Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour Trailer Highlights New Minigames & Tech Demos

As much as I'm reluctant to pay for this, I'm going to want to test out the mouse controls with something, so this is likely going to be it. Forgive me, Lord.

20 minigames and 14 tech demo's. Going by Nintendo standards it's a miracle they didn't ask 40 for this. The mini games look fun though.

From what I have seen, it looks great. But would I pay for this.......no! Nintendo,, if you really had to charge for this?? Word of advice, charge £5 extra for the console, don't say a word, then everyone would be none the wiser?!!

Buy it or don't buy it, on the surface at least it looks they haven't half-arsed it.

im honestly really excited for this one!

Can't wait to get this and pissing off the whole gaming community. 😆😆😆

@karatekid1612 Nutshell, I have no idea why this wasn't the approach taken.

Already pre ordered it! I’m thirsty for all the fun facts about this system!

@Hank_Scorpio thank you hank, glad I'm not the only one.

game plan: take out switch 2, apply screen protector, download mario kart, while waiting change settings, when finished, download this game, play mario kart all day, at night take it easy and play this game

I feel the biggest misstep here was calling it the Welcome Tour when it obviously makes people feel anything but

This will be the perfect pack-in game for switch 2, but nintendo decided to be greedy and make the users pay for a switch 2 digital manual 😕

I found a summary on Reddit of the Japanese voiceover @JimNorman if you want to add any of it to the article:

• There are 20 minigames, each with varying levels of difficulty and a medal award system. A certain number of medals need to be earned to unlock new minigames.
• In addition to the minigames, there are 14 interactive tech demos. These are distinct from minigames in the sense that they do not award medals or count toward your unlock progression. These do appear to have objectives and some form of completion condition, and also seem to depend on your hardware setup (whether you have the camera, surround sound, a compatible display, etc).
• New areas (parts of the console) are unlocked by passing quizzes about the device.

Honestly, as someone who doesn't know a lot about tech but enjoys learning how things work I'm actually really excited to play this!

I know that's a niche view and I agree it would've been much better as a pack-in and Nintendo really messed up by calling it Welcome Tour in the West (it's called Exhibition of Switch 2 Secrets in Japan)

@wiiware "This will be the perfect pack-in game for switch 2, but nintendo decided to be greedy and the users pay for a switch 2 manual"

It's absolutely not a "Switch manual" It's all about how it works internally and contains 20 minigames. There's so many misconceptions about this title. Admittedly a lot of is Nintendo's own fault though poor communication and misleading name (It's called Exhibition of Switch 2 Secrets in Japan) I agree it should've been a pack-in title though.

i can see this becoming a smash hit for no other reason that theres nothing else to get at launch. i know WHY they want us to pay for it (in nintendos eyes, its either make money with this game, or not), they know this looks underwhelming and wont move systems the way wii sports did. so might as a well squeeze some purchases out of it. no thanks

@SwitchplayerJohn Nintendo seems to have changed on that front. I heard an interesting perspective from someone in Japan recently that the Japanese PC market has become huge over there in recent years, so much so Nintendo probably sees it as their main competition now and would be genuinely worried about it. They said that's why Nintendo's emphasising their tech more lately, why it's cheaper over there and even why they probably included a mouse with it.

Are we ever going to get an article about this game (that was made by real developers) without complaining it isn't free? Probably not. Either way, I'm looking forward to it and already have it pre-ordered. Roll on Thursday!

Love it and can't wait! it's first thing I'm playing on Thursday!

€9,99 is a solid price for the game, there is no reason it should be free.

When Switch 1 came out, I remember hearing people rave about the ice cube thing with HD Rumble, though I never tried it. I remember the AR Cards with 3DS. I remember being wowed by feeling grains of sand blow at my controller with the Astro demo on PS5. There’s bound to be some tech demo on here that will be pretty fascinating that nobody, including Nintendo, will ever touch again. Curiosity, and the feeling that my little Mario Kart drivers must be tired, will get me to try this out.

I dont get when people whine about it costing money. This is pretty much like switch 2s wii play which was also basically 10 dollars and just offered a bunch of small minigames to showcase the controller/hardware. And wii play sold massively, so why was it ok then but suddenly a problem now?

This whole thing really just strikes me as Nintendo Land without the charm or effort.

@Superick It’s a marketing issue. As others have said, don’t call it “Welcome Tour” and then charge for it. This was a completely unforced error on the part of NOA.

This feels like something Sony would do and Astrobot feels like something Nintendo would do.

Misleading name or not, it should be free with the console.

Should be free with the console or not, I'll probably still buy it.

I like how Nintento values its software.

This looks like alot of stuff made from Game Builder Garage

@Superick They should've called it Switch 2 Play

Brace yourselves for another wiiu flop. This tech demo looks lovely and more of a must buy than Mario kart world.

The fact that some people are going to buy this is just incredibly ridiculous. If this outsells Fast Fusion, an actual game, it's going to be sad. The same people saying "Just don't buy it!" are the ones who keep giving Nintendo a pass for pretty much everything. Higher game prices, joy con reliability, game key cards, etc...😐🙄 I guess some people really don't have any standards

Welcoming us all soon ...for a nominal fee.

True Game of the Year here. I can't wait.

@Superick Don't forget that Wii Sports was already bundled with the Wii system for free, to showcase the motion controls. Meanwhile, the PlayStation received a free AstroBot game as a welcome bonus.

Therefore this move fuels the growing perception that they're becoming increasingly driven by profit.

Welcome to Nintendo Switch 2, now pay us 10 of your local currency, thank you very much.

Overview trailer with English dub: https://x.com/ChrisMack32/status/1929260962101477432

@JimNorman

@Superick

"wii play sold massively, so why was it ok then but suddenly a problem now?"

because Wii Sports.

@Jack_Goetz Don't do it man, I want it too! Be strong with me!

@Jack_Goetz Test out the mouse controls on an actual game instead of this. Have some willpower

GOTY for sure!

@SwitchplayerJohn I agree with you. What's worse is that some people are willing to let Nintendo milk them until the end of time too. I'm waiting for the day Nintendo starts charging for software updates with their consoles. I'm sure a lot of people will justify that too.

Does anyone think the complaining would have been nonexistent if this was called 'Discovery Tour' instead of 'Welcome Tour'?

You can have that idea for $9.99, Nintendo. 😂

2:25 looks like you need the camera to enjoy the whole game, which is really bad imo. so even if i would want to spend 10€, i'd need the 50€ camera to get the whole game
edit: the camera is 60€. 40€ for the hori piranha plant one. so they still got their 70€ game in the end. really scummy

@somnambulance We should expect it because they started the trend and it's just the consumer friendly thing to do.

All of this was a problem with Nintendoland, 1-2 Switch and this. But You can't sell this as anything other than a litteral demo that shows of the system! It's just greedy, unfriendly and totally unneeded. And a great showing of what's to come from Nintendo...so that's at least very honest of them!

They should've really put this in the direct! It just shows of the system really well and actually looks half decent!

@Superick I picked up Wii Play as it came bundled with a Wii Remote (at least in Europe). I imagine that was a huge selling point for many.

@Jack_Goetz honestly they should bundle it with the camera then. That would be fair.

I hope there’s a form of fast travel, that will a bit of a hassle to explore

As much as I sicken myself for it, i'll probably bite and get it

@Rooty @JohnnyMind Agreed!

If 1-2 Switch had been a pack-in title, the price of the Switch would have been $350, not $300. I am glad we were not forced to buy that game. I prefer having a choice.

Reggie pushed hard for Wii Sports to be included. In Japan, Wii Sports was not a pack-in title.

And Wii Sports was a special kind of magic. Nintendo Land and 1-2 Switch were not killer apps. I will buy Welcome Tour, but I doubt it will match the popularity of Wii Sports.

Didn't watch the full overview video yet but I already decided to pick it up. I figured it's cheap enough and would make for a relaxing thing to play when I'm taking short breaks from Mario Kart.

Agree it should be a pack in. But also, at $10 I’m willing to give it a whirl. If it was $20+ I’d feel differently. It seems like a fun way to get familiar with the system. Nintendo has been and always will be about milking the consumer. It sucks but there’s not much to do about it except boycott. $60 for Luigi’s Mansion 2 and DK lackluster ports anyone….

I didn’t watch it yet, but the camera requirement makes sense,, it’s showing how all the features of the system work. If it didn’t have the camera, it’d be missing something that a lot of people will use and are excited for. I don’t have surround sound of 4k tv so I won’t be able to experience those bits but maybe one day I’ll upgrade my set up.

It's not really a replayable title, thus why it should have been included.

I feel like the only reason to make this $10 would be to add it to NO+EP. But as far as I know it isn't so...

If it mentions the camera then yeah pack it in with the camera. For $50 the camera should already come with 6 months of NO. I read Gamechat was free until March 2026 but I'm not sure if that's all online gaming. If it is Nintendo should talk about it more. Nice bonus for the early adopters. Not so nice if you get a Switch 2 after next March.

https://www.nintendo.com/us/whatsnew/nintendo-switch-2-gamechat-all-together-anytime-anywhere/

"GameChat Open-Access Period

GameChat is included with any Nintendo Switch Online membership

Limited-time offer: Until March 31, 2026, GameChat can be used without a Nintendo Switch Online membership. Afterwards, a Nintendo Switch Online membership will be required to use GameChat.

Additional games, systems and/or accessories may be required for multiplayer mode. Internet, Nintendo Switch Online membership and Nintendo Account required for online features, including GameChat. Compatible USB-C® camera required for video features. Not available in all countries. Terms and GameChat requirements apply. support.nintendo.com Games, systems, memberships and some accessories sold separately."

Not buying this garbage.

Well, now that we know there’s all those tiny people running around inside your switch 2, please be gentle with your system.

If every owner of a Switch 2 bought this, with their projected sales of 20 million in the first year, thats around £160 million income from just a tech demo....no wonder they want to charge.

No thanks. Haha. Can't believe they will charge for this and some people will actually end up paying for it. Crazy times.

Can't be as bad as Switch-1-2...

(**checks** It was called 1-2-Switch, apparently.. Shows how much I cared about that.. ..)

Nah, I’d bet that some day Welcome Tour will be a free giveaway to NSO expansion pack subscribers and I’ll just wait till then.
There’s too much else to spend money on this year!

They should have made it part of what you get for signing up for Nintendo Online w/ Switch 2. Then they could still maybe make some money from it, the name would make more sense, they’d get some extra marketing for Nintendo Online and piss off fewer people to boot.

@DwaynesGames it might not have been a killer app, but Nintendo Land was really cool. I told myself I would not get the demo, but if it reviews well, I might dip in and get it.

@MocawNow actually, that’s a great idea- to have it included in Nintendo Online. Better PR and increases the value of the service….

Paying for this is a litmus test for if you should be entrusted with money.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I don’t really understand all of the brouhaha over this.

While I don’t necessarily disagree on the sentiment that this could have been a pack in game, at the end of the day it’s not. It’s also not software you are forced to buy or required to have to use the console. So in that sense, I’m not gonna go as far as to call this or imply this as some insidious, consumer unfriendly money grab. Of course there’s some level of greed involved on their part. But that’s honestly the case of the whole shebang to begin with. At least in this situation, it’s again a game that no one is required to buy or even give a second thought to if they don’t want to.

I would have thought there would have been some charm, or more charm, to this. This video did not help.

People, "free" doesn't exist in this world. You're always paying money for something. Even a "pack-in" title like Wii Sports, Nintendoland (Wii U), or Astro's Play room on PS5.

For companies like Nintendo it's a choice between requiring everyone to pay for it vs requiring only people who want it to pay for it. Honestly I see it as a positive Nintendo is "asking money for it".

@axelhander God forbid, I as an Adult make a decision on where and how to spend my money. There are worse thing to buy than a piece of entertainment software.....

In a world where Astro’s Playroom exists, this is a slap in the face.

It is interesting that the evolution of operators guides has gone from full color detailed books that can be referenced during and away from gaming to a sub par Mii style “tech” demo that seeks to showcase the power of the Switch 2. This is strangely not like Nintendo and is what happens when you lack a marketing person like Reggie that sees potential for a win that benefits the end user as well as the corporation.

If Nintendo wants to sell this as a legitimate software title then it is their call. I feel this launch has been communicated so poorly, even considering the tariff situation, with too many add on spiels and lack of pricing uniformity. People can certainly spend their money as they deem appropriate. I am not even sure I want to get the console at this point. There really has not been any software titles that I see coming that justify the $450 dollars. Maybe in the holiday season something will come out.

yes, 20 mini games and 14 tech demo's. Going by Nintendo standards it's a miracle they didn't ask 40 for this. The mini games look fun though.

It looks neat, but I just can’t shake the feeling I’d play it for an hour or two and then never touch it again.

I'm not supporting this with money, but enough people will that Nintendo will learn the wrong lesson and never bundle anything free with a console at launch again

@8bit-Man don't forget Wii sports wasn't free in Japan and that still sold a few million units not long after launch

@rockodoodle Agreed on both points. Nintendo Land is awesome. It was our go to party game for many years. 😊

Including Welcome Tour with NSO is a great idea. They could also allow it to be purchased for those that don’t want to subscribe (or that want to own it).

@TAndvig Nintendo have been very vocal about their software having value and rightly or wrongly they don't believe that value should be zero

@AllBLK I haven't spent a cent on Nintendo hardware since 2017. I've continuously called Switch 1 a rubbish handheld due mostly to its joycon issues, and I'm bamboozled why they're only producing one size of S2 cartridge, pushing 3rd parties to game-key cards.

This looks like a good game. It's my most anticipated Switch 2 launch game besides Mario Kart, moreso than Donkey Kong or Fast Racing. It's a classically Nintendo polished minigame collection. I can be a critic of the company and still want this, so let's not make assumptions about each other.

@swoose to be fair, Nintendo fixed my Joy Cons for free..,

@AllBLK
The salt... 🤤

@sleepinglion Exactly. This is going to set a precedent going forward. Nintendo is going to try and squeeze as much cash as possible from people. It reminds me of the Oblivion horse armor situation. A lot of people were complaining about it but still bought it because it was only a few bucks. It pretty much opened the floodgates for DLC. I read an article where one of the developers said they could've put the armor in the game for free but the higher ups didn't want that. They knew enough people would buy it and they were right. The same thing is going to happen with Nintendo going forward. Everything will have a price tag, even things that shouldn't. We're seeing it now with how they are treating the Zelda upgrades for the Switch 2. You have to pay for the upgrades and still need to purchase the DLC separately. But I digress. Trying to get the diehard loyalists to understand how ridiculous this is, is futile. They'll purchase whatever they put out no matter what

@John_Deacon Yep. And they only fixed it for free after being sued by consumers. Let's not forget how stubborn Nintendo was denying a serious issue with the joy cons until those class action lawsuits started nipping at their heels. I remember how many people were attacking and blaming others for rightfully being upset with joy con drift. Because it didn't personally happen to them, they didn't think it was a big deal. They also accused others of not taking care of their controllers instead of blaming Nintendo for releasing something with an inherent design flaw.😐

@Waluigi451 Most people will probably just watch a full walkthrough on YouTube and save the $10. This looks to have zero replay value

@John_Deacon This is going to be the most interesting thing going forward, especially in countries with strong consumer laws. Things inevitably break, sometimes not due to anything from the consumer. If a widespread hardware issue pops up with the Switch 2, Nintendo denying customers an opportunity to sue won't go over well. Consumer protection advocates will be on them relentlessly, especially in places like the EU.

@Simu001 Test failed.

Still should be a pack in game.

Funny thing is, they could have done just that, increased the console price by 10 bucks, and everyone would have been just fine with it, honestly.

As is, I'm definitely not paying a single penny for this.

@jsty3105 Of course they do, but that doesn't change the fact that it's a horrible approach and if they weren't so greedy they would understand that such deals are what made the WII such a huge success.

@TAndvig deciding that every game they develop has a certain value is very different from being 'greedy'. Wii Sports was pretty much the only game software they've ever released for free and even then they can point to 3 million paid software sales within 1.5 years in Japan as an indicator that people would have paid for it in the West.

Apart from Wii Sports, which is solely thanks to Reggie pushing Nintendo Japan hard, they've got no history of ever giving away games.

Having said all that, I'm in agreement with others here that it should've been a pack-in - notably because it's not actually a game shrugs

I was against paying for this when they said it was a paid download but whatever, it’s £8. If anything I just want a really good demo for the HD rumble since to this day I haven’t played anything that really wowed me. Everybody says the ball game in 1 2 Switch was the best use of the tech but there was no chance I was buying that just to try that mini game. At least this looks like there’s a nice amount of stuff in it.

Seems like something I’d mess around with for like 10-30 minutes max then never touch again. Not worth $10 to me when Mario Kart exists. Just my opinion, of course.

@jsty3105 well development costs are usually above zero... I'm no developer, but it's an educated guess haha!

So I'd say any title has a value, even something that a person doesn't want. Thats the problem with entertainment; it's a form of art and therefore subjective.

Personally I think yes it should have been a pack in, but equally at least youre not being forced to buy it. I see both arguments, and equally I'm on the fence about buying it. I'm happy with Mario kart and if I fancy a change and something else to "play" I'll pick it up with curiosity.

But nothing has a zero value, no matter what people think. As an early ps5 adopter, I loved astros playroom, but if I could have shaved 30 quid off the price of a ps5 then I wouldn't have gotten it and maybe picked it up in a sale.

People seem to think pack ins are free, when they're not. They're a loss leader at worst for the company to shift hardware and a sweetener at best for the consumer to make it look better value.

@Michael0916 here's a challenge, try and find one comment that isn't negative from the dude...

Why doesn't this demo have a demo? 😄😁

Hate to say it but I am starting to wonder if I am now going to be paying 10$ for this. It’s more bulky than I expected and looks like an interesting couple of hours.

@Slideaway1983 eloquently put

The more footage I see of Welcome Tour, the more it makes me sad that this resembles a fun social hub. I'm sick of social media trying their best to dominate our lives; I want a social hub like this built-in to the console so Nintendo players can find other people to game with! No need to fret about moderation: just make the communication simple like Journey, just smiley's and game invites. Emergent matchmaking so you just load up seamlessly and see who's on and willing to play! And remote GameShare could make playing with whoever you come across even more seamless.

Calling it now: it’ll wind up in NSO as a freeb.

I'm going to buy this and whine about it like a big baby.

@Suketoudara The Switch 2 is cheaper in Japan because of the massive inflation and wages not having kept up with it. 50k yen is already incredibly expensive for the average person there. They want for people to actually be able to buy it in the first place. That's also why it's region locked, to prevent mass exports from scalpers and the likes.

If I happen across this, and I feel like throwing coins at it, I'll bite, but it's currently low in my list.

No nintendo charm, sterile design. Not a single character. Even if this was a pack-in I'd still say it's boring.

I'll make sure to watch a let's play of that somewhere down the line. Next time pack in the obvious pack in, thanks.

@jsty3105 thank you. These are the kind of subjects that demand a bit of balance and integrity; something that most people sadly lack online whilst they do the digital equivalent of shouting at clouds (typing into digital clouds? 🤔).

@JJtheTexan except that you'd definitely have paid for it through a higher launch price if it was a pack in

Looks fun... but not enough to not be a pack in.

I can't wait. I loved learning about Switch with LABO, and this seems like the same thing for Switch 2, only $50 cheaper and less cardboard to find space for. I don't get the complaints, games aren't free to develop. Seems like some niche software that not everyone is going to want to use, hardly worth raising the price of the system over.

Even after seeing the mini-games, I'm still skipping this. Should've been part of a bundle. I really think it's cheap to charge € 9,99 for this. The console is expensive enough as it is.

@Nintendo_Thumb it's doing what Astro's Playroom did in 2020 but to a lesser extent, it's paid content for what is essentially a demo, and the game locks content behind the purchase of the accessories (some of which cost $80). It's a demo that was re-priced to be a quick cashgrab, it's the type of software you would expect to be included for free, and as others (including me) have said, Astro's Playroom did the same to a higher scale for free.

Don't want to hear anything else about this.. unless it's to say Nintendo has now decided to give it away, and we all know how likely that is!

Put that $10 in an old cookie tin and save it for something that's actually worth it.

@Suketoudara I completely agree with you. At first, I thought it was just an animated owners manual. This is well worth the price.

@OtterXPT as is 90% of those commenting here

@jsty3105 have you ever heard of duck hunt?

Nintendo one step forward, 2 steps back.
Does anyone remember the 3DS demos having limited plays? All because they thought people won't buy games if they can play demos. 🤦

@Tokujo It's not a Nintendo thing -https://jboger.substack.com/p/the-unfair-lie-that-ruined-demos

@DarkTron @DarkTron It's 14 tech demos and 20 minigames, it's not a demo itself but that would be great if there was a demo for it. A quick cashgrab, yeah like Nintendo needs the money so desperately, lol. Repriced from what exactly? Why would anybody expect it for free, games cost money, it didn't just appear into existence like magic.

And Astro's Playroom was not free, just like Wii Sports wasn't free. It's bundled with the hardware, those consoles would have been cheaper without them. People bitched about the $450 price, and you're here asking for it to be $460 so it will include a game that you describe as a demo. This doesn't make any sense. If you want the game, buy the game, if you want to save your money nobody is forcing you to get it. It shouldn't have been included, people shouldn't have to pay for that if they're not interested in it.

Some of these mini games are pretty challenging to be honest, but still fun. I like this thingy, I was right not to be prejudiced against it.