If you’ve been holding onto your Nintendo Switch OLED and telling yourself, “I don’t need the new one, mine’s still good,” well... I was right there with you. That OLED screen is pretty, and it’s been a great travel companion. But after digging into what the Nintendo Switch 2 is bringing to the table, I’m officially sold. And if you’re ready to make the jump, you can pre-order the Nintendo Switch 2 at Walmart for $449 and $499 for the Mario Kart World Bundle, starting April 24.

So what makes the Switch 2 feel like a real upgrade instead of just another refresh?

The Nintendo Switch 2 isn’t just a performance bump. It finally brings modern gaming features to Nintendo’s hybrid console idea, and honestly, it makes the OLED look like a mid-cycle refresh (because, well, it was). With proper HDR support, 4K output, improved audio, and a new NVIDIA chip under the hood, this thing feels like the true sequel we’ve been waiting for.

The OLED model gave us deeper blacks and more vivid colors, sure—but it never supported HDR10. The Switch 2 fixes that, and it’s a big deal if you play on a newer 4K TV. Games like Breath of the Wild, Metroid Prime Remastered, or even Mario Odyssey could now showcase more lifelike lighting, brighter highlights, and more subtle shading that the OLED just couldn’t display.

And here’s the big one for me: 4K output when docked. That’s right—the Switch 2 finally supports native 4K at 60 frames per second on compatible TVs. After years of 1080p max (and sometimes lower), it’s wild to think we’ll be playing Mario Kart and Metroid Prime in actual 4K. For someone who plays mostly docked, that alone made me sit up straight. I’ve been living in 1080p land for far too long.

Nintendo’s audio design has always been creative—but the hardware it played through? Meh. The original Switch and the OLED both had thin, underwhelming speakers. Not anymore.

The built-in stereo speakers have been redesigned, and when docked, you now get 5.1-channel PCM surround sound. Translation? Whether you’re using headphones, your TV, or a soundbar, you’ll actually hear the difference—more depth, more clarity, and fuller bass. If you’ve ever played Smash Bros. and thought, “Why does this sound like it’s coming from a tin can?”—good news, that’s over.

Playing with headphones should finally deliver the kind of immersive soundstage that does justice to games like Fire Emblem or Xenoblade Chronicles. If you’re like me and notice even the tiniest sound effects, this is a major win.

Under the hood, Nintendo’s teaming up with NVIDIA again, this time using a custom chip called Tegra T239 “Drake.” And yeah, it’s a big deal. It supports ray tracing, DLSS upscaling, and AI-driven enhancements. That means games load faster, look better, and run smoother. Rumors are even flying that Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition will run on this thing, which blows my mind. The original Switch struggled with some third-party titles—this one looks ready to handle way more.

Handheld mode isn’t being left behind either. The Switch 2 comes with a larger 7.9-inch LCD that supports up to 120Hz refresh rates. Even if we only get 60Hz for most games, that faster response time should make everything feel snappier and smoother. It’s one of those changes you really feel rather than see.

The Joy-Cons have been redesigned, too. They now connect magnetically (no more wobbly rails), and they’ve got beefier buttons, better thumbsticks, and even a new “C” button that can be used for things like voice chat or quick screen sharing, though we’ll have to wait and see how it gets used.

And here’s the kicker: it’s all backward compatible. Your Switch and OLED games will work on the Switch 2—and some of them will even run better. Nintendo’s even bumped up the internal storage to 256GB (up from 32GB on the original), and the microSD slot now supports faster microSD Express cards.

And let’s not forget the new dock—it now includes two USB-C ports, HDMI 2.1, and full support for 4K HDR output. Basically, Nintendo finally realized we all want a modern console that doesn’t feel like it's stuck in 2017.

So, what’s the damage? The Switch 2 launches June 5, 2025, and will cost $449 and $499 for the Mario Kart World Bundle. And as I mentioned, pre-orders open at Walmart on April 24.

Personally, I’m already mentally packing my console bag for my summer gaming sessions. The Switch OLED will always have a special place on my shelf, but I’m ready for brighter highlights in my games, fuller bass in my races, and load times that don’t make me brew another cup of coffee.

If you love Nintendo’s library and want to experience it at its absolute best, the Switch 2 is absolutely worth it. I’ve put off upgrading my TV’s input settings and fiddling with low-latency modes for years because I knew the Switch just wasn’t keeping up. Now it finally is.

And let’s be honest—Nintendo doesn't refresh its hardware often. This isn’t like a PlayStation where you get a Pro model every couple years. When Nintendo does a generational leap, you’re probably sticking with it for the next 5–7 years. So if you want to be on board for whatever new Mario, Zelda, or Donkey Kong adventures are coming next, you’ll want to be playing them in 4K HDR with proper audio.

Bottom line? The Switch 2 isn’t just better than the OLED—it makes the OLED feel like a stepping stone. And with all these new features lined up, I’m more excited for a Nintendo console than I’ve been since 2017.