickle out with the Switch 2. Employees are dressed up in Charizard and Yoshi costumes.
We’re covering this launch live... and it looks like I’ll be here a while, even though I live in a city with (checks notes) a population of just over 65,000 people!
Here’s how this same Best Buy looked earlier tonight.
If you’re not in the first wave of buyers but are willing to spend the $449.99 or more to get a Switch 2 soon, it could be tricky. Bloomberg asked retail execs, with a Best Buy senior VP saying it could be days or weeks before Nintendo sends more systems, assuming they sell out of their current stock tonight as expected, while GameStop reportedly expects to restock weekly.
This minigame / explainer for the Switch 2’s features costs $9.99, but Nintendo’s video shows off a lot of the experience without costing anything extra, which could be good after the $449.99-plus charge hits buyers’ accounts.
Confirmed during Nintendo’s Direct event in April, and now live on the actual Switch 2. CD Projekt Red has confirmed which voiceover packs and subtitles are included with the game vs. available for free download if needed, but seeing it running in docked mode gives us an idea of the actual performance and quality throughout the game’s intro mission, which is miles ahead of where it was at launch a few years ago.
This YouTube video from Game Riot also confirms the game is really running from the cartridge, with only 2.4GB of storage allocated on the Switch 2’s storage.
On Nintendo’s Australia site, the company says the 20.1.1 update will add features like GameChat, GameShare, virtual game cards, the Nintendo eShop, Nintendo Switch Online, and more. Nintendo says you’ll be prompted to download the update upon setting up the Switch 2.
The original Switch capped the number of screenshots you could save to a meager 10,000, but for the Switch 2 Nintendo has increased the limit to 30,000, according to NintendoSoup. That’s split between the console’s system memory and a microSD card, with each having a capacity of 15,000 images.
The Switch 2 can also store up to 6,500 30 second videos — 1,500 in its system memory, and an additional 5,000 on a microSD card.
[nintendosoup.com]
While parts of the world are still watching for deliveries and setting up shop in front of GameStops and BestBuys waiting for a Switch 2, some folks have already gotten a head start on the Great Nintendo Content Rush of 2025.
Already there are multiple streams on YouTube and Twitch showing off Mario Kart World to the envy of the rest of us plebs. If you’re a Deltarune fan, get them social media filters set up now or you might get the latest chapter (also launching with the Switch 2) spoiled.
We’ve already seen inside the Nintendo Switch 2, and here’s a video capture showing off the menus and eShop on the new console, as they’ve started to arrive across various continents.
No, it’s not a game, but it is something we’ll be spending a lot of time doing over the next few days and weeks, and at least so far, it looks a lot faster on this generation’s hardware. According to VGC’s Andy Robinson, logging in after a system transfer (and day one update download) is a lot like an Xbox, with all of your Switch 2 games ready to install.
