Nintendo Switch 2 Review: Enhanced Internals Deliver a Significant Boost

Sure, let’s give this a go.

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Hey, so you know how in tech world, power’s like the holy grail, right? I mean, if you can make a chip that’s low-power but still kicks butt, it’s like finding the golden ticket in Willy Wonka’s chocolate bar. You get these slick, lightweight devices that don’t die on you mid-scroll.

Nintendo though, they went all quirky genius on us. While others were beefing things up, they pulled an unexpected move with Nvidia’s Tegra X1. Small but mighty, it became the heart and soul of the Switch. Fast forward, 150 million units later, boom! Now we’ve got the Switch 2, looking all fresh with jazzed-up specs like a beefy chip, more vibrant screen, souped-up Joy-Cons—you name it.

Okay, confession time: my gaming heart belongs to the PC. But hey, my husband’s a Mario fanatic. So of course, we’ve always got a Nintendo chilling by the TV. The original Switch? Not a love story on the go for me, but man, the magic of games like Zelda? Absolute jaw-dropper. Still remember walking into Hyrule for the first time, the sun just blindingly beautiful.

Gotta say, Nintendo squeezed every last drop of awesomeness from the OG Switch. But time’s a tricky beast. Like, you felt it with Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Trainers all over, grumbling about the lag. And Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom? Almost like they dreamed too big for their hardware. Fortnite? Don’t even get me started.

Enter Switch 2, swooping in with oomph. We snagged one, dove right into exploring, seeing where it takes us. In many ways, it’s all about refinement, leveling up what made the first Switch pop, though a few odd design choices leave me scratching my head.

Inside scoop: Nintendo and Nvidia are secretive this time, but word on the street (thanks, Digital Foundry) gives us a peek at the guts—a custom System-on-Chip that’s packing eight Arm Cortex-A78C cores. Sounds techy, I know. But here’s the kicker—it doesn’t quite match the muscle of today’s phones. In nerd terms? PS4 vibes more than next-gen juggernauts.

And the GPU? Well, it’s got 1,536 CUDA cores—sweet for gaming, though not exactly a powerhouse. But what do you expect for a handheld, right? Still, the jump to 12GB LPDDR5X RAM makes everything snappier, and game devs have more breathing room. That’s got to help.

Oh, display-wise, it’s brighter, bolder—call it a glow-up from the original. But HDR? Kinda a mislead—it’s no OLED. Just a solid LCD doing its best. But hey, those colors pop, and it’s got that slick 120Hz refresh with VRR.

Now, here’s a funny bit: VRR only works on the built-in screen for now. External displays? Nah. Was hoping for PS5 or Xbox-like compatibility, but no dice. Why? Your guess is as good as mine.

Ah, playing around with this thing, the quiet hum feels like therapy for my ears compared to my blaring PC cooler. Battery’s a guess till we really push it, but initial whispers say it’s passable.

Oh, quick detour—Joy-Cons have this new magnetic snap action. Feels kinda secure even when I was trying to shake ’em loose. No more rail juggling—hallelujah! But still… a tad wobbly. Buttons, yeah, clicky as ever, but missing that nice trigger depth we’d all love. Joysticks, slightly bigger but still finicky. My Pro Controller’s sticking around, thank goodness.

Blew some time loading up Fortnite; it’s way more civil now on the Switch 2. Nintendo upped their game there, though street-level details still don’t quite match my PC. Trees look fuller, particle effects less like a box of pixels. It’s playable, and fun, in a non-headache-inducing way.

The little quirks don’t end—download speeds aren’t the fastest, and the internal storage feels… limited. Hear my cries for cheaper expandable storage, universe! But hey, peripherals plug right in, so win some, lose some.

All in all, rock-solid Nintendo fun. The few gripes aren’t showstoppers. It’s cool, it’s portable, and it just feels good in your hands. Gaming’s about having a blast, right? The Switch 2’s magic is in the fun, and it delivers. Now, back to gaming. The rest? We’ll figure it out later.