After months of waiting and rampant speculation, we finally got some real information on the Nintendo Switch 2. Obviously, I’ve been losing my mind over the possibilities this whole time. There are very few things I enjoy as much as I enjoy a new Nintendo platform’s launch, and this is only the second one to happen since I started writing this blog! But, did the Direct live up to my expectations?

Right away, we were presented with a new trailer and information on the new Mario Kart game, Mario Kart World. I’ve been excited to see what the next Mario Kart game would be, but it was pretty low on the list of things I was looking forward to. I love Mario Kart, but it’s kind of a known quantity. So I was quite surprised when it turned out that this Mario Kart is quite a bit different.

Probably the biggest thing is that it’s open world now. Supposedly you can drive anywhere. I’m not sure what that means in actual races, like do they try to corral everyone onto a path, or could players just get completely lost? But it does include a mode where you just free roam wherever you want, exploring and taking pictures and hanging out with friends. There’s also a new battle royale mode that’s pretty similar to F-Zero 99. Basically you race from one end of the world to the other, but if your position isn’t good enough when you pass checkpoints, you get eliminated. Sounds like it could be a lot of fun!

At this point, the Direct shifted focus to the new hardware. In particular, we finally learned what the mysterious C button on the right Joycon does. Pressing the button pulls up a chat menu, and from there you can do pretty much what you would expect for something like that. You can talk to friends, using the Switch 2’s built in microphone, regardless of what game everyone is playing. Based on the video shown, you can have up to four people in a chat party. You can also share your screen with everyone in your party, although it seems to run at a very low frame rate, and you can use an optional camera to show yourself. While it’s certainly not revolutionary, especially if you’ve played any non-Nintendo console since the Xbox 360, but this is a huge upgrade from where Nintendo’s chat options have been.

One of the other new additions is mouse functionality on both the left and right Joycons. It’s kind of interesting to have two mice as a control option, and a new game, Drag X Drive, showed off how you use them for a game. It’s basically a wheelchair basketball game, and you move by dragging your mice, like you would with a real wheelchair. That plus motion controls for shooting and passing the ball, and you have what looks like a neat little game.

I was pretty surprised by how much third party support was shown. Most of the games shown were ports, such as Elden Ring, Cyberpunk 2077, and Final Fantasy VII: Remake. It’s really exciting to see just how many companies are on board with the new console, and a lot of these would be amazing on a portable. I always meant to go back to Elden Ring, and getting it on the Switch 2 seems like a great excuse to do so. Probably the biggest third party surprise was The Duskbloods, a new Switch 2 exclusive from From Software that looked a lot like Bloodborne. While I’m not the biggest From fan, Elden Ring is kind of the only one of their games to hook me for any amount of time, this is a huge get for Nintendo.

First party-wise, the majority of what was shown was “Switch 2 Edition” versions of original Switch games. These are games that can be upgraded, with a fee, to have better visuals, frame rates, and in some cases, content. For example, Mario Party Jamboree is getting a whole Switch 2 exclusive mode that includes mouse controlled minigames and camera controls. As expected, Metroid Prime 4 is getting a Switch 2 Edition that can be played in 4K with 60 frames per second, or 1080p with 120 frames per second. And of course, mouse controls, which should be great for aiming.

It wouldn’t be a Nintendo Direct without some talk about Nintendo Switch Online. The big new feature coming to NSO on the Switch 2 is GameCube games for people subscribed to the Expansion Pack. At launch day, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Soulcalibur 2, and F-Zero GX will all be available, which is a pretty good selection. They showed some games that will be coming down the line. Of those, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness, and Chibi-Robo and the ones I’m most excited for. Those games go for stupid amounts of money, so it’s great to have easy access to them.

My one big complaint with this Direct, was a pretty big lack of Switch 2 exclusive first party titles. Thankfully, right at the end, we got two last announcements. First was Kirby Air Riders, a sequel to the GameCube game, Kirby Air Ride. I never actually played that game, but Sakurai is directing, so it’s probably going to be a good time. And finally, Donkey Kong Bananza, a new 3D Donkey Kong platformer. The focus on this one seems to be destructible environments, with Donkey Kong just plowing through walls and ground and everything around him. It looks like a lot of fun and will fill the 3D Mario slot. It’s coming out about a month after the Switch 2 releases, and it’s probably the exclusive I’m most looking forward to.

Overall, I was very happy with this Direct. The Switch 2 is showing some real promise, which isn’t much of a surprise. All I really wanted was a stronger Switch, and that’s basically what we’re getting. We also don’t have to wait too long, as the console is out on June 5th. Hopefully I’ll be able to get a preorder, whenever those become available.

Oh, and if you read my predictions post, I only got one right. I said that Square would be all in on the Switch 2, and mentioned Final Fantasy Remake as an example of what they would be bringing over. That’s correct. But yeah, everything else was wrong. Oh well.