What Every Parent Should Know Know About Switch 2

I've played Switch 2. Let's talk about the price, release date, the games, and the very important changes to parental controls.

On Wednesday, Nintendo announced very important details on Switch 2. The first part of this post will be very quick and to the point. These are the biggest takeaways. 

From there, we’ll unpack more of what Nintendo revealed, including what I saw and played during an invitation to a hands-on event with Switch 2 games in New York.

The quick part. Let’s go:

• The release date is June 5th

• The price is $450 for hardware alone, $500 bundled with Mario Kart World

• Pre-orders start on April 9th, with Nintendo’s own pre-order process having strict requirements to presumably weed out folks who want to buy the device and flip it

  • It’s unclear if Nintendo will have enough supply to meet demand

• Mario Kart World will, on its own, cost $80. Some retailers have said it’ll be $90 for a physical edition, but Walmart lists Mario Kart World as $80, so we’ll have to see

• Donkey Kong Bananza, due in July, will be only $70. Try to figure that one out?

• Additional new Joy-cons will cost $90 (!), the new Pro controller is ($80), the new Switch 2 dock is $110 (!!)

• Most Switch 1 games will be compatible, but not all games will be compatible

• Some Switch 1 games will automatically run better, but some substantial upgrades, like for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, will be paid upgrades

  • The cost of those upgrades is currently unknown

  • Another caveat: upgrades for both Zelda games will be “free” for anyone who’s already a subscriber to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack

• GameChat, Nintendo’s in-house take on Discord, is what the “C” button on the controller does, and uses a microphone and, optionally, a web cam for video chat

  • You can use your own USB-C web cam, though not all will be compatible

  • Nintendo has overhauled its parental controls to reflect video and audio chat

Phew. That, in a nutshell, is what we learned about Switch 2 this week. It seems like a notable but not revolutionary evolution of the original Switch, but after playing a handful of the games, it remains unclear whether everyone will need one on day one.

Many games are very fun, though, and I’m still thinking about them 24 hours later. 

Now, let’s dig deeper.

Oh, let’s start with the big news: two players can be the same character in Mario Kart World, which is the same as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe but not every Nintendo game allows this, such as Super Mario Bros. Wonder. But it will help avoid Princess Peach fights within the Klepek household in the future. I politely asked someone important at Nintendo to pass on my feedback about this to the whole company. It appears not everyone is aware this is a problem, so let’s root for some changes in the future!

All (half) jokes aside, for parents, there’s basically nowhere else to start but here.

Let’s Talk About GameChat

Here’s a Nintendo’s video that demonstrates Switch 2’s new audio and video chat service, which supports up to 12 people on a voice call or four people on a video call. GameChat also allows sharing what they’re doing in a game with people on the call.

Players press a “C” button on their controller to chat with friends over video or audio, including screen sharing, even if they’re not all in the same game. This might seem familiar to older players because of services like Discord, but do not underestimate the appeal of being able to press a single button and having it happen automatically.

GameChat is free—until March 31, 2026. Then, it’s part of Nintendo Switch Online. (I think this is a bad move, and Nintendo should make a GameChat Premium service.)

It’s worth watching the video about the parental controls, too, but I’ll break it down.

Importantly, you cannot chat with strangers in GameChat. It’s friends list-only.

Another note: a Switch friend is not a GameChat friend. You have to approve someone on your child’s friend list to become a GameChat friend. It’s another permission layer. It does mean keeping track of different versions of “friends.”

One cute feature is the ability to assign notes to a friend, such as “Son’s friend from soccer.” I must not be the only person who has a note on their phone that includes shorthand information about people in their child’s expanding friend group, and here, it’s just Nintendo allowing you to have that information about their digital life. Smart!

Another important distinction: after becoming a GameChat friend, children still have to ask permission to use the camera. This could become annoying, especially if you’re not around to approve it. According to the video, it appears the two options available to parents are blocking video chat or asking permission for every session.

My recommendation to Nintendo would be a VIP-like list where you could waive this.

Nintendo keeps an archive of your child’s GameChat history, but it doesn’t document what they say. There’s no video, audio, or text archive of their activity on GameChat.

One other cool feature: Switch 1 games being played on a Switch 2 can use GameChat!

Now, Let’s Talk About GameShare

GameShare lets you share select games with other players, whether they’re on a Switch 1 or Switch 2. A Switch 2 is required to start GameShare, but if you own a GameShare-compatible game, you can send a playable video feed of the game to a Switch 1 through GameShare. There’s not waiting around for the game to download.

This seems to go hand-in-hand with the “virtual cart” feature, which helps make the process of sharing games between parents and family members more streamlined.

Here are the first games that will eventually compatible with GameShare:

• Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker

• Super Mario 3D World/Bowser’s Fury

• Clubhouse Games

• Super Mario Odyssey

• Big Brain Academy

It’s possible to play co-op Super Mario Odyssey with you on a Switch 2 and your child on a Switch 1, yet “you” are the only person “running” the game natively. Nintendo said there will be Switch 2-exclusive games that support GameShare, which means you could be playing a Switch 2 exclusive in co-op mode with your child on a Switch 1!

That, friends, is neat.

Didn’t You Play Some Switch 2 Games?

I did!

Here, then, are some brief thoughts on all the kid-friendly games I played yesterday:

• Donkey Kong Bananza: Absolute chaos. Kids are going to eat this game up.

  • The “assist” mode for younger/newer players is just small musical notes. It’s a step back from how Nintendo helped the same players in Super Mario Odyssey.

• Mario Kart World: There’s a reason this is the launch title—and exclusive to Switch 2. Nintendo is going to treat this as a “forever” game. The “open world” part of it, while seemingly mostly connective tissue, will probably be more than enough for younger ones who just want to drive around and have fun. 

  • I do not know if all the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe assist features remain. Stay tuned.

• Super Mario Party Jamboree: A version of Mario Party interested in humiliating the people involved through a camera. Kids are going to have a ball with this.

• Kirby and the Forgotten Land: A beautiful-looking version of a great game, plus new content? I’m hoping this will be motivation for my oldest and I to finish this.

• Switch 2 Welcome Tour: It’s still unclear why Nintendo is charging for a behind-the-scenes app about the Switch 2, but without knowing how much it’ll cost, this is neat! It would not shock me if a young person who wanted to know more about how one of their favorite devices works would adore this interactive unpacking.

• Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom Upgrades: They look gorgeous, but uh, why weren’t the QR code features there when the game originally came out?

Now, the wait for June 5 begins. In the meantime, what questions do you have for me?

Have a story idea? Want to share a tip? Got a funny parenting story? Drop Patrick an email.

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