Werribee Plaza’s EB Games Had A Midnight Launch
This was only some of the line – by 12am the place was quite packed.
Well, we know what Nintendo’s wanting to push!
Well, here we are at the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2. It’s been a long wait, with a whole lot of rumours and leaks over months and years, but finally, the console is in people’s hands to try for themselves. For what was apparently the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic (which makes some sense), EB Games decided to hold midnight launches for the console as well as its accessories and games. I showed up a couple of hours early, and that got me something of a shorter wait when the clock struck twelve – as did my Fast Pass status, which I had due to currently being an EB World Plus member. You could also have obtained a Fast Pass by trading something in toward your Switch 2, so at least people were given options there. The arrival process worked well – a very friendly staff member worked out my (already paid-off) pre-order, and was able to give me my Atrix-branded (I believe it’s an EB Games brand) 1-terabyte microSD Express card – I guess we’ll wait and see if there’s any drawback to getting a store brand card.
Collecting The Loot
All I need for now – there’s a backlog to get to!
After a long wait for midnight spent playing my Steam Deck – I couldn’t resist the opportunity for blasphemy – the moment arrived. I still had to wait a few more minutes – the launch event started at 9pm, after all, so there was already a line by the time I got there – but I was able to get in and get my Switch 2 at an extra table set up just for collecting the pre-orders. Everything was handled cleanly with no issues, and everyone around me contributed to a joyful vibe. I headed to my car and went home to unbox the machine and photograph each step.
Unboxing Time
In and out!
The Switch 2’s box is very compact, and I’m honestly a little surprised at how its innards are laid out. When I saw reports on how small it was – comparable to the prior Switch packaging despite the Switch 2 and its dock being substantially larger – I was imagining space optimisations like having the tablet already in the dock with a protective layer or the Joy-Con 2 controllers coming already attached to the included grip. But no, these things are all separate, which I appreciate. Nintendo likely wanted customers to start with all the separate parts so they could have them put them together themselves, an actual part of the setup process that I’ll cover soon. The tablet looks excellent, the screen a massive improvement over the 2017 Switch’s offering. While I would’ve preferred OLED, the Switch 2’s LCD is at least one of the very best implementations you could hope for. 120Hz, High Dynamic Range, Variable Refresh Rate via Nvidia’s G-Sync… I think one of the best things will be the option of games made for 40fps in handheld mode, something we’re already seeing in games like Cyberpunk 2077 and No Man’s Sky. The *snap* of the magnetised Joy-Con 2 controllers is just as strong and satisfying as I expected – this will be a huge improvement over the old rails.
The Next Layer
Here’s the rest of the contents.
The Joy-Con 2 Feet – you need to attach them from the bottom, as shown here.
Going deeper, we have parts like the new fan-equipped dock, the Joy-Con 2 controller grip, and the requisite cables. There’s also the new Joy-Con 2’s “Feet” attachments – they improve the size of the shoulder buttons and make both the one-Joy-Con-each multiplayer mode and using that new mouse aiming feature much more comfortable. Generally speaking, everything is bigger, including that new dock. Along with the cooling fan (to keep the additional heat generated by the dock from affecting the console), the dock now comes with an included LAN port built-in – no need for an adapter like the original! I strongly suspect the extra size will make it less likely to tip over, as well.
The Big Update
Hey, you knew this was coming.
As expected these days, booting up the Nintendo Switch 2 and setting up WiFi will quickly put you in front of a system update screen, asking you to download and install it. This is a big one, too – I’ve heard that much of the more basic functionality of the system is included in this launch day update, such as the ability to play original Switch games via backwards compatibility. This was pretty effective at preventing leaks, since even those who got hold of actual Switch 2s prior to launch weren’t able to do that much with them. So go ahead and update, you’ll need it.
Controllers and Play Styles
A solid way to start.
This is nice – following the update, the Switch 2 has you go through playing around with the different modes the console can be played in. You get to detach the controllers, set up the stand for tabletop mode, dock the console, etc. – much of it it old hat to me as a Switch owner, but new users will probably greatly benefit from this kind of helpful rundown.
More Storage, More Work
Don’t lose it!
Next we need to install that microSD Express card I showed before. Not all of you will have one of these – microSD Express as a standard was confirmed quite a while ago but is only now hitting store shelves as a broadly available series of products, the Switch 2 itself being almost solely responsible for the drastic manufacturing increase. As you can see at the top of the article, even a store-brand option is quite pricey when you’re going for a full terabyte, so I would not fault any of you for sticking with the internal storage for now. But for those of you who just had to pay up for that 8x speed increase over regular microSD, the tiny storage cards go into a slot located underneath the system’s U-shaped stand – open it up as though you’re planning to play in Tabletop Mode, and slot the card in all the way, until it clicks in. The mechanism fixes it in sturdily – it’s unlikely to fall out during normal play time.
You Can Do A System Transfer!
I wasn’t sure initially if this would be an option, but the next setup step offers for you to transfer the data from your Switch to your Switch 2. I jumped on this, though it wasn’t immediate – as you’d expect, the Switch also needs a new system update before the feature can be selected. I’ve heard about some people having issues with the wireless connection process – the two handhelds refusing to recognise each other, that sort of thing – but I didn’t experience this. The above photo shows the successful connection before I began transferring – you should definitely do this, it’s more user-friendly than doing everything manually.
Heading
The Mario Kart World Voucher also worked without issue.The Mario Kart World Voucher also worked without issue.
Now to actually play video games.
This was overall a pretty smooth unboxing. The arrangement of the parts and accessories in the box is less compact than I’d like, and the reporting of a store in Staten Island that damaged a slew of Switch 2 screens by stapling receipts to the front of the box (note the screen right under the top in a photo earlier in the article) raises serious questions as to Nintendo’s choices with how to package their new machine, but my personal experience was fine. Hopefully this article lets you know what to expect – I especially recommend that any parent buying a Switch 2 as a gift open it early and set it up in secret before the special day. Good luck, and try out all the games you can – new and old.
