We’d love to hear your thoughts, too. Disagree with our picks? Can’t live without that extra storage? Let us know in the polls and comments what gear and games you’d recommend to a Switch 2-curious gamer looking to jump aboard.
Switch 2 Essentials – The Console
Image: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life
If you’re in the market for Switch 2 hardware, there’s good news and bad news.
Bad news first: There’s only one SKU, which means no colour options if you want something brighter or Your-Favourite-Nintendo-Series-themed. Also, the price is going up in September, from $449.99 USD / £395.99 / €469.99 to $499.99 USD / £TBA / €499.99. Not great.
Image: Nintendo
The good news? There are bundles available worldwide that throw in a game with the system, and some good ones, too.
Of particular interest is the Choose your Game bundle in North America, which — true to its name — lets you download Mario Kart World, Pokémon Pokopia, or Donkey Kong Bananza.
Elsewhere, in Australia and New Zealand, there’s a region-specific Pokopia bundle. While that’s all for official hardware bundles at the moment, we wouldn’t be surprised to see others pop up. Remember, though, that the hardware itself is identical in each case.
Also, keep an eye out for individual retailers whipping up deals of their own. With a plethora of Game-Key Card titles on store shelves, you may find some top games thrown in to sweeten the pot over the summer.
If you’re wondering which game bundle is best, the next section may be illuminating…
Switch 2 Essentials – The Games
Image: Damien McFerran / Nintendo Life
A console is nothing without its games, and while Switch still doesn’t have an enormous number of console exclusives to its name yet, it’s amassed an impressive library in its first year.
Let’s get Team NL’s quickfire “indispensable” S2 game:
- “My head says Pokopia, but my heart says Bananza. Either is guaranteed to produce face-aching smiles.” – Jim
- “Donkey Kong Bananza. It doesn’t quite reach the same heights as Odyssey, but it’s got a lot of the same magic.” – Ollie
- “Mario Kart World – it’s Mario Kart.” – Liam
- “I’m going with Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Machine Games’ light immersive-sim elements and spot-on presentation absolutely hooked me with a spectacular port. (Shoutout to RE9, which I haven’t yet played, but I’m jonesing — ha! — to.)” – Gavin
The usual suspects, unsurprisingly, though it’s interesting to see a pretty even spread – no single game is the system seller for us.
If you’re looking for a larger rundown of Switch 2’s best games, we’re happy to oblige with our reader-ranked Top 50.
System? Sorted. Games? Got ’em. Play time? Possibly…
Switch 2 Essentials – The Accessories
Image: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life
Is there anything else that’s genuinely essential?
Image: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life
Well, it depends on who you ask, and — obviously — your budget. If the controller that comes with the console works fine, splashing hard-earned cash on a controller has always felt like an ask, personally. That’s money that could be spent on another game!
And do you really need to spend 50 or 100 quid on a bloody Micro SD Express card when you’ve just shelled out for the system?
We’re divided on the storage question, but Team NL all agree about investing in a good pad – and something to carry your handheld hybrid in makes eminent sense. Let’s see what NL staffers are rolling with on the accessories front:
‘A good case is a must’
Pad: I’ve been rocking the official Pro Controller 2 since day one, and it’s a beauty. One of the best pads on the market, for sure.
Memory card: I still haven’t been able to find one at a good price, but my ‘Delete Software’ antics can only last so long.
Accessories: Aside from the Pro Controller, a good case is a must. I’m using Nintendo’s official offering, and it has served me well so far.
Jim Norman
Features Editor, Nintendo Life
‘I jump between pads’
Pad: I jump between pads so much, but my top two are the Pro Controller 2 and the 8BitDo Pro 3. Both are excellent.
Memory card: I’ve got a 256GB Express card. Even then, I’m still having to frequently clear space.
Accessories: I’ve found the charging pad that comes with the 8BitDo Pro 3 to be a huge convenience. It also looks great set in front of the Switch 2 dock.
Ollie Reynolds
Reviews Editor, Nintendo Life
‘Highly recommend’
Pad: I’ve got the S2 Pro Controller – highly recommend.
Memory card: Yes, I have one.
Accessories: I have a PowerA hardcase.
Liam Doolan
News Editor, Nintendo Life
‘Yet to invest’
Pad: My Splatoon 2-themed Switch 1 Pro still functions perfectly, so I’ve yet to invest in a Pro Controller 2. It’s only a matter of time before I cave, though, maybe when they do one with a funky livery? That RE9 tie-in was too muted.
Memory card: I’m still doing the internal memory juggle. I can’t justify 100 notes on a decent-sized SD card – not when it won’t even hold a quarter of my library.
Accessories: I had a bog-standard 20€ case I grabbed at launch (with a screen protector and some stick caps I’ll never use) until I was recently gifted a snazzy Waterfield jobby, a beautiful leather affair which I’d struggle to justify buying myself. Beyond that, the (Piranha Plant) Camera and Joy-Con 2 Steering Wheels are fun extras, but nobody in their right mind should be recommending those as essential add-ons
Gavin Lane
Editor, Nintendo Life
Yeah, you can probably live without this for the time being — Image: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life
That’s us, but what about you? What’s your essential Switch 2 game? Have you invested in a non-Joy-Con controller? A Micro SD Express card? Are there any S2 accessories you simply couldn’t live without? How many questions are too many questions for an outro?
Let us know in the polls below, and take to the comments to expound further.
Which Switch 2 accessory do you consider most essential? (138 votes)
- A good controller
- A Micro DS Express card for more storage
- A decent carry case
- Something else (comment below)
- Nothing above is ‘essential’ for me
Up Next: What Is DLSS?
See Also
Gavin first wrote for Nintendo Life in 2018 before joining the site full-time the following year, rising through the ranks to become Editor. He can currently be found squashed beneath a Switch backlog the size of Normandy.
