I did it, Pam!
I actually finally did it!
What?
You swam without your floaties?
No.
You finally fell asleep without your stuffies?
Also no.
Bigger than both of those.
I played the Nintendo Switch 2!
Wait, what?
How is that possible?
The public previews don't start until this weekend.
Nintendo invited me to a super secret event yesterday, and I got to play the Switch 2 all day.
And I have so many things I need to tell everyone.
This is your literal dream come true.
It is my literal dream come true.
You don't even have to work today, Pamela.
You can just get cozy, listen to the weekly roar, maybe read a book.
Well then, I need to let Rye cook.
I'm Pamela Kirkland.
It's Thursday, April 3rd.
And I'm Ryan Willard, one of the first people in the world that has played Nintendo's newest system.
This is 10 Things You Need to Know About the Switch 2.
Ten.
Nine.
Eight.
Seven.
Six.
Five.
Four.
Three.
First thing you need to know is how I got to play the Switch 2 before anybody else.
Nintendo invited me and a bunch of content creators and press to a super secret location in New York City to watch the Switch 2 announcement.
I checked in at 7.30 in the morning, which was way earlier than I wanted to get up.
Nintendo then served me breakfast.
I obviously ate all of the pastries.
And then we watched the Nintendo Direct unfold just like everybody else.
But as soon as it was done, Doug Bowser, the president of Nintendo America yes, Doug Bowser is his real name Doug Bowser greeted us and then led us to the Switch 2 experience, where we got to play the Switch 2 from 10 am until 6 pm.
We took a lunch break and we also got to have a sit down with three members of the hardware development team, which I'll get back to in a bit.
But I got to play a bunch of games that will come out soon.
But before the games, the next thing you need to know is that the Nintendo Switch 2 has a 79-inch LCD screen with 1080p, which has up to 120 frames per second in handheld mode.
And in dock mode, it'll be able to run 4K and up to 60 frames per second.
Frames per second refers to how smooth the game looks and runs.
The speakers were improved and have 3D sound, as well as a built-in microphone with noise cancellation.
There's a new, more versatile kickstand and completely redesigned Joy-Cons, which I'll get back to later.
The game cards are the same size but are now red and have higher data transfer speeds.
Third thing you need to know is how the Switch 2 compares to the Switch 1 and the OLED model.
Well, the original Switch has a 62-inch screen, the OLED has a 7-inch screen and the Switch 2 outsizes both at 79 inches.
The resolution in handheld mode of the original and OLED was 720p, and the Switch is 1080p.
And when docked, the original and OLED max out at 1080p, while the Switch doubles it at 2160p.
That's a lot of p.
The original has 32 gigabytes of built-in hard drive space, the OLED has 64 and the Switch 2 has 256 gigabytes.
Now, battery life varies on the game you're playing and the conditions you're using it, but the original and OLED can last from four and a half to nine hours, and the Switch 2's battery life is rumored to last between two to six and a half hours, based on the usage.
The fourth thing you need to know is the Joy-Con 2.
The Joy-Cons have been redesigned from the ground up and feel way better.
They're bigger, the control sticks feel sturdier and smoother, and they snap into your Switch magnetically.
The most interesting feature is using mouse mode for the Joy-Cons.
You can detach them and use them like computer mice.
I especially loved it playing Metroid Prime Beyond, where I could aim Samus' arm cannon with the mouse mode for really great accuracy.
And the crazy part is you don't just have to use it on a table or a mouse pad.
I tested it using the mouse on my leg, my backpack, and my jacket, and it totally worked.
I'm really curious to see all the ways mouse mode is utilized on the Switch 2.
And the fifth thing you need to know is that on the Joy-Con 2s are a brand new button, the C button, which is used for game chat, and the camera.
With Nintendo Online, you can talk and video chat with friends and share gameplay so you can watch and help each other.
You'll be able to see up to three friends' screens and their faces if you have a camera attached.
Also, the Switch 2 has a built-in mic with noise-canceling features, which means you can talk to your friends while you play and cancel out background noise.
Oh, and one cool thing I learned is that it doesn't have to be a Nintendo camera.
It can be any web camera that has a USB-C plug, but the Nintendo camera does feature a wider lens, which makes it easier to play with up to four players.
I want to talk about the games, but I'm pretty worked up, so I think I need to take a quick break.
While Ryan is brain dumping his Switch 2 experiences, I'm hiding away and catching up on my animal news.
Our friend Leland McMain has a new podcast called The Weekly Roar and this episode is covering well
Just listen.
This is ANN, the Animal News Network.
Today on the Weekly Roar, we'll take you to an animal shindig that raised more than 60000 for animal welfare.
A New York City pigeon has gone viral and we're not talking about the bird flu.
She's sort of a blend of a cat and a dog but she's weirder and she flies.
And we'll learn how the latest round of budget cuts are actually affecting one of America's most famous endangered species.
We've got a first hand or first paw exclusive interview later in the show.
There aren't a lot of us left you know but...
What are you going to do?
All that and another smarty quiz on this edition of The Weekly Roar.
Fur, fangs, and fauna.
This is The Weekly Roar with your host, Leland McMain.
You can find The Weekly Roar on Apple and Spotify.
Maybe we'll even have Leland McMain on our show.
Speaking of, let's get back to it.
Okay, and now the thing we all care most about. the games!
First off, there are games that were originally on the Switch that now have a Nintendo Switch 2 edition, which will have new features.
For instance, I played the Switch 2 edition of Legend of Zelda, Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom and they ran way smoother and the graphics were even better.
I also played Mario Party Jamboree Switch 2 edition, which adds Jamboree TV where you can use the camera and microphone to insert yourself into the game, which was really cool and very silly.
Spoiler.
I might have screamed and jumped around as loud as possible to win a Bowser mini game, but I was told to do that by Nintendo ambassadors, so it was allowed.
The upgrades will be sold separately and some may be offered for free if you have a Nintendo Switch Online plus expansion pass.
The seventh thing you need to know is that there are a lot of games coming to the Switch 2.
Too many to name, so I'll just tell you about the other games that I played, and the next few are the ones that really surprised me.
First was DragXDrive, which is a wheelchair basketball game where you use the Joy-Cons in mouse mode.
This was probably the most unique game I played and took some time getting used to.
It did make me think about how cool actual wheelchair basketball is and how incredibly hard that must be to play in real life, because I was struggling playing with Joy-Cons.
And then there was a game called the Switch 2 Welcome Tour, which is a game where you explore facts and secrets about the Switch 2 through minigames.
It was also a really unique game, and I actually had a lot of fun playing the minigames.
The next surprise was the GameCube, which was the Nintendo system before the Wii, which is getting an emulator on the Switch 2.
I got to play Legend of Zelda Wind Waker, F-Zero GX, and Soul Calibur II.
All of them sported improved graphics, but Legend of Zelda and F-Zero really stood out.
They were great games back then, and they've definitely stood the test of time.
And the eighth thing you need to know are my top three games I played at the Switch 2 experience.
Metroid Prime 4 Beyond was babonkers.
You start off as Samus in the middle of a galactic war slash battle and drop right into the action.
The graphics are the best in the Metroid series, and mouse mode brings the controls to a whole new level.
I burned through the demo and beat a huge mech boss, and then I briefly met the real adversary in the game.
I wanted to play more, but they wouldn't let me.
Mario Kart World was absolutely insane.
I played this the most of any of the games today because I couldn't get enough.
There's an open world aspect where you can cruise around and explore, but Mario Kart World now has 24 racers competing in each race and I played against 23 other real people.
It was total chaos in the best possible way.
People were screaming with joy and terror as the turtle shells were flying.
And my favorite game of the Switch 2 experience was Donkey Kong Bonanza.
I never thought this would be the game I dug the most, but it's a 3D Donkey Kong platformer where you can destroy almost everything.
It was so incredibly fun to smash around, so much so that I spent most of the time in the first level just smashing things.
DK has more moves and controls than ever before, and to play him in a 3D platformer was the most fun I've ever had playing Donkey Kong.
I will be getting this game as soon as it's out.
The ninth thing you need to know is when is the Switch 2 coming out?
Pre-orders begin on April 9th and the Switch 2 goes on sale on June 5th.
It will start at 44999 for the basic and 49999 for a bundle with Mario Kart World.
This is the most expensive Nintendo system so far, but it is backwards compatible with the Switch One and has a lot of brand new features.
And it shouldn't be too hard to get, since Nintendo has been stockpiling to avoid scalpers and resellers.
And for the 10th thing you need to know, we don't have trivia today, because it is our trivia master Owen's birthday.
Happy birthday, Owen.
So instead of trivia, here's a fun factoid.
I got to sit in on a talk with the Switch 2 hardware team Koichi Kawamoto, the producer, Tetsuya Sasaki, the technical director, and Takuhiro Dota, the director.
Kawamoto was wearing a blue shirt, Sasaki was wearing a gray shirt and Dota was wearing a salmon-colored shirt.
They revealed that they were dressed to represent the Switch 2? and the colors of the Joy-Cons.
To see a picture of the three, check out the link in our show notes or visit our Instagram page.
And Tenors, as a bonus, I have a secret to tell you.
I started a YouTube channel.
I just put up a video showing my time at the Switch to Experience, and there will be more to come.
If you want to subscribe to my YouTube channel, go to youtube.com slash rywill.
That's R-Y-W-I-L-L.
And that was 10 things you need to know about the Nintendo Switch 2.
Ryan, what are you going to do now that your dreams have come true?
Great question.
I have other dreams, such as getting a Switch 2 and every game available.
I also dream of being able to fly without a jetpack and having a Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavor named after me.
What about your dreams?
I dream of ending world hunger of Leland McMain from the weekly roar stopping by the studio.
I dream of ice cream.
And of course, giving out some 10 new snaps.
But first, here's a quick note for the grownups.
It's time for 10 new snaps.
An unnamed tenor said, Ryan, can you put this on the next Switch 2 episode?
I love the updates.
And thanks to the team they let me learn about the world sports and anything else you can possibly think of.
Please put on Switch 2 update.
Well, you got what you wished for, but I wish we got your name.
Thanks so much, Unnamed Tenor.
I hope you like the Switch 2 episode.
Ooh, Pam, we got one more.
A seven-year-old named Hannah left us a comment on Spotify that said Ryan, I love your kitty's name because I love kittens and I have one.
Thank you, Hannah.
I am so glad we have those things in common because I love kittens.
They are so cuddly and I wish I were holding my kitten right now.
And two extra notes for the grown-ups.
You can now get ad-free versions of our episodes when you join the Tenors Club on our website.
And if you want to help support the 10 News, you can make a tax-deductible donation at the link in our show notes.
The whole team thanks you for your support.
The 10 News is a co-production of Small But Mighty Media and Next Chapter Podcasts and part of the Airwave Podcast Network.
The 10 News creative team is probably trying to take a break from listening to Ryan talk about the Switch 2, and includes Tracy, Notta Crooks, Adam the Great Bambino Bernard, Brian Not Ryan Douglas and Carson Not-So-Harry Potter.
Big thanks to Owen not slowing down for anybody.
Our production director is Jeremiah Onfaya-Tittle and our executive producers are Donald Albright, Albright Albright and show creator Tracy Takes the Leads award-winning Kaplan.
I'm Pamela Kirkland.
And I'm Ryan Willard.
Thanks for listening to The 10 News.
