I wrote my initial thoughts about the Switch 2 announcement a couple of months ago. Against my better judgement, I pre-ordered one. What follows are a few thoughts about it now that I’ve had my hands on one for a couple of weeks.

The best summary I can think of for my initial impressions is: consider the name. The +1 label neatly captures both the good and the bad. It’s a better Switch. Faster. Higher resolution graphics. Generally… just nicer. It’s not a game changer (pardon the pun), but not everything needs to be revolutionary. Nicer is good.

It fixes many of the issues of the original. It feels more sturdy, the kick-stand is more solid, the Joy-Cons have a solid “click” as they magnetically connect to the main unit, and the wrist straps attach and detach more easily than on the OG.

Eight years later, as you’d expect, all the tech-specs are improved. Faster processor, more memory, higher capacity storage. Practically, it now outputs 4K to a TV and is HD on the (also nicer) built-in screen. I don’t really care about the numbers, but I will say that Mario Kart World looks good!

The hardware seems to be up to the task, though the first time we tried Mario Kart World with three players while docked, it was quite glitchy when the race started. Not that the frame rate was reduced, but it seemed quite variable. After maybe thirty seconds, everything was fine again. Hopefully a one-off.

That race was with the Switch 2 joy-cons plus some from the original Switch. Pairing controllers from the original Switch isn’t entirely intuitive. It does work but it’s not entirely clear how you’re supposed to do it. Or I do know and it takes longer than you’d expect. Either way, not as slick as you’d hope for.

But when you do get it going… well, no complaints. Mario Kart is probably my favourite game on the OG Switch, and I’m loving Mario Kart World so far. So much so that I’ve not tried any of my older Switch games on the new machine!

There are lots of familiar elements and a surprising number of differences. Having twice as many karts (twenty four instead of twelve) does make it feel different – more chaotic – which people (anecdotally¹) react negatively towards initially but quickly warm to.

Another change are the characters and karts. I’ve raced with the same avatar for ages and having to change was a shock to the system. I am now happy racing as the Cow, though.

What am I saying? It’s fun. It’s an evolution. If you thought the Switch was a toy and you like playing proper games on a PlayStation, you’re not going to be won over by the Switch 2. If you own and like the Switch, do you need a Switch 2? Also no. At least not yet.

Despite the Switch 2 being the fastest selling console of all time, you really don’t need one right now. There’s no shame in waiting until there’s more software.

But it’s never all about being rational. I’m happy with my purchase.