7 Things Worth Knowing Before Buying a Nintendo Switch 2
The Nintendo Switch 2 launched to strong demand and fewer supply issues than the original Switch, but that does not mean it is a clean upgrade in every respect. After a year on the market, some trade-offs and surprises have become clearer-especially for buyers coming from an original or OLED Switch.
One of the biggest misconceptions is around accessories. Most existing Switch controllers work just fine with the Switch 2, including Pro Controllers and older Joy-Cons. While Joy-Con 2 controllers add improvements, they are not mandatory on day one. For many players, buying extra controllers immediately is unnecessary.
Storage is another area where expectations can mislead. The Switch 2 ships with 256GB of internal storage, which is a massive improvement over earlier models. It also changes the expansion story. The console no longer supports standard microSD cards and instead requires Micro Express SD cards, which are currently more expensive. For most players, the internal storage is sufficient early on, making expandable storage a purchase that can safely wait.
Battery life is less forgiving. The Switch 2 is noticeably more powerful, and that comes at a cost. In handheld mode, especially at higher brightness or performance settings, playtime can drop to just a couple of hours. A power bank is no longer a nice-to-have accessory for travelers; it is effectively required.
Backwards compatibility changes the upgrade math. Nearly all original Switch games run on the Switch 2, often with better load times and performance. For players without must-keep incompatible titles, the original Switch becomes redundant. Selling or gifting the older console can help offset the cost of the new hardware.
Game libraries matter more than ever. Digital purchases cannot be resold, and even physical games often benefit from the Switch 2's improved hardware. Titles that struggled on the original Switch-such as Pokémon Scarlet and Violet-run noticeably better. Keeping older games, even ones that disappointed initially, can pay off.
One of the more surprising aspects is how familiar the system feels. The user interface is essentially unchanged. Setup is quick and painless, but the lack of visual or structural UI changes makes the console feel less like a generational leap and more like a refinement. For some users, that familiarity is reassuring; for others, it is underwhelming.
Finally, timing matters. The Switch 2's first year was solid, but not transformative. Outside of standout titles like Donkey Kong Bananza, the exclusive lineup did not redefine the console the way Breath of the Wild did for the original Switch. For players on the fence, waiting for a stronger second-year lineup or hardware revisions may make sense.
The Switch 2 is a better Switch in almost every technical way. It just rewards informed buyers more than impulsive ones.
Do you have a Nintendo Switch? If yes, what's your best observation after buying it?
Another factor is that last I checked the old switch pro controller is not fully compatible with the switch 2 and will not take the system out of standby mode by pressing the home button as it did with the switch 1. The new pro controller will facilitate this but it will come at a cost but with that said the newer controller feels a little better.
Some third party controllers have also struggled with the switch 2 and if you owned a few third party controllers such as 8bitdo then you may want to check first and update the firmware for each controller you have.
The biggest issue for me is not just the internal storage capacity and the costs (especially now) associated with a MircroSD Express card is that 1tb cards are few and far between. Although I have one myself you will quickly find yourself running out of space if you have a large game library which brings me to the absolute biggest issue. GAME KEY CARTS! This scam of a system is a glorified paperweight that functions only to maintain a unique key that certifies that the game belongs to you and your system so in effect it is the worst of both worlds as you will still need to download the game to your system and then also insert the game key cart in the system each time which begs the question why not just go all digital but if that is not an option for you and you are like me and will only pay for physical carts that come complete with a game then you are going to be facing a tough time finding said carts unless a third party company has been given the rights to release the game physically which is something that remains to be seen so far for many titles.
Game prices are also much higher than they were in the past which could also be attributed to the fact that Nintendo has at this stage only made one capacity cart available to developers/publishers which is a 64GB cart which is also the largest capacity cart they offer so it will cost a lot more for developers/publishers to purchase and cut into their profits so you are faced with higher prices as a baseline and the likelihood of such an option being taken by publishers is slim.
There is a ton more that can be said about the carts as well as label/codes that distinguish if they are backwards and/or forwards compatible.
Another huge issue is that the account transfer is cumbersome at best and idiotic at its worst. If you believe that simply logging in to your new system with your nintendo account will work then you are sadly mistaken. There are pros and cons and given that the switch 2 is using a form of software emulation to allow backwards compatibility then you may find that some games come with bugs or may not work at all.
Nintendo maintains two types of list for such games but I have not looked into them for a while.
Nintendo has quietly let slip that they shall be releasing smaller capacity carts which should help smaller game titles release games on the switch 2 in a physical format but at this stage that has not been officially announced as it is expected to be announced in 2026 however I would not count on it as the cost for memory and solid state hardware related goods has gone through the roof as much of manufacturing has been redirected elsewhere to AI and the rich techbro’s looking to pee on peoples picnic basket just to make some extra money.
This is a subject I can go on about for hours (but then again I am always on here ranting on endlessly) but just keep in mind that there is a lot more to this than this article has stated.
P.S. There are rumors that there will be a price increase for the switch 2 in 2026 also but that is merely speculation and likely an educated guess based upon the current market trends and hardware costs going up in general.
Nintendo always has a lot of wiggle room to eat the loses but that remains to be seen as they did not do that for the switch in fact more astonishingly the price of switch 1 accessories and games have gone up in price. (I can’t recall if the switch console itself did too).
Nintendo does what Nitendon’t.