Nintendo Switch 2 Experience – London 11th April 2025

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https://youtu.be/GI9KDh7g9SI

Nintendo recently revealed their next generation console, the Switch 2, and with any new hardware launch, you need to be able to show it off to potential customers.

Much like its predecessor, Nintendo has organised a “world tour”, which hit the Excel Centre in London on a sunny weekend in April, in the form of the Nintendo Switch 2 Experience.

Rapid Reviews UK was very kindly invited along by Nintendo UK to go hands-on with the new machine, as well as several games that were revealed during the direct

Hardware

When the doors were opened and were kindly greeted with applause by the staff who were tasked with showing off the games, we were ushered to a row of booths where they had several systems in a display case, as well as the unit free to use in handheld mode, which had Mario Kart World running on.

From the start, it feels very familiar. The console form factor, screen and general layout are very similar to the previous console, but you notice a few differences immediately. The LCD screen is the same as it was on the previous generation but is noticeably bigger, clocking in at 7.9 inches. Whilst the lack of an OLED screen is disappointing, you notice the graphical quality immediately.

The screen is capable of Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) and High Dynamic Range (HDR), as well as running at 1080P in handheld compared to the 720P screen on the Switch 1. With games like Mario Kart, Donkey Kong and Metroid Prime, you can notice the difference in quality immediately. Colours and textures are more dynamic, moving Nintendo into a more powerful position comparable to a PS4 Pro or Xbox One X, which is impressive in a handheld device.

However, when the unit is docked is where you will see the real difference. With the potential of running up to 4K and 60FPS on some games, which is the power level of a base-level PS5 or an Xbox Series X. Whether the games are programmed to do so, we will wait to see. However, it is impressive to see Nintendo have considered the power level of the new system to rival those in the hybrid market.

Whilst a lot of the games on show at the event didn’t utilise the 4K option (probably because the price of running multiple 4K monitors at an event would have cost Nintendo a lot of money), you can at least see the promise and potential when the Switch 2 launches.

Games

With the launch of any console, the success or failure can hinge on the software lineup. Whilst Nintendo’s output seems a little bit slim on launch, they have backed it up with a very strong 3rd party support, even if a lot of the games are just ports of games previously released on Xbox, PlayStation or PC.

At the experience there were the followings on show: Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza, Metroid Prime 4, Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, Super Mario Party Jamboree (Switch 2 Enhanced), Drag x Drive, Street Fighter 6, Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut, Cyberpunk 2077 Ultimate Edition, Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild (Switch 2 Enhanced), Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom (Switch 2 Enhanced), Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster, Civilization 7, Split Fiction, Hades 2, GameCube for Nintendo Switch 2 online + Expansion Pass (4 games included Mario Strikers, F-Zero GX, The Legend of Zelda Windwaker and Soul Calibur 2).

However, as you can imagine, the time slot was only 4 hours and I wasn’t able to get in and play everything. So I will discuss the games that I did play whilst I was there.

Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut

The demo started at the end of chapter 2 and went into chapter 3. It starts with a walk around Kamurocho, where you can get into combat with a few random enemies before going to do a boss fight that finishes the chapter. It then launches into the start of chapter 3 and the introduction of Goro Majima. I didn’t play the game for long as I am currently playing it on the Steam Deck. I used the time to compare its performance and it is very comparable to a docked Steam Deck or mid-range PC. It ran flawlessly with no drops on frames and looked very impressive. There is now an option for English and Chinese dialogue options which are new to the Director’s Cut.

Street Fighter 6

This is a game I’m very familiar with after playing a lot of hours on the PC version, and it feels comparable to it. Unfortunately, I was paired up against Rich, the Community Manager from Capcom UK and I had to play with a controller. However, the game feels very similar to other versions and runs very smoothly on the new hardware. I didn’t get the chance to use the motion controls but did get to use the new Pro Controller, which is very much a revision on an already excellent controller design.

Gamecube

The Gamecube is one of the consoles that people had been asking to be added to the Nintendo Switch Online, and it’s safe to say the emulation feels great on it. I played 2 games on there, Soul Calibur 2 and F-Zero GX, and whilst my skills on Soul Calibur haven’t held up, it’s clear to see that it’s running at a solid 60fps. However, F-Zero was the standout game on the service, as not only did it run flawlessly at 60fps, it’s also a game that originally featured wide-screen support, which is available here too.

The game is a masterpiece and will reach a whole new audience once it arrives on the service. Plus, at the booth they had the new GameCube Controller to be used. As I’m very familiar with the controller, it felt like slipping on an old pair of shoes, very comfortable and probably one of my favourite controllers to use. However, it feels a little strange as it’s much lighter than the original GameCube controller and it threw me off slightly, but not in a bad way. They will be hard to get hold of but I would absolutely recommend getting one if you can. I also hope Nintendo will allow the use of the GameCube adapter and OG controller on the service.

Metroid Prime 4 Beyond

I haven’t played a Metroid Prime game since 2 came out on the GameCube, so it’s not a series I’m familiar with. But this game did give me the chance to try out the new mouse controllers. Whilst it’s not the most comfortable design to start, as a lot of the buttons used for shooting are on the controller face buttons, you do quickly get used to it. Being able to seamlessly switch between mouse controls, split joy con and motion controllers without entering a menu was a welcome addition.

It meant that I defaulted to the mouse during combat-heavy sections and split joy cons with stick controls during traversal. The game itself is absolutely stunning and runs at an incredibly smooth frame rate, with the person at the demo booth stating we were on the performance mode at 1080p and 120fps. There is a lot going on in terms of action but the game stays stable and never skips a frame and looks beautiful to boot. I was highly impressed with the demo and will strongly consider getting the game on release, despite not being a big Metroid fan.

Donkey Kong Bananza

Going into the Experience, with the exception of Mario Kart, this was the game I was most interested in. With its stunning vistas, an incredibly great idea of fully destructive environments and the promise of an open zone. The thought of a fully 3D Donkey Kong game returning for the first time since DK64 was great, unfortunately, it was the biggest letdown of the day.

Whilst DK looks amazing with his facial animations and fully dynamic and high-resolution fur, it is the performance of the game that is truly worrying. Taking a note out of a couple of kingdoms from Mario Odyssey, the frame rate can tank to below 30fps and becomes noticeable when trying to move the camera around. Hopefully it is fixed during the polishing stages before release, however, with this being playable for the first time to the public, you would expect it to have shown better but alas it didn’t. And most unfortunately, the game just didn’t feel intuitive or fun.

Mario Kart World

This was, without question, the game of the show and clearly the game that Nintendo has the most confidence in. It was the game shown when the Switch 2 was initially revealed, and was given the priority during the recent direct. In fact, there were 2 separate demo areas at the experience just for it. Nintendo clearly knows that Mario Kart will be a system seller, and after playing it, it absolutely will.

The game looks absolutely stunning and also runs very smoothly. With a huge playable roster, and great selection of different karts, there will be a character or vehicle set up for all playstyles. Plus, there are several duplicate characters, but rather than being clones (or echo characters if you want to use a Smash Brothers term), these clones have different attributes. For example there is a Mario on the character select screen who had skiing gear on, which gave him an all terrain attribute. Your choice of character, like in Mario Kart 8, will dictate your playstyle.

Whilst we didn’t get a full Grand Prix, we were put in a race just after the drive between, with us having a rolling start. The course design now mimics tracks like Mount Wario and Rainbow Road 64 from Mario Kart 8 where they are done in sectors instead of laps, and each sector feels distinctly unique.

In the race we started out on had a water section, boosting and doing tricks off the waves, which quickly transitioned into a classic driving section in sector 2. We then utilised the new multiple aerial trick mechanics on sector 3, with a lot of large jumps. With 24 racers, and lots of new items on offer, this is a massive refinement of what we previously saw with Mario Kart 8 but it also has made several advancements, which is great to see in a series with a new entry which hasn’t had one in nearly 11 years.

Conclusion

Whilst the direct itself was hitting so many high points, and the flood of press release information that managed to crash us back down to earth with a “thomp”, I was very skeptical about how much of an advancement the Switch 2 would be, and whether it justified the price. 

However, after getting my hands on the unit, and playing a few of the games that were on offer, I can safely say that the scepticism is more or less gone. 

The price point will be a reason to put people off buying one, including the price of the games. However, if you do decide to part with your hard-earned money, you will clearly see a refined advancement of what made the Switch a great system.

We would once again like to thank Nintendo UK for inviting us to the event, and a big thank you to all the incredible staff who were working the event. We would also like to thank Jack from Miketendo64 for providing the images and capturing video for us at the event.