While the Nintendo Direct: Nintendo Switch 2 was a juicy hour-long bombardment of announcements, gamers are craving more and more. Luckily for you, PEDESTRIAN.TV was invited to the console’s premiere in New York, where we were among the first ever people to play the Switch 2 and its games. Spending the day trailing the new gear, we noticed a few things the Nintendo Direct didn’t mention, so we compiled our discoveries and put them in this article.
Everything we learnt at the Nintendo Switch 2 Premiere in New York.
What’s new on the Nintendo Switch?
Joy-Cons
The Joy-Cons have been redesigned from scratch. There’s no more locking machination, instead it’s the force of magnets built inside the console plus the steel SL and SR buttons keeping the controllers attached. Because of the magnetism, the switch controllers can be attached onto the opposite side as well as backwards (IDK why you’d even want to do that but it’s an option).
We love a vibrating controller, and the Switch 2 Joy-Cons take it to the next level. Instead of a motor spinning a weight like in the previous model, the HD Rumble 2 vibrates the weight side-to-side at a very high speed, allowing a range of vibrations from gentle to strong.
(Joy-Con 2 go brrr but also BRRR.)
Adjustable Stand
Behind the console is the adjustable stand which opens to 150 degrees. Unlike the OLED Switch, the stand is a U-shape to make room for bigger battery, fan and additional antennas. The stand is made out of aluminium alloy which is as light and robust as extra super duralumin (stuff they use in airplanes and spacecrafts).
Built-In Microphone & Chip
We got Nintendo Discord before GTA 6, and they’re making sure e-dating is optimised with the specially designed built-in microphone and chip. The chip is a noise reducer designed to make voices easier for players to hear, erasing sounds coming from the console (air vent or magnetic snapping) and TV speakers to prevent feedback.
Whether you’re sitting on the couch with a docked Switch 2 or curled up with the handheld, the chip will automatically adjust the volume of your voice so the other person won’t need to do anything.
New Screen
On top of the crisp 1920 x 1080 resolution, the Nintendo Switch 2 screen is High Dynamic Range compatible, 120 Hz compatible AND Variable Refresh Rate compatible. With all this compatibility AND its strong vibration? I’m afraid the Nintendo Switch 2 has more going for itself than me. Not to mention the touch screen can handle ten fingers… 😭
What exclusive games are on the Nintendo Switch 2?
Mario Kart World
I’ll keep it a buck fifty: the gameplay of Mario Kart World feels the exact same as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. But the developers have cooked some pretty innovative modes.
We played the new Knockout Tour game mode, and I don’t think my heart is ready. In a 6-course continuous race, you’re racing against 23 other folks, but the kicker is you need to above a certain place as you cross the line in order to keep racing otherwise you’re eliminated. They made Mario Kart into a Battle Royale; and for some reason I found myself so much more emotionally invested than usual.
(There must’ve been so many single people at this event the way I couldn’t beat them in Mario Kart.)
The scale of the game is a lot bigger. The courses are interconnected and there’s a free roaming mode where you can drive off the track and explore the world. While waiting for the Knockout Tour lobby to be sorted, I was mindlessly driving on the ocean then discovering cute moments like Yoshi, Toad and Shy Guy chilling on the beach with a campfire. It gave the same energy as driving properly in Grand Theft Auto in that it was a quiet, intimate relationship with the world.
(It’s all connected.)
Some miscellaneous things: Character skins! We got beach babies, punk Bowser, hamburger Toad, cowboy Mario, safari Luigi and oh so much more. We’ve got returning items like the Super Leaf and Mega Mushroom, but also a few new ones like the Gold Shell and Hammer Bro’s hammer. Lastly, doing a rail grind in Mario Kart World is just so fkn cool.
(Oh. That’s Donkey Kong hitting the dab in 2025…)
Mario Kart World will be available upon the Switch 2’s launch.
Donkey Kong Bananza
Donkey Kong’s newest entry is actually a stress reliever disguised as a 3D platformer; you got the whacky bundle of joy that is Donkey Kong punching and ripping rocks outa the ground then yeeting it to enemies. It’s a great time.
(YEET!)
This game encourages you to explore each level by punching through the walls and ground to try find hidden areas/chests. I literally spent the entirety of my demo ignoring the goal and just punching parts of the map I thought were un-punchable.
Spoiler alert: It was punchable. I was discovering underground chests that even my demo supervisor was surprised about. By the time someone 100 per cent completes this game and explores EVERYTHING… The Nintendo Switch 3 will be announced.
(99% give up before the big win…)
As per usual for a DK entry, Donkey Kong Bananza is a beautiful game whether it be the map’s scenery or cutscenes. Just be careful with the punching because the walls started to look identical and neither me or the demo supervisor knew where to go.
(Donkey Kong: Bananza will be available July 17, 2025)
Drag x Drive
Drag x Drive is an online 3v3 game designed around the Joy-Cons 2’s mouse control. By sliding your Joy-Cons 2 up and/or down, you can accelerate and steer your player across the field as you try to shoot the ball into the opposing team’s hoop. Nintendo casually dropping another innovative way to play with their hardware.
(I’m going pro in Drag x Drive.)
Super Mario Party Jamboree Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV
The Switch 2 camera isn’t just for e-dating — games like Mario Party can utilise the camera to further immerse yourself in gameplay. During the demo I played four mini-games which utilised the camera:
- Talking Flower Says: Players 1 and 3 are assigned as Mario, Players 2 and 4 are assigned as Luigi. The talking flower will tell you if you need to squat or stand, increasingly becoming confusing.
- Goombalancing Act: Move your head left and right and try to collect the raining Goombas. Whoever has the most Goombas in their screen wins.
- Hitting It Rich: Collect the most coins by hitting the coin box above your head as many times as you can in the timeframe.
- Bowser’s Final Challenge: Use movement and voice to fill the metre and entertain Bowser.
The Switch 2 camera is so much fun. The camera adds further immersion into the gameplay – not only are you seeing yourself in the game, you gotta commit to throwing yourself in the game and once you do, you can’t help but pretend you’re being burned alive when Bowser declares you as the loser.
There were also a few games that featured the mouse control including: Shell Hockey which feels A LOT like Glow Hockey for the iPod touch, Bob-omb Makeover where you spray can as many bomb-ombs as you can, Stuffie Stacker where you need to delicately (or not) place plushies and blocks to build the tallest tower, and more.
(Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV launches 24 July, 2025)
What have the developers said about the Nintendo Switch 2?
During a Q&A roundtable conference, the developers of the Switch 2 answered some miscellaneous queries. They’re confident there’ll be no Joy-Con drift this time since they’ve redesigned the Joy-Con 2 from scratch. When asked about the battery life, they gave no definite answer due to the vast variables the Nintendo Switch 2 has including the games it plays, the usage of GameChat and the condition of the console. All Nintendo Switch accessories were confirmed to be supported on the Switch 2.
They also did consider the name “Super Nintendo Switch” but decided against it, spending literally years trying to pick a name for the console.
When will the Nintendo Switch 2 release?
The Nintendo Switch 2 will be hitting Australian stores June 5, 2025 for $699.95. There will also be a bundle available to purchase for $769 which includes the Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World.
Image credit: Nintendo
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