It’s here: Unboxing and setting up our Switch 2 review unit
Our Switch got here 14 hours early—here's what early adopters will see.
Kyle Orland – Jun 4, 2025 3:14 pm | Story text Size Width * Links * Subscribers onlyLearn more
As we've mentioned previously, Nintendo did not see fit to provide press with early review hardware for the Switch 2. Today, though, with the June 5 launch of the Switch 2 having already arrived in regions like Japan and Australia, the ever-efficient UPS driver delivered final retail hardware straight from Nintendo of America to the Ars Orbiting HQ.
The 14 hour lead time between our receipt of that hardware and the midnight launch of the Switch 2 on the US East Coast isn't close to enough time to put together a comprehensive review. For now, though, we thought we'd take you through a pictorial journey of our unboxing and initial setup process, ahead of much more coverage to come.
Get set...
The first thing we saw when powering on the Switch 2, after a Nintendo logo, was a short animation showing us how to attach the new snap-on Joy-Cons (which are packaged separately in the box). After that, the system confirmed our language, region, and time zone before asking to connect to the Internet via Wi-Fi to download an update. We didn't see any option to skip this download, making it unclear what, if anything, you can do with a brand-new Switch 2 that doesn't have access to an Internet connection.
After that quick update, the console explained a bit more about how to connect and remove the Joy-Cons from the Switch 2 tablet and from the color-coordinated holsters that come with the system. Then it was time to log in to my Nintendo account to enable a data transfer from the original Switch to its inevitable successor. This process only copies account information and save data to the new system; non-physical games themselves are downloaded separately after the transfer is complete (and can be managed between two consoles with the new Virtual Game Card system).
Once I brought the original Switch close by to start the transfer process, I was warned that save files for games including Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Pokemon: Let's Go Pikachu would be removed from the original system during transfer, presumably as an anti-cheating measure. This made the whole process a bit nerve-wracking, though in the end my save files made it through with flying colors.
Surprisingly, the wireless system transfer process also wouldn't move screenshots and gameplay videos stored on the original Switch. To move those over, I had to remove the physical microSD card from the Switch and temporarily insert it into the Switch 2. This was particularly perplexing since the Switch 2 seems to only officially support MicroSD Express cards for everything but this one setup feature.
Bigger than a breadbox
We've talked before about the relative size of the Switch 2 compared to other portable game consoles like the original Switch and the Steam Deck. Still, there's something about seeing the hardware next to an original Game Boy or even a PlayStation Portable that really highlights how far handheld gaming hardware design has come in the last few decades.
Holding a retail Switch 2 unit in our hands also reconfirms what we said during our April preview of the hardware; namely, the unit feels a bit more substantial in the hand than the original Switch, but still a good deal less bulky than portable PCs like the Steam Deck, both in terms of weight and overall thickness. While it's still early, we'd expect long-term portable play will be plenty comfortable here.
On the control side, while the buttons and sticks on the Switch 2 are a little better suited to adult hands than those on the original Switch, they still feel a little on the small side when held right next to standard console controllers from Sony and Microsoft. That's not true of the Pro Controller 2, though, which will feel immediately familiar in size and shape to anyone who's played on a PlayStation or Xbox console in recent years.
We'll have much more to say about our experience with the Switch 2 in the coming days and weeks. For now, leave us a comment if you have any specific questions that we might be able to answer as we put the console through its paces.
Kyle Orland Senior Gaming Editor Kyle Orland Senior Gaming Editor Kyle Orland has been the Senior Gaming Editor at Ars Technica since 2012, writing primarily about the business, tech, and culture behind video games. He has journalism and computer science degrees from University of Maryland. He once wrote a whole book about Minesweeper.
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