Switch 2’s First Year: Games Loved, Hardware Criticized
As 2025 drew to a close, the Switch 2 completed its first year on the market, and a clear picture emerged when players looked back at the console. While the game quality and performance improvements were largely praised, some hardware choices fell short of expectations. In particular, issues experienced during portability led to comments that the Switch 2 had a “good but flawed” first year.
What Do Players Say About the Switch 2 in Its First Year?
The most frequently voiced criticism of the Switch 2 concerns battery life. Many players see the need to charge in less than two hours, especially with high-budget games, as a serious problem. Compared to the longer battery life offered by the previous generation Switch OLED, this is considered a step backward that contradicts its portable console identity. While new technologies like DLSS have improved performance, the strain on the battery hasn’t lessened the criticism.
The screen choice is also at the center of the debate. The use of an LCD panel instead of OLED has been disappointing, especially for players accustomed to vibrant colors. While some users argue that this was a conscious choice to leave room for a future model, others say that the combination of OLED and VRR is not currently possible due to current technological limitations. Despite this, the screen issue is seen by most players as “disturbing but not a reason to give up.”
On the positive side, the prevailing opinion is that what was expected has been fully achieved: a more powerful Switch. Without changing the core idea of its predecessor, the Switch 2 offers better performance, more stable frame rates, and a structure better suited to modern games. The increasing popularity of 40 FPS modes, in particular, reinforces the view that a good balance between quality and fluidity has been achieved.
The gaming side has generally been satisfactory. New titles like Mario Kart, Donkey Kong, Pokémon, and Metroid have become showcase titles for the console, while older Switch games are said to have been given a second life. The fact that games like Tears of the Kingdom play more smoothly on the Switch 2 increases the value of the older library. All of this shows that, despite its flaws, the Switch 2 concluded its first year with a strong gaming identity and enters 2026 with optimism.
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