The 6 Nintendo Switch 2 mishaps that have upset fans the most

Many fans made that exact face (Nintendo/Metro)

The big Nintendo Switch 2 Direct was as frustrating as it was exciting, thanks to some odd announcements and a serious lack of communication.

Last week’s Nintendo Direct for the Nintendo Switch 2 should’ve been an exciting time for gamers everywhere. And to a degree it was, with Nintendo and its partners announcing a wide range of new titles for various audiences.

We were able to go hands-on with the console ourselves, and the likes of Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza are more than enough to warrant an early purchase – with the former set to be the perfect Switch 2 killer app.

But even the most devout fans have to acknowledge that the Direct was not all sunshine and rainbows. There were several bizarre and infuriating decisions made, and the aftermath has proved more volatile than anyone could have expected.

While we don’t want to diminish peoples’ hype for the Switch 2 (our glowing previews should show we’re still eager for its release), it’d be wrong not to acknowledge the fumbles that may wind up tarnishing the console’s early days.

Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour costs money The mini-games aren’t even that good (Nintendo)

Of all the games we experienced during our hands-on session with the Switch 2, the only one that left us baffled was the glorified interactive instruction manual known as Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour.

The mini-games and tech demos it contains are far too simple for their own good and the sterile and un-Nintendo-like presentation ensures it gets very boring, very quickly. We can’t imagine any child spending more than a few minutes on it.

It wouldn’t be so bad if this was a free title that came pre-installed on the console, but Nintendo wants you to spend money on it. Its Japanese price of 990 yen would make it about £5 or so, but according to an IGN interview it’ll cost $9.99 in the U.S., which is akin to £8. Whatever the price ends up being, it’ll still be too much.

It’s especially shocking when Astro’s Playroom for the PlayStation 5 exists. That too is essentially a tech demo, meant to introduce you to a new console and controller, but it’s dressed up as a charming spectacle, full of cute robots and references to PlayStation’s history. Most importantly, it is completely free.

No physical Switch 2 Editions

The handful of Switch 1 games confirmed to be getting Switch 2 remasters all have something to encourage fans to upgrade, be it Super Mario Party Jamboree’s extra modes or Breath Of The Wild’s improved visuals.

Newcomers are getting the short end of the stick though, when it comes to acquiring these games physically. Nintendo pointedly didn’t mention this during the showcase, but the physical versions of the Switch 2 Edition games aren’t physical at all. Instead, they’re Switch 1 games that come with a download code for the upgrade.

Nintendo hasn’t shared official prices for Switch 2 Edition games yet, but US retailer Walmart has them going for $70 or $80, depending on the game, which is around the same price as a brand new Switch 2 exclusive (which we’ll get to later). In the UK, that’d be about £55 to £62, but it wouldn’t be surprising if Nintendo scaled the price up.

As such, it’d be cheaper to track down Switch 1 copies of games and pay for the upgrade separately (whose price is also unconfirmed but is thought to be around £10 for simple upgrades like Zelda and £20 for games like Super Mario Party, that have new content).

There’s also the fact that these Switch 2 Editions being effectively digital makes them very difficult to preserve for future posterity and impossible to sell second-hand.

Lack of new first party franchises Drag X Drive hardly looks like this generation’s Splatoon, does it? (Nintendo)

While the likes of Mario Kart and Donkey Kong are getting big new entries for Switch 2, we had hoped to see Nintendo announce an entirely new IP for the console’s first year.

The Wii U had Splatoon, which quickly became a massive success and while the Switch 1’s new IP, ARMS, wasn’t as successful, it was still an enjoyable and wholly original take on the fighting game genre.

The Switch 2, however, appears to be relying entirely on familiar faces, old classics, and overdue ports of big name third party games, like Elden Ring and Cyberpunk 2077. There’s no sign of Nintendo taking a chance on giving the Switch 2 its Splatoon moment.

There is wheelchair basketball game Drag X Drive, but while we did enjoy its demonstration of the mouse controls, it’s clearly lacking the same vibrancy as Splatoon and ARMS and appears to be very low budget.

Its presentation is shockingly drab for a Nintendo game and feels more like a tech demo than a serious attempt at a new ongoing franchise.

Fortunately, this is the one thing Nintendo can eventually rectify. There’s every possibility Nintendo does have a secret new IP up its sleeves. It did run a secret online playtest for something codenamed Rockstock, that involves mechs and collecting resources to cultivate planets. Which is something many expected to be announced during the Direct.

What about Splatoon and Animal Crossing?

This one isn’t really a complaint, but it was a shame not to see either Splatoon or Animal Crossing, two of Nintendo’s biggest IPs, make an appearance or be mentioned during the Switch 2 showcase.

Splatoon 3 saw its final content update this past September, meaning Nintendo has likely shifted gears to Splatoon 4. As for Animal Crossing, it’s been over five years since New Horizons, which mysteriously cut post-launch support short in what was assumed to be an indication that work had begun on a sequel.

Other long-running franchises like Fire Emblem, Super Smash Bros., Pikmin, and a new (rather than remastered) Zelda were also absent. They’re obviously coming at some point but a quick tease or hint wouldn’t have gone amiss.

The Duskbloods buries its multiplayer lede

Nintendo landing its very own FromSoftware game, The Duskbloods, was one of the biggest surprises of the Direct, with a very enticing trailer that seemed to imply a spiritual sequel to Bloodborne.

However, it’s not that at all. It’s an online-only PvPvE multiplayer game. Nothing in the trailer indicates this is the case and Nintendo didn’t even confirm the detail until after the showcase wrapped up.

That’s a pretty important detail to leave out and from the way the trailer was cut it seems obvious that Nintendo and/or FromSoftware were happy for everyone to imagine it was a primarily single-player game.

The Duskbloods is due in 2026, but this year will see the launch of Elden Ring Nightreign, which,is also a multiplayer game.

Studio president Hidetaka Miyazaki may be aware of the optics since, an interview with Nintendo, he felt the need to assure fans that the studio will keep making single-player games in the future.

Is The Duskbloods exclusive to Nintendo Switch 2?

As it stands, yes, The Duskbloods’ own trailer states that it will be available ‘only on Nintendo Switch 2.’

This hasn’t stopped some from hoping it could be ported to other systems later. According to Genki on X, FromSoftware owns the IP and is publishing The Duskbloods itself in Japan – with Nintendo publishing it everywhere else.

FromSoftware retaining ownership of the IP means it could have the freedom to bring the game to PlayStation, Xbox, and PC eventually, but that depends on the deal they struck with Nintendo.

We’ve seen situations like this before. Square Enix’s Octopath Traveler and Live A Live remake were published by Nintendo when they launched for Switch, but were later brought to other platforms by Square Enix.

Like those games, The Duskbloods could be a timed exclusive (likely for at least one year) but equally it could be a permanent exclusive like Bayonetta 2 and 3.

Game prices No, you’re not misreading those numbers (Nintendo)

While some have been complaining about the price of the Switch 2 console, the price tag of £395.99 is largely what was excepted and hasn’t proven very controversial. What has though is the price of the games.

So far, Nintendo has only confirmed prices for two of its first party games (which is worthy of a complaint in itself). Mario Kart World will cost £74.99 physically and £66.99 digitally, while Donkey Kong Bananza will cost £66.99 physically and £58.99 digitally.

This is aggravating for a lot of reasons. For starters, compared to Sony and Microsoft, Nintendo and the Switch 1 have spent the last several years as the more affordable alternative. With this leap in game prices, it loses that angle entirely (unless those rumours about GTA 6 ushering in a new era of £100 games is true).

Additionally, the digital versions being cheaper than the physical ones is clearly meant to encourage customers to purchase the former, which will only hasten the demise of physical games entirely.

And as if that wasn’t enough, Nintendo pushing Mario Kart World for over £70 will incentivise other companies to do the same; especially if the game still sells well. Sony was one of the first to push £70 as the standard for its exclusives, with companies like EA and Activision quickly following, but Nintendo could end up making £70+ even more commonplace.

Nintendo’s pricing decisions are only making gaming more expensive and stand to price a lot of people out of their favourite hobby.

Is Nintendo off its game? Will you still be buying Mario Kart World at launch? (Nintendo)

Given all the unforced errors and awkward communications, it seems as if Nintendo has been strangely underprepared for the Switch 2 reveal – as if it hadn’t had several years of unparalleled success in which to prepare for it, which is worryingly reminiscent of the transition from the Wii to Wii U.

Many had hoped the Switch 2 would bring some light to a tumultuous, and increasingly depressing, games industry, burdened by ever increasing prices, constant lay-offs, and diminishing creative freedom. The Switch 2 reveal hasn’t been a disaster but any hopes that last week’s Direct would signal a positive new era for the industry have quickly been dashed.

Its decision to hide the prices of the console and games during the showcase could be dismissed as Nintendo being Nintendo, but it feels more like they knew there’d be backlash and they were cowardly trying to delay it by an extra few hours.

Being upfront and honest wouldn’t have softened the blow, but it would’ve made it easier for Nintendo to defend. Especially as the hardware bundle with Mario Kart, which means the game itself costs only £34, is a really good deal but it’s existence has been largely lost in the confusion and anger.

Nintendo’s communication with its audience has been rather awful in general. By not sharing clear pricing details during the showcase, it forced everyone to scramble around for information, making it very easy for misassumptions and incorrect claims to spread. Even now, there’s no official UK prices for Switch 2 Edition games or their upgrade packs.

We’re also confused as to why Nintendo stuck to its April 2 date for the showcase, when Donald Trump planned to announce his new tariffs the same day. It’s because of those tariffs that Nintendo has had to delay Switch 2 pre-orders in the U.S., which in turn has people fearing the console will only get more expensive as a result.

Nintendo was well aware the tariffs were coming, and that it stood to be impacted by them, yet it blundered ahead anyway and created even more bad press for itself – when it could have gone in far more prepared by simply waiting a couple more days.

It’s too soon to tell if any of these issues will hurt Nintendo or the Switch 2 in the long term. But at a time when Sony is struggling to release new exclusives and Microsoft is fixated on AI generated games, any hope that Nintendo would prove to be the adult in the room have quickly evaporated.

Will all these problems hurt the Switch 2’s launch or will it turn a profit regardless? (Nintendo)

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