Topic: Nintendo Switch 2

Wow, Hades II NSW2 Edition is up to a 95/100 which is incredibly high!

And while we know remasters typically score lower than original releases, both Zelda BotW and TotK sit at 95/100 despite the originals being 97/100 and 96/100, respectively...

There's also Mario Galaxy 1+2 which both originally scored 97/100 but sits at 87/100. Doesn't change the fact they're both 97 ranked games- two of the best of all time; even at 87 this release is ranked higher than Ghosts of Yotei at 86, and that game is getting all kinds of praise and attention..

And we have several other high scoring games, mostly exclusives, on NSW2 despite only being out a few months...

In fact if you take a look at just the 1st page of ranked games for NSW1 and NSW2 it's really impressive, as NSW2 is backward compatible so every game listed for NSW1 is automatically a NSW2 game that plays even better.

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Click/tap on image to link to hosted image, then click/tap once more to magnify in full clarity

@JaxonH The S2 editions of the Zeldas had very few professional reviews so I take that one with a hefty grain of salt in terms of comparing to the ranking.

But yeah, lots of high scores. Considering Switch/2 also has Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter and Split Fiction, we have access to most of the top rated games this year (although not the one fairly likely to win GotY)

@FishyS
n=14 reviews
st dev.=8.6
SEM=2.3 (standard error of the mean)
95% Range = average +/- 2*SEM

True Score = 95 +/- 4.6 @95% Confidence

There's a 95% probability the true average score lies between 90.4 and 99.6. That's the best we can say given the data. With more scores, the 95% confidence interval shrinks. Assuming the same variation but with 100 reviews, the confidence interval would be 95 +/- 1.7, or (93.3 to 96.7). But the average is still the best estimate at 95.

Math is interesting. To me at least.

I'm pretty sure Expedition 33 will release on Switch 2 eventually. With the increased cost of game development in the modern era combined with the downfall of Xbox (XS hardware sales estimated at 29 million by looking at official AMD numbers for chips sold and subtracting the known numbers of PS5 and Steamdeck) and game sales on the Xbox platform, Nintendo is becoming more important than ever.

Add to that the relative ease of porting to NSW2 as evidenced by comments from Square Enix, CD Projekt Red and Capcom, and impressive ports of games like Star Wars Outlaws, Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Cyberpunk 2077 and Resident Evil 9, and it becomes clear that NSW2 is going to become a magnet for 3rd parties this generation. I think we've only seen the tip of the iceberg. Some will come day and date, some will release a year or two after the fact. But I do believe in the end, the vast majority of games will see a NSW2 port.

Companies simply wont want to settle for PS and PC revenue, especially since PS hasn't seemed to gain any new users despite the decline of Xbox. PS5 is basically neck and neck with PS4 launch aligned, despite Xbox Series selling nearly half that of Xbox One. So they have to make up for that somehow. Switch 2's arrival on the scene is timely.

We just got affirmation that Red Dead Redemption 2 is definitely releasing on NSW2 and PS5 (maybe XS too, not sure), which like Cyberpunk is one of the most graphically impressive games ever released. NSW2 is proving capable of handling almost anything you could throw at it. We no longer have to worry about, "but Switch can't run it" like we did these past 8 years. Even Yakuza series is releasing a truckload of games, old and new alike, and that director has been one of the most anti-Nintendo people I've seen.

So ya, any top rated game that's not on NSW2 right now, I say give it til the end of next year... I bet there's a good chance they'll be announced, if not already released, at that point. Of course, there's too many to all release at once. They'll need to be spaced out over the course of the generation. But single games like E33, I see nothing hindering them from focusing on NSW2 right now. It's not like they have any other platforms to port it to.

I think it'll get particularly interesting as Microsoft starts to port more games to NSW2. Assuming Indiana Jones is a quality port, I think it'll sell reasonably well just like Hogwarts Legacy and Star Wars and Cyberpunk. Which opens the door for a lot more to follow.

@JaxonH Pretty sure the reviewers who choose to review a well known game which most reviewers don't review is in no way a random sample so I suspect the implicit assumptions in your calculation don't really hold up. Even with 100 reviews there will be a sample choice bias which is hard to account for, but it will likely be more of a secondary effect rather than a potentially primary effect you might get with smaller numbers. Or at least we hope that is true so that metacritic is at least vaguely meaningful 😅

But yeah, I assume Expedition 33 will come to Switch 2 eventually. I'll probably play it when it comes.

Being able to still use your Switch 1 after system transfer is very useful, redownloading everything is very long so I'm playing Sonic Racing CrossWorlds on my Switch 1 in the meantime.

@Grumblevolcano
Yea I still use my Lite for a secondary game all the time. I’m playing Lego Horizon right now.

@Grumblevolcano I actually still have my old Switch 1 put away somewhere although its battery has been drained. I even took its 128GB microSD card out to use on my 3DS.

@FishyS
If any bias exists, it's almost certainly to the detriment of the score. Id be perfectly content ascribing original scores only, and leave it at that. Those are all 97/100 games, and the re-releases are actually superior to those original reviewed versions.

@Grumblevolcano
Can you explain to me why everything is greyed out in Sonic Racing Crossworld except for the main campaign? Online is greyed out, wireless is greyed out, as is most options. I don't get it.

And it's like that on both my NSW1 OLED and NSW2...

Idk if you "unlock" those modes after racing a cup or what.

I know that physical Switch 2 Edition games work on both switch 1 and 2, but does the same apply to virtual game cards? Can I put the virtual game card for BOTW switch 2 edition into a switch 1 if that’s the only version I own?

@SplatRay001
Firstly, only NSW2 Edition physical games work on NSW1.

Secondly, yes, Virtual Game Cards for NSW2 Edition digital games can bounce back and forth between NSW1 and NSW2

Guys, help. I can not find a way to purchase a switch 2 upgrade pack for Sonic X Shadow Generations. I searched Nintendo's website, and I checked the Eshop. Is there no way to upgrade to switch 2?

Once again, I don't think Nintendo made it particularly clear with their choice of naming, and the lengthy box blurb just tends to confuse people even further.

Anyway, Switch 2 Editions are basically dual mode games that can run on both Switch 1 and Switch 2, with enhancements in the latter case. It doesn't matter whether you have the physical or virtual cartridge, it just works.

@CobaltFan I don't think there is an upgrade option.

https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2025/04/sonic-x-shadow-gene...

You'd have to purchase the Switch2 version separately.

@CobaltFan
There is no upgrade pack for Sonic x Shadow Generations. They expect people to repurchase the entire game. Hence why I didn't buy the NSW2 version, and likely never will unless it's on sale for $20 or less.

Most games have an upgrade option but this is one of the rare exceptions that doesn't. Even Hogwarts Legacy, which was developed ground up, did a 180 and offered a $10 upgrade.

Sorry.

@CobaltFan Not really, you’ll have to buy the Switch 2 edition for the game

Thank you, guys. It honestly is really weird that they would not give me the option to give them money so I can upgrade my game. At least I know I'm not blind.

It's real dumb.

FYI, the Lexar 1 TB micro SD Express card is on sale on Amazon for $186.88 (MSRP $219.99)

1 TB micro SD express $186.88 Amazon

It's certainly dumb but at least it's the exception rather than the rule. With that said it is going to be kinda absurd when the Switch 2 Edition eventually goes on sale at a price similar to the Switch version. Because at that point there'd be literally no reason to pick up the Switch version given the Switch 2 edition also runs on Switch

As it stands though it's still kinda stupid to buy the Switch version. Even if you don't have a Switch 2 yet, if you expect you'll eventually get one just buy the Switch 2 edition. It's a bit dumb