The Switch 2 Nintendo Direct was alright, but marred by some unfortunate issues both during and after the stream

After a few months, we finally got to see the Switch 2 Nintendo Direct, revealing the console’s release date, new features, and a few exclusive games. A solid chunk of the stream was actually pretty good, but overall it was a far from perfect debut for Nintendo’s next console. And what came after made things far worse.

GameChat

After starting strong with Mario Kart World, Nintendo decided to spend a not-insignificant portion of the Direct to talk about GameChat. Turns out, the C button wasn’t anything revolutionary, but rather to access the Switch 2’s chat features.

That’s right, we’re finally getting another Nintendo console that actually has ways of communicating with other players without having to use an app or third party services. However, because this is Nintendo, some features are underbaked, and other seemingly aren’t included at all.

Take screen sharing, something offered both by programs like Discord on PC, and on the PS5. Theoretically, a pretty decent option if you want to show off some gameplay to friends. However, it’s clear from the Direct that this is never going to be worth using most of the time. All gameplay is extremely choppy and low resolution, almost defeating the point of offering this as a feature entirely.

Meanwhile, there was no mention of text chat at all, something that really should be a basic feature on any modern console. Why it wasn’t mentioned at all is baffling, and there’s been no info on its inclusion post-Direct either.

Welcome Tour

Remember the days of Wii Sports, where you could get a solid pack-in title alongside the console itself? Well, Nintendo certainly doesn’t. Announced during the direct as a paid title, Welcome Tour is essentially a glorified instruction manual. You can learn about the Switch 2’s features, play some minigames, and unlock collectables.

Sounds like an alright time, but not one that actually justifies being anything more than a free game included with the Switch 2 itself. 1-2-Switch was already derided for being a pretty mediocre Switch title that could have easily been a pack-in, and Welcome Tour comes across as even more cynical than that.

Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games

During the run up to the PlayStation 5’s launch, there was some hubbub about how cross gen titles would be handled. While cross gen Xbox titles would include both Xbox One and Xbox Series versions together for the price of one, Sony seemingly had no intention of following this model. After some swift backlash (partly due to Sony previously dunking on the Xbox One for anti-consumer practices) free digital upgrades were offered for cross gen titles on PS4.

Now with the Switch 2, we’re dealing with a confusing mishmash of paid upgrades of varying prices, occasional free updates for Switch 1 titles, and perhaps some games with no upgrade path at all. This ties into some of the pricing issues I’ll go into later (the Switch 2 itself didn’t get a price reveal until after the Nintendo Direct), but the basic gist of things is that there are no free Switch 1 to Switch 2 game upgrades at all.

Some Nintendo Switch 2 Editions at least seem to include extra content, but The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom being paid upgrades despite the changes being only graphical (and the latter already being more expensive than other first-party Switch titles).

For some titles like Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma, this extra cost feels even less justified. The Switch 2 Edition costing £10 more despite offering minor improvements is not exactly a welcome move, and it’s something that will likely be an issue for many years. In fact…

Game Pricing

Game prices for the Switch 2 are in many cases putting the PS5 and Xbox Series to shame. Mario Kart World digitally is £66.99. This is already questionable, but physical copies are hiked up further to an eye-watering £74.99. And no, prices in the rest of the world are not any better.

At least for Mario Kart World, it’s possible to cut that price by more than half by buying the Switch 2 console bundle (assuming it isn’t snatched up by scalpers). And this pricing isn’t locked in for all first party games — Donkey Kong Bananza is £58.99 digital, £66.99 physical.

Yet this pricing is easily going to have a knock on effect for other developers. If people are paying more for first party (and Switch 2 versions of Switch 1 games), I could easily see this cutting into the sales of titles by indie devs. The eShop is already a nightmare for visibility, so combining this with rising costs can’t lead to anything good.

Game-Key Cards

Enough people complained about codes in a box that they’re now gone. Naturally, the monkey’s paw curled and these have now been replaced with “game-key cards” instead. Now, rather than just inputting the code from box, you now still have to insert a cart. However, this cart has no info on it at all, and essentially acts as DRM allowing you to download and play a digital version of the game.

On the one hand this allows you to share the carts with other people, unlike codes. However, it also means that you’ll always need access to the cart to play what is effectively a digital copy of a game. In many ways, it’s also an extension of the Switch games that required partial downloads when publishers wanted to save money using smaller storage carts.

But now, they’re being used for games that could easily fit on small carts. Bravely Default HD, which was revealed during the Switch 2 Direct, is only available via Game-Key Cards. Originally a 3DS game, it’s crazy that this isn’t being offered as a proper physical release. I’d imagine this is only going to get more ridiculous during the Switch 2’s lifespan too.

---

I’m still cautiously optimistic for the Switch 2, but sloppy communication and questionable choices really put a damper on what should have been a slam dunk for Nintendo. Either way, we only have a few months to wait for the 5 June 2025 release date. Hopefully things start to come together properly in the lead up to launch.

^{Disclosure: Some links in this article may be affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on them. This is at no additional cost to you and helps support Rice Digital!}