On the first of this month, Nintendo live-streamed a Nintendo Direct — presentations by the company showcasing upcoming products — on the long-awaited Switch 2. Although the system released a first-look trailer on YouTube three months back, the Nintendo Direct gave us concrete information about the 10th Generation console, including specs, features and new games.
Many of the features were fixes to the most popular complaints of the system’s predecessor. The flimsy, narrow kickstand to hold up the switch system while in “tabletop mode” has been replaced with one that is longer. The original switch’s charger port, which was located at the bottom of the system, interfered with the ability to use a charging switch in dock mode. The Switch 2 includes a charger port in the same location, but adds an additional charging slot on top of it as well.
Another fix is to the difficulty of local co-op, due to everybody needing a copy of any game that a group of friends wanted to play on their switch. Download Play was the solution to this problem on the DS and 3DS, and it was noticeably missing on the Switch. The system’s successor’s “Game Share” not only lets users share between other users, but owners of previous switch models as well.
The specs of the Switch 2 allows Nintendo to finally catch up to its competitors, such as HDR, which is available in both TV and handheld modes. While docked, a TV can display switch games in 4K and run at a speed of 120 frames per second, two times faster than the previous console. The handheld screen goes from 720p to 1080p, and from 30 frames per second to 60.
Nintendo Direct also introduced GameChat, a voice chat program which can be opened up with the new “C” button on all controllers. A microphone is built into both controllers and system, and video input is also possible with an external camera. Similar to most of the other online features, GameChat will be part of the Nintendo Switch online bundle, but will be accessible for free until April of next year.
“Mario Kart 9” was unofficially shown in the Switch 2 announcement trailer, and it’s about time — it’s been over a decade since the last full “Mario Kart” installment was released. “Mario Kart World” surprised Nintendo fans with 24-player races, specialized items, a roster rivaling smash bros in size and alternate costumes for favorite characters. So feel free to pick from Mario, Luigi, or the newly added iconic cow — I’m not joking! For those who can’t wait to find out more about the game, Nintendo Direct, solely for the Mario Kart entry, was live-streamed on Thursday on YouTube.
“The Legend of Zelda’s” new “Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment” features the same beat-em-up tactics as other Hyrule Warriors entries, but differs with its addition of full voice acting for characters. Any fan of “Tears of the Kingdom” will certainly want to check out this prequel to the popular “Legend of Zelda” game. A sequel to “Kirby Air Ride” was teased, and the direct ended by showing off the first 3D Donkey Kong game of the century: “Donkey Kong Bananza.”
In addition to completely new games, the stream also announced “Switch 2” versions of many games in the Switch library. These games will utilize the external camera, built-in mics, higher specs and even additional modes to expand upon these games. The titles announced were “Mario Party Jamboree,” “Zelda Breath of the Wild,” “Zelda Tears of the Kingdom,” “Kirby and the Forgotten Land,” “Metroid Prime 4 Beyond” and the upcoming “Pokémon Legends: ZA.” Those who already own the game will not need to worry about buying their games again — buying the game’s “upgrade pack” will give a Switch game the features of its Switch 2 version!
The Switch 2’s price point of $449.99, while a major price increase from the previous system, is still less than both its competitors. The system will release on June 5 of this year, and you can bet I’ll be rushing to get my hands on one.
jgirault@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @NintendoAmerica, Instagram
