Switch 2 six months on: the handheld finally has a library to match its screen

We revisit Nintendo’s console with a dozen games, a dock firmware update and a battery that still disappoints. The hardware desk at Arcade Porch does not recommend anything we have not lived with, and we lived with this one — the good, the frustrating and the firmware update that fixed half of the complaints.

What we tested, and how

Every device on the bench goes through the same routine: a latency check with a high-speed camera, a comfort session of eight hours, a battery run-down at a fixed brightness and a week of ordinary use where we forget to be careful with it. Numbers are useful, but the last test is the one that decides the verdict.

Results

• Latency: within the margin we consider invisible in play.
• Comfort: no hot spots after eight hours; the clamp force is lighter than the previous generation.
• Battery: slightly below the manufacturer’s claim at our brightness setting, which is normal.
• Build: the hinge is the weak point; treat it kindly.

Who should buy it

If you play in one place and already own the previous model, wait. If you are buying your first, this is the one we would point a friend to. If you want the absolute best regardless of price, the alternative we mention at the end costs twice as much and is roughly ten percent better, which is the kind of maths only enthusiasts find convincing.

The right gear is the gear you stop noticing. This one disappeared on day three.

The Arcade Porch hardware desk re-tests every recommendation twice a year; the date of the last re-test is at the top of the page.