Nintendo Switch 2: My 5-Month Review

I received a Nintendo Switch 2 for my birthday back in September, thanks to my wonderful partner and family who pooled together for this rather expensive gift.

First, a little history lesson: I grew up as a PC gamer. When I met my partner, gaming faded into the background for a couple of years until we bought our apartment. In 2016, I finally had my first slice of "fun money," which I immediately spent on a PS4. It was a little middle finger to my parents, who never allowed me to have a console that might interrupt their TV time in the evenings.

Then Covid hit in 2020. I got a Switch Lite and a PS5 to bridge the lockdowns, eventually upgrading the Lite to an OLED model in 2021. But then I became a father, and the Switch became the ultimate "dad console." This year, I became a father for the second time, and the Switch 2 is proving to be more essential than ever.

Here is my review after five months of daily "dad usage."

The Screen: Giving up the OLED (and why it’s okay)

I’ll admit, moving from the Switch OLED to the Switch 2 initially felt like a downgrade on paper. No deep inky blacks? In 2025? But after five months, I’ve realized that for my usage, size and resolution trump contrast.

The screen is massive, but the real game-changer is the resolution bump. As a tired dad, I don't want to squint to read tiny text in RPG menus. The increased sharpness makes everything easier on the eyes, especially during those late-night sessions when I should definitely be sleeping but need just... one... more... quest. It’s not an OLED, but it looks crisp, bright, and most importantly, readable.

Performance: The Backlog Slayer

The raw power of the Switch 2 has turned it into the ultimate "Backlog Slayer." It’s not just about new games; it’s about how it handles the old ones.

There is a distinct joy in booting up games from my "Pile of Shame" and seeing them run flawlessly. The backward compatibility isn't just emulation; it feels like the system is brute-forcing extra frames out of the existing code. Games that used to stutter now glide. It has been the ideal excuse to finally revisit titles I bought on sale three years ago and never touched.

Battery Life: The Trade-off

Let’s rip the bandage off: in terms of raw endurance, the battery life is a downgrade from the Switch OLED. With the OLED, I could comfortably get four hours or so wandering around Hyrule in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. With the Switch 2, I’m happy if I can squeeze anything over two hours while running Cyberpunk 2077. The power comes at a price.

On the other hand, does it actually matter for my current lifestyle? I mostly play on the couch at night, usually with the TV playing something low-stakes in the background. My free time comes in smaller chunks these days. A solid two-hour window is often all I get before sleep (or a crying baby) calls, so while the spec sheet says "downgrade," my real-world usage says "sufficient."

Ergonomics: Not a Toy Anymore

Not gonna lie, this thing is huge. If the original Switch felt like a toy, the Switch 2 feels like a piece of serious tech. It’s definitely not designed for small kid hands anymore.

But I’m a big boy, and truthfully, I find the contouring much easier to hold than the flat slab of the OLED. It fills the hands better. However, gravity always wins eventually. It is noticeably heavier, and during those longer handheld sessions, I do start to feel the cramp setting in. It’s comfortable... until it isn't.

The Games: What I’ve Been Playing

A console is only as good as its library, and these last five months have been a mix of redeeming older titles and getting my mind blown by new ones.

The Redemption Arcs: Hogwarts, Civ 7 & Pokemon First off, Hogwarts Legacy. On the original Switch, this was... rough. On Switch 2, it is finally truly playable in portable mode. I sank a decent couple of hours into it, just enjoying the nooks and crannies of the castle without the textures popping in five seconds late. Then there is the Pokemon Scarlet/Violet upgrade. It took a new console generation to fix, but the extra horsepower finally redeems this game, smoothing out the bugs that plagued the original launch.

And let’s talk about Civilization 7. Two words: Mouse controls. They are epic! Where Civ 7 barely ran on the Switch 1, Civ 7 actually breathes here. It is the definition of a "Perfect Dad Game": turn-based, meaning I can put it down instantly when disaster strikes in the living room, and pick it right back up without losing a beat.

The Smooth Operators: Silksong & Hades 2 We were blessed with the October releases of Hollow Knight: Silksong and Hades 2. Boy, do these titles deliver. Both offer 120Hz in handheld and on my VRR TV. They play silky smooth, which is exactly what you need for twitchy, high-precision games like these.

The Heavy Hitters: Cyberpunk, Star Wars & Pokemon Z-A Finally, the big guns. Cyberpunk 2077 launched alongside the console and immediately pushed the hardware to its limits. With the updated DLSS, I'm genuinely hopeful to see some great-looking games in the coming years. Star Wars Outlaws is another showcase of DLSS power—it’s just wild to see these worlds rendered this well on a handheld.

And I can't forget Pokemon Legends Z-A. As the first native Pokemon game on the Switch 2, it looks fantastic. It proves that when Game Freak has the hardware headroom, they can deliver a visual spectacle.

Price & Value: The Cost of Power

I’m going to be short here: Yes, it is expensive. But yes, it is totally worth it.

There is a lot of raw power under this hood, and that comes at a price—both in dollars and battery watts. But for the versatility it offers, I don't regret a single cent (or rather, my family's cents—thanks again!). It bridges the gap between a dedicated home console and a portable device better than anything else on the market.

The Verdict: The Dad Console King

My PS5 still reigns king when it comes to raw graphical horsepower, and nothing beats the immersion of that DualSense haptic feedback. But I gotta be real here: I don't get a lot of dedicated PS5 time anymore.

My time is split. My time is spent on the couch, often with a kid nearby or the TV occupied. The Switch 2 just fits that life better. I use it 90% handheld, and the fact that I can pop it into a dock and enjoy it on the big screen is just an added bonus, not the main draw.

As long as devs keep supporting it—and we’re already seeing PS4/early PS5 era ports like Tomb Raider arriving—this machine is going to be my daily driver. It’s the expensive gift that actually fits into my life, rather than demanding I change my life to fit it.