Nintendo hosted their “Nintendo Switch 2 Experience” in Los Angeles, where a select number of fans got an early taste of what the Switch 2 offers. Guests were able to demo the Switch 2’s marquee titles early, including Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza and third-party games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut.

Culture Editor, Jesse Illanes, and Senior Reporter, Nyan Gavino, were among the lucky few selected through Nintendo’s lottery system who experienced what Nintendo had to offer at the preview event.

This article will review our impressions of the Switch 2 hardware, Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza. To see further coverage on games like Metroid Prime 4, Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut, Cyberpunk 2077 and Nintendo GameCube Classics, check out: The Sundial’s hands-on the Switch 2: Metroid Prime 4, Cyberpunk 2077 and everything in between.

Initial Introduction

At the event’s start, visitors were led into a showroom where the Switch 2 and its many accessories were displayed. This room also allowed visitors to hold the device and get a feel of its latest innovations. Employees waited on standby to explain the specific changes to attendees.

Jesse: I was surprised by how light the Switch 2 was, compared to the original Switch. It is only a bit heavier, but less than the Steam Deck, its direct competitor. Even though the form factor of Switch 2 is smaller than Steam Deck’s, the screen is bigger, making it a very welcome upgrade to Switch 1.

Here and Throughoutthroughout the event, we played with the “Joy-Con 2” controllers, which felt way better and more comfortable than the compact, original Joy-Con. Overall, they are larger than the original Joy-Con but feel great either attached to the console in handheld mode or detached, playing either on the TV or in tabletop mode.

The Joy-Con 2 grip and the Switch 2 Pro Controller have “GL” and “GR” grip buttons, making both controllers feel like a premium experience.

Nyan: The showroom was a solid introduction to the Switch 2 and its tech, but it was a small preview of the larger experience. The new console has significantly updated its hardware and Joy-Cons, but if its games saw a similar leap, the question remained.

Mario Kart World

After the showroom, our group was led into a demo for Mario Kart World. Paired with a partner, we could play three races, alternating between TV and handheld modes. Everyone was then taken to a section dedicated to the “Knockout Tour” mode, where 24 players played locally in the same room, aiming to see how far we could last in a race, with the last four racers eliminated at each checkpoint.

Jesse: I was genuinely surprised how much I liked Mario Kart World. Initially, the demo did feel like “it was just Mario Kart,” but as I kept playing, I was enthralled with the expressive animations and the overall performance. I picked Wario on a bike, and having him lean on his side, trying to balance out the bike after colliding with an obstacle was comedic, especially when he got hit with a shell while gliding, where Wario fell vertically, desperately trying to get back on the seat of the motorcycle as he was holding the handlebars.

With the Mario Kart chaos being amplified with 24 racers on screen, it was amazing to see the smooth performance of the game, as it ran at a stellar 2K resolution at 60 frames per second.

In typical Mario Kart fashion, I was about to pass the first checkpoint in Knockout Tour until I was struck with a barrage of items, going from 2nd to 23rd place. The 24 racers’ idea is great, but moments like these remind you how frantic and fun Mario Kart can be.

The game controlled great, the new items, costumes and characters are zany and excited me to play the final release, even though $80 for the game is still steep.

Nyan: Mario Kart World offered a very refreshing twist on what has become a familiar formula after so many iterations. The addition of an open-world environment, along with 24-player races, adds a lot to the series’ latest release. Nintendo has put a lot of effort into making this release feel innovative and unique compared to previous games. It feels smooth and responsive, but still holds all the typical elements of the Mario Kart series.

Donkey Kong Bananza

Once in the “free play area,” attendees were given the opportunity to demo up to six games they desired. Located at the entrance of this area was “Donkey Kong Bananza,” a platformer where you play as the titular character in an open world while searching to reclaim banana-shaped diamonds in a highly destructible sandbox. It’s one of the main close-to-launch titles that Nintendo has created for Switch 2, and it is one that the company has a lot of confidence in, as Donkey Kong Bananza had the most demo stations in the play area.

Nyan: Donkey Kong Bananza was one of the most popular games at the preview, and for good reason. It’s one of the Switch 2’s most anticipated games and was one of my standouts after playing the demo. Playing as Donkey Kong is a blast, and destroying everything and anything you see in front of you makes for a cathartic and satisfying gameplay loop that has more depth than initially let on. The title also demonstrates the upgraded hardware that the Switch 2 has compared to its predecessor, with the highly destructible environments and items flying around the screen, with only minor impacts on performance. Donkey Kong Bananza will surely be a standout title for the console’s launch window, and it will please fans of the Donkey Kong series.

Jesse: In a nutshell, Donkey Kong Bananza is a mixing pot of Donkey Kong 64 as a base with exploration, Donkey Kong Jungle Beat’s frantic, fast pace splashed in, and a hint of Super Mario Odyssey’s design DNA, while adding new elements to the mix with the mining/terraforming motif found in the game.

While Super Mario Odyssey simplified controls, Donkey Kong Bananza virtually has every button on the controller do something different, which is welcome in such a stunning platformer. With all the particle effects showcasing the power of the Switch 2, it reminded me of Astro Bot and its presentation, so Nintendo hopes to “wow” their fans with this entry.

However, I was a little underwhelmed with the demo since there is no big set piece or boss fight, but the game is shaping up to be great with the vast world filled with secrets and objectives, making this a “must-play” title for any “collect-a-thon” or 3D platforming fan.

Final Thoughts

Nyan: The Switch 2 boasts impressive technology and is a commendable upgrade to its predecessor. Nintendo is clearly all in on this upcoming console, and launch titles like Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza, a few weeks after launch, are sure to be hits and the console sellers that the company is hoping for.

In the current console market, Nintendo must keep this momentum with even more major game releases on the Switch 2. Due to its limited hardware and capabilities, the original Switch was never seen as the console competitor to the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X that the company had hoped for. With Switch 2’s upgraded capabilities, however, Nintendo might position itself as a much stronger challenger if its game library can keep up.

Jesse: The Nintendo Switch 2 seems a great step in modernizing the Switch experience. Seeing most of the games run, upscaled to 4K, is amazing, and the demos were great. The system’s form factor and controllers are all great upgrades to the original Switch, especially the new Joy-Con 2 controllers.

Maybe it’s just me itching to play more, but most of Nintendo’s first-party offerings felt great, but something was missing. Switch 2 will be released in just a few weeks on June 5, so we don’t have to wait too long for the whole experience of these games.

Interested in what else we played? To check out our thoughts on games like Metroid Prime 4, Drag x Drive, Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut, Cyberpunk 2077 and more, see our article: The Sundial’s Hands-on the Switch 2: Metroid Prime 4, Cyberpunk 2077 and everything in between.