Every Nintendo Switch 2 Launch Day Tip, Accessory and Fun Discovery

Oops. Some folks were reporting that a retailer may've used staples to attach receipts to the outside of Switch 2 boxes and damaged the screens inside when the staples punctured the packages. A post on X from user @Rudeboy__NYC, saying this happened when they'd bought a Switch 2 from a GameStop, showed how the staples bit into the Switch 2's display.

After a Reddit thread recounted similar incidents from buyers at a GameStop, saying their screens had also been punctured by staples on the outside of the box, GameStop's official X account acknowledged the issue and said it was at only one store. A follow-up Reddit thread indicated that GameStop had been replacing affected consoles.

Maybe this isn't a big problem, but it was for me. The Switch 2 box features pictures of the console on both sides, which makes it a little tougher to assess which is the "front." So it's possible you may, in the heat of victory, open the box upside down, causing the contents to nearly spill out all over the floor (or, in my case, the backseat of the car).

In my case, I quickly put everything back and waited until I got home to try again. Then, I forgot my mistake and once again opened it upside down, nearly dropping the main screen on my hardwood floor. Don't be like me, kids. Check the position of the box tab. At least with the Mario Kart World bundle, it's easier to tell that the side with Mario on the front is the "safe" side. 

After my two near-disasters with unboxing the Switch 2, I figured I'd get right onto installing a screen protector (included with the Nintendo Switch 2 Carrying Case, $40) on my new device. That turned out to be harder than I expected. 

As a reminder, Nintendo warns users to keep that preinstalled plastic film on your display -- don't peel it off!

You'd think an accessories company as big as Belkin would have already made some gaming accessories, but until now, it hasn't. That's changing: It's released four new accessories for the new Switch 2 game console, which Nintendo just started shipping to people. I'm still waiting for my Switch 2 to arrive, but I did get review samples of all four Belkin Switch 2 accessories, which include two cases -- one with a bundled battery -- and two glass screen protectors. Check out the full story below.

I Got Belkin's New Nintendo Switch 2 Accessories, but Not the Switch 2

I've spent some time finding as many Switch 2 accessories as I can, and while CNET hasn't yet had a chance to review them, they're all available to pick up for your new console sooner rather than later. Check out my list below for the ones I've found so far, including a microSD card, a charger dock and a couple of protective cases.

The Switch 2 Is Here and I've Scoured the Internet for Every Accessory Available Right Now

Just in time for the Switch 2 launch today, I've updated a couple of my guides on upgrades for older Switch 1 games. They break down into 2 categories. The first is games you can upgrade for free, including some Pokemon and Mario games. 

Have a Nintendo Switch 2? You Can Upgrade These Original Switch Games for Free

• Arms
• Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
• Super Mario Odyssey
• Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury
• Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics
• The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
• The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
• Game Builder Garage
• New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
• Pokemon Scarlet
• Pokemon Violet
• Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain

There are also games that require you to purchase $10 "upgrade packs," which include of the two most recent Zelda games (Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom) and Civilization 7 with more coming soon. These are called Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games.

Everything You Need to Know About Nintendo Switch 2 Edition Games

• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (available now)
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (available now)
• Sid Meier's Civilization 7 (available now)
• Super Mario Party Jamboree (coming soon)
• Kirby and the Forgotten Land (coming soon)
• Metroid Prime 4 Beyond (coming soon)
• Pokemon Legends: Z-A (coming soon)

I wasn't planning on buying a Switch 2 on launch day, but my wife convinced me to get one, and I volunteered to shoot some footage for CNET's social team to boot. So I headed to my local Best Buy in Virginia. Here's the blow-by-blow.

11:02 p.m.: Just got here, and there is already a pretty long line. The first people arrived at 9. I don't think I'll be getting one. There's no way this random Best Buy in Virginia has several hundred switches.

12:03 a.m.: Got my ticket! They're letting us in four at a time, so this might take a while.

12:50 a.m.: This is taking forever.

2:30 a.m.: I finally got my Switch 2! Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get the bundle with Mario Kart World. This Best Buy had 22 bundles and 22 standard units available to buy.

3:08 a.m.: It's too late to do anything with it now. I'm off to bed.

I got there around midnight and there was a long line, even though a shopping appointment was required in order to enter the store for the launch. I was eventually let into the store around 1:45 a.m. and was out of there by 2 a.m. I was at the end of the line, but I heard people further up spent 4 hours on the sidewalk. 

When I got to the front, an employee scanned my pass, and told me to head upstairs to finish off the purchase. The Nintendo Store had the choice between the console by itself or the Mario Kart Bundle and had most accessories available -- I chose to grab a Controller. Games could also be purchased as digital vouchers, but since I could do that at home I focused just on the hardware.

A few minutes later the items were bagged up. While I would have liked to have seen a little more energy, Nintendo did throw Switch 2 festivities earlier in the evening at the store location. But by this late night hour, the store was focused on getting everyone the ability to buy their console and then head home.

What is the Nintendo Switch 2 like out of the box? We set up and play a bit of Mario Kart World and test the camera on our first day.

After a long day of Switch 2 setup and shooting video, I got home and saw my family. My 12-year-old son asked, "Do you have the Switch 2?" "Of course I do," I said. So, he finally played Mario Kart World.

He liked wandering around, and he played as the penguin (good choice). I asked what he thought of the little bit of play. He said it was fun, but he also said it's something he may not need right now. He plays the Switch all the time, and likes his collection of games. He's comfy. Maybe he's heard me say it's OK to wait, too. We only tried a bit of Mario Kart World before he had to go to bed, but I know what Switch game he's really looking forward to: Deltarune Chapters 3 and 4.

Between getting to visit the opening of the San Francisco Nintendo store and spending hours watching all the adorable Cow footage from Mario Kart World, I've been worn down enough to give in and grab a Nintendo Switch 2 tonight at the midnight launch in SF's Union Square.

However, I have a bone to pick with Nintendo. Why are they selling a $450 portable console with no game-themed carrying case? Having some cute first-party Mario or Kirby accessories at launch seems like the least they could do to make up for not making the console available in atomic purple. Sure, there's only one color for Joy-Con 2 controllers, but couldn't they at least make some Joy-Con pad covers shaped like Triforces? Why should I have to resort to Etsy or Amazon for a cheaply made skin to help protect a device that costs nearly one-third of my rent? Nintendo: Help me make my Switch 2 pretty or make it make sense! 

I had a whole lot of hope for the Switch 2's mouse controls when we first got to see them in action during Nintendo's Switch 2 Treehouse streams back in April. It felt like an exciting step for a console to try to emulate some form of keyboard and mouse controls for first-person shooter games.

As reviewers get their hands on the first Switch 2's, I'm feeling slightly more ambivalent about this new feature. Using the Joy-Cons as a surrogate for a wired mouse just seems too clunky for games that require speedy target acquisition, not to mention that the whole control scheme just doesn't look comfortable. If you're clasping the tiny controllers in that upright position and dragging them along a desk for a prolonged period of time, I feel like you're just asking for a nasty hand cramp.

My dreams of widespread FPS game adoption on the Switch 2 haven't been dashed quite yet, though. It turns out that you can plug a USB mouse into the new Nintendo console and use that for some games that permit mouse controls. Whether this will be a more ergonomic control scheme remains to be seen -- but I'm crossing my fingers that this will be one of the "next big things" for the hybrid console.

I just set up the Switch 2 Camera with a big TV here at CNET to play Mario Kart World, and its little magic tricks are better than you might think. Imad Khan and I tried Knockout Tour and used the camera to track our faces. The camera can split tracking for up to four faces at once, showing them on-screen projected onto character karts. It's live video, too, so you can taunt away.

The camera mode also helped me track where friends were on-screen. I could easily see Imad's face floating way ahead, reminding me that he was in first place and I had absolutely no hope of catching him.

It's rare to see cameras do clever tricks like this in games, and the Switch 2 Camera is widescreen enough to track a whole living room. Jury's still out here, but the camera is starting to look a lot more interesting than I had expected.

As part of Switch 2 testing in CNET's New York lab, Scott Stein and Imad Khan race one another in Mario Kart World, while CNET video producer Carly Marsh (far left) captures the action.

My local Best Buy evidently has a handful of Switch 2's available for people who wait in line. I wasn't able to preorder successfully, so if I show up early enough, I could walk away with one. The question is: Do I actually want to do that?

Right now, my feeling is "Nope, I'm good." I read with great interest a piece by Scott Stein entitled Not Getting the Switch 2 on Launch Day? Why It's OK to Wait, and while the FOMO is most definitely real (I love my OG Switch and definitely plan to get a Switch 2 this year), I can stand to wait a bit. I have no burning desire to play any of the launch games now, the new features like mouse control don't float my boat (yet), and summer is starting, so I'd rather touch some grass.

As Scott said: "As good as the Switch 2's upgrades are, and as fun as the new Mario Kart and Donkey Kong games seem to be -- and the GameCube gaming library also seems like a blast of retro fun -- the Switch 2 is very much an iterative upgrade for now. The very best games on the Switch 2 -- and its most unique exclusives -- are likely still to come." Amen.

The Switch 2 now supports 4K graphics with HDR, whereas the original Nintendo console output only at 1080p when connected to the dock. As I connect each console to my 4K TV to transfer my save data, it's refreshing to see the updated visuals. 

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I can clearly see the difference in resolution as I jump back and forth. The text is so much sharper and more crisp compared to the image from the original Switch model. The HDR also makes the screen a lot brighter when connected to the TV. It really helps make this device seem like a huge improvement over the 2017 device.

I set up the Switch 2 and downloaded a system update, which took a while because of some Wi-Fi connection issues that seemed to resolve when I got into better Wi-Fi range. Then I transferred system data from a Switch OLED, a process that always stresses me out.

Nintendo says if you don't do this when you first start the Switch 2, you can't do it later. I don't know about that, but I did it to move my save data over, including some games that aren't cloud-saved. The transfer took about half an hour, and now I'm ready to download some games. 

BTW, you need both Switches connected to power, and having that second top USB port on the Switch 2 is very nice.

Nintendo also gave me a few of the optional accessories to test. I'll start with the camera.

It's sold separately ($55). It's smaller than I expected, with a little weighted base and a USB-C cable that plugs into the back of the camera. There's a shutter for blocking the lens, too. 

The Pro controller ($85) feels more dense but is otherwise similar to the original Switch Pro controller. This one has a headphone jack, microphone, and two paddle buttons on the back that can be programmed. It also has a two-tone gray and black look. 

The Joy-Con 2 Wheels ($25) are little novelty controllers for Mario Kart. They're not essential since your Joy-Con can already work as a motion-controlled tilt controller, but they're cute. The Joy-Cons snap right in magnetically, and rear L/R paddles control the top Joy-Con buttons. I'll give them a spin soon.

No surprises inside. The Switch 2 includes:

• Two Joy-Con 2 controllers
• The dock
• HDMI cable
• Power brick
• Detachable USB-C-to-USB-C cable
• Joy-Con grip (without USB-C passthrough charging)
• Two clip-on Joy-Con wrist straps

The wrist straps have covers that flatten the side edge when the Joy-Cons are used in their new mouse mode.

One thing I've noticed already: The magnetically snapping Joy-Cons are a lot easier to swap on and off.

The Nintendo Switch 2 goes on sale tonight, but I've got a Switch 2 and some other gear right now and am getting a feel for the hardware as fast as I can. The Switch 2 box is pretty compact, and it looks similar to the original Switch.

The dock is thick, but similar to previous Switch docks. This one has its own cooling fan, along with HDMI, USB-C and Ethernet ports inside and two USB-A ports outside.

I'll be setting up the Switch 2 soon and will have thoughts on how everything works! The magnetically snapping Joy-Cons are already a lot easier to swap on and off.