Well guys, we made it. Give yourselves a round of applause and a pat on the back because the Nintendo Switch 2 will be released in less than one week. And I’m fairly excited. It feels like just yesterday when we saw that first reveal teaser. And I’m sure we all thought it was going to be forever until the console came out, but time flew by and we’re already here. It’s always exciting when a new game console’s about to release, right? It’s like, yeah, this will be the thing I will be playing any new Nintendo release on for the next 7 to 8 years. It’s also exciting to learn what new features the console has, how well it runs games, all of that. And the Switch 2 is already shaping up to be way more powerful than the Nintendo Switch One. Sure, it’s not as powerful as a PS5, Xbox Series X, or Steam Deck. Or actually, I don’t know, I think it might be more powerful than the Steam Deck. Feel free to fact check me in the comments. Regardless, it’s an exciting time. Even though at the end of the day, this is just a more robust Switch. We’ve known about this thing’s existence forever now. It really was Nintendo’s worstkept secret. Countless leaks have been floating around since last year, and possibly even earlier. Before it was even officially revealed, we already knew of things like the magnetic Joy-Con, mouse controls, the bigger screen, 4K resolution support, pretty much everything console specs-wise. But as more leaks came out, we all started wondering when Nintendo was going to budge. they were still pumping out a few games here and there for the Switch One. And usually before a new console launch, the output of the previous generation starts slowing down a little bit. That wasn’t really the case for the Switch 1, and we’re still getting major Switch One titles through the rest of 2025 and 2026. Anyway, on January 16th, 2025, it finally happened. Donkey Kong Country Returns HD dropped. Nah, just kidding. Of course, the Switch 2 was finally revealed. And well, no one was surprised. At least I wasn’t. The leaks pretty much told us everything we needed to know beforehand, and even if the leaks didn’t happen, it was just a better Switch. I don’t think anybody would have been through the roof regardless. We did get a subtle glimpse at a new Mario Kart, so right away we knew Nintendo was making moves. We also got confirmation of a 2025 release window and a date for the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct, which would reveal everything else about the console, a whole 3 months away. The wait was pure agony. Nintendo went radio silent on anything Nintendo Switch 2 related during this time. They dropped the teaser and dipped and we heard absolutely nothing for three months. Well, kind of. Before the massive Nintendo Switch 2 direct, we had a Switch One focus direct, oddly enough, which went over the final batch of releases heading to the Nintendo Switch. Some big stuff was announced, too, like a new Tomodachi Life, a new Rhythm Heaven, and more information on Metroid Prime 4. This was far from a throwaway direct. We also got word on this new virtual game card system that Nintendo was implementing on Switch One and Switch 2. At first, to me, this looked like they were just needlessly making digital games more complicated. But after they pushed the update for Switch One, and I got to try out the feature myself, um, yeah, this is just making [ __ ] more complicated for no reason. April 2nd, 2025. The time has finally come. The biggest Nintendo Direct of our lives was airing that morning, and I couldn’t sleep thinking about the games, the new features, the upgraded games. Like, everything got me so excited. And yeah, the Direct was crazy. Right off the bat, we got a full reveal for the next Mario Kart game, Mario Kart World. A fully open world Mario Kart game where you could drive from track to track. It looked awesome and it was revealed to be a launch title. We then learned about the game chat feature in that mysterious C button that nobody knew the purpose of beforehand. I mean, it’s whatever. I’m just glad they’re not locking this behind a shitty mobile app. That frame rate is really bad, though. Jesus. We then learned about the specs of the Nintendo Switch 2 system, and all of the leaks were true. a 1080p screen, 120 Hz refresh rate, HDR support, two USBC ports, 3D audio, and the one I was most excited for, 4K support in docked mode. Finally, Nintendo made it to 2016. All jokes aside, I was through the roof. This was the console that Nintendo needed to compete with its competitors. We also got a ton more games announced during this presentation. a new Hyrule Warriors based on Zelda’s Journey and Tears of the Kingdom, a wheelchair basketball game played with the Joy-Con’s mouse controls, and a new Kirby Airide game directed by Sakurai. The third party output was great as well, and arguably even better than the first party stuff. Elden Ring, Cyberpunk, Final Fantasy 7 remake, Street Fighter 6, Deltaroon Chapters 3 and 4, and to top it all off, a brand new From Software IP coming exclusively to the Nintendo Switch 2. That was crazy. The Direct ended with the announcement of Donkey Kong Bonanza, the first 3D Donkey Kong game since Donkey Kong 64. I was originally mad because we didn’t get a new 3D Mario instead. That was stupid of me. We also got confirmation of Gamecube games coming to Nintendo Switch Online. I knew it was inevitable to happen eventually, but at launch is insane. We also learned about Nintendo Switch 2 edition games and what they added to the Switch One versions. Some added extra content, others added graphical improvements, and some did both. I was most excited for the Switch 2 editions of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. Seeing both of these games running at a stable 60fps in 4K resolution, man, I was speechless. I was a little worried about the fact that they were charging for these upgrades, but I disregarded it. And it turns out that wasn’t the worst part of this whole thing. We got a console launch date of June 5th, 2025, but oddly enough, no price was announced during the Direct. That was worrying. And it turns out the conso’s price wasn’t the worst thing that happened following the Direct. It was revealed that the Switch 2 console would cost 450 USD for the base system and 500 USD for the Mario Kart bundle. That was a little more expensive than what most people were expecting, but that was nothing compared to what was discovered shortly after. According to a tweet from Jeff Keley, it seems that Mario Kart World digitally will be $80. Some Nintendo Switch 2 games will be more expensive. $80 [ __ ] dollars for a video game. On no planet can you defend this. $80 seems insane even if the game is loaded with that much content. We found out that Mario Kart World cost $80. They’re actually in some cases going to be $80. Look, the sources might as well have been the [ __ ] Taliban. The way that felt like a terrorist attack against me. That was terrible. [ __ ] terrible. Accurate. Like $80? That’s wild. Jeff Key tweeted out that [ __ ] and I’m like, “Okay, is he trolling? Is this like April Fools? Wait, what are we talking about here?” $80 for Mario Kart World. My excitement plummeted and turned into rage. Are you [ __ ] kidding me? $80 for a video game. I don’t care what you say. Nothing, and I mean nothing, could warrant a game costing this much. The game looked good, and even after seeing some of the treehouse footage, it still looked good. But $80 for this? It was abundantly clear that Nintendo knew they could get away with charging that much for Mario Kart. It’s a launch title. It’s Mario Kart. So, they said, “Fuck it.” Other games like Donkey Kong Bonanza were priced at $70. So, it was just kind of baffling how Mario Kart cost more. And originally, we thought that a physical copy was going to cost even more, but thankfully that didn’t end up being the case, at least here in the United States. Unfortunately though, it was also revealed that the Switch 2 editions of Mario Party, Tears of the Kingdom, and Kirby and the Forgotten Land were all going to be priced at $80. What the I’m sorry, Mario Party Jamberee is not worth the $60 I paid for it, and it sure as hell won’t be worth $80 because of some whack-ass miniame. Oh, and that’s not even mentioning the demo game that they’re charging $10 for. People got on Nintendo’s ass for this, including myself. And I still stand on the fact that $80 for a base edition of a video game is ridiculous. But it would only get worse from here. Game key cards were also revealed. Basically, it was a cheap way for third parties to get their games in a physical format without it actually being physical. You just pop this cartridge in the console and bam, it starts downloading the game straight from the internet. There is nothing on these cartridges. I don’t think I need to explain why that’s just terrible for game preservation. I know a lot of third parties using these key cards was likely due to them only having access to 64 GB cards, which is way more than what a lot of these games need, but damn, it still sucks. So, yeah, after all of that happened, people changed their minds about the Switch, too. Everything about the console in the games looked great. But it was the pricing and other greedy business practices from Nintendo that turned a lot of people away. There wasn’t a lot more that was revealed after the Direct. We got word on free upgrades for certain Switch 1 games, and I’m a big fan of this. Like Mario Odyssey and 4K is going to hit like crack. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are also getting some muchneeded upgrades, so that’s nice. It’s just kind of weird how these are all free, but we have to pay an extra 20 bucks for Mario Party with some extra mini games. Whatever. Tariffs caused pre-orders in the US to be delayed by a couple of weeks, and it also raised the prices of all of the Nintendo Switch 2 accessories. Thankfully, the console price remained the same, though. April 23rd, 2025, Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders went live at midnight. So, I hopped on a call with some buddies to try and get this thing, and it was fun. I’m in line. It says I’m in line. It says you’re in line. What? The app is No, the app is [ __ ] The app is [ __ ] cooked. Target says pre-order sold out. That doesn’t make any sense. What were they allotted like two consoles? Oh [ __ ] [ __ ] [ __ ] [ __ ] [ __ ] [ __ ] [ __ ] [ __ ] Pre-order pre-order. No. Not continue shopping. Go to my cart. My card is empty. My card is empty. No. Doing it again. Are you Are you serious? Get me in this checkout right now. This is crazy. Your cart is empty. What do you mean? Oh my god. It’s having me confirm my card number. Are you Yeah, Target won’t Target’s just a [ __ ] loss, bro. I did thankfully end up getting a console through Walmart. And yes, you heard that right. I got a console. I didn’t bother buying any accessories or games because come on, they were just too expensive. And I didn’t want to risk getting my console taken by a bot. So, I just went ahead and checked out. It arrives Thursday morning. And that brings us to today. I am excited for this console. I’m excited to play all the new games. I’m excited to play Mario Odyssey in 4K, Breath of the Wild in 60 fps. And yes, I’m excited to try out Mario Kart World, even though I don’t really want to spend $80 on it. And if you’re also excited for the console, just know that it’s completely okay. I’ve seen a lot of people getting hate for being excited for the Switch, too. And it’s like, come on, guys. Regardless if you want to support Nintendo or not, just let people have their fun. If you don’t want to buy the console, just don’t buy it. Don’t hate on other people for doing so. Uh, but yeah, that wraps up this video. I just wanted to get my overall thoughts out about everything Switch 2 related that has happened so far before launch. If you’re excited for the Switch 2, then great. Let me know what game you’re looking forward to the most. And if you’re not excited, tell me why. I would love to hear your thoughts. That’s all for me. Thank you all so much for watching and I’ll see you all later. Goodbye. [Music]