INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Link's Awakening, Switch 1, docked
Andrew Cunningham
Link's Awakening, Switch 1, docked
Andrew Cunningham
Link's Awakening, Switch 2, docked
Note fewer jaggies and sharper textures, especially on top of the posts.
Andrew Cunningham
Link's Awakening, Switch 2, docked
Note fewer jaggies and sharper textures, especially on top of the posts.
Andrew Cunningham
Link's
Awakening, Switch 2, handheld.
Andrew Cunningham
Link's Awakening, Switch 2,
handheld.
Andrew Cunningham
Link's Awakening, Switch 2, docked
Note fewer jaggies and sharper textures, especially on top of the posts.
Andrew Cunningham
Link's
Awakening, Switch 2, handheld.
Andrew Cunningham
However, the real proof of the Switch 2's improved
power can be seen in early third-party ports like Cyberpunk 2077, Split Fiction, Hitman World of Assassination, and Street Fighter VI, which
would have required significant visual downgrades to even run on the original Switch
To my eye, the visual impact of these ports is roughly comparable to what you'd get on a PS4 Pro (in handheld mode) or an Xbox Series S (in
In the medium term, that should be more than enough performance for all but the most determined pixel-counters, given the distinctly
diminishing graphical returns we're seeing from more advanced (and more expensive) hardware like the PS5 Pro.
The Switch 2
delivers a perfectly fine-looking version of Cyberpunk 2077
Credit:
CD Projekt Red
The Switch 2 delivers a perfectly fine-looking version of Cyberpunk 2077
Credit:
CD Projekt Red
The biggest compromise for all this extra power comes in the battery life department
Games like Mario Kart World or Cyberpunk 2077 can take the system from a full charge to completely drained in somewhere between 2 and 2.5
This time span increases significantly for less demanding games like old-school 2D classics and can be slightly extended if you reduce the
Still, it's a bit grating to need to rely on an external battery pack just to play Mario Kart World for an entire cross-country
flight.Externally, the Switch 2 is full of tiny but welcome improvements, like an extra upper edge USB-C port for more convenient charging
embedded stand on the Switch 2 (right) is a massive improvement for tabletop mode play.
Credit:
Kyle Orland
The embedded stand on the Switch 2
(right) is a massive improvement for tabletop mode play.
Credit:
Kyle Orland
But the 256GB of internal storage included in the Switch 2 is also laughably small, considering that individual digital games routinely
require downloads of 50GB to 70GB
That's especially true in a world where many third-party games are only available as Game Key Cards, which still require that the full game
Most Switch 2 customers should budget $50 or more for a MicroSD Express card to add at least 256GB of additional storage.Despite the "more
of the same" overall package, there are a few small areas where the Switch 2 does something truly new
Mouse mode is the most noticeable of these, letting you transform a Joy-Con into a PC-style mouse simply by placing it on its edges against
We tested this mode on surfaces ranging from a hard coffee table to a soft pillow-top mattress and this reviewer's hairy thighs and found
the mouse mode was surprisingly functional in every test
While the accuracy and precision fall off on the squishier and rounder of those tested surfaces, it's something of a marvel that it works at
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