A year ago, I scrambled to give on-the-fly thoughts about the Switch 2 as it arrived on shelves amid a ton of hype. The long-expected follow-up to one of the most successful game consoles ever felt like it should be a slam dunk.

My thought then was that the Switch 2 was the best gaming handheld, but not something any Nintendo Switch owner needed to buy. And that was always the paradox: For all that the Switch 2 does better than the Switch, it's also the same proposition in many ways. It's another Switch, but with better graphics and some new games that, somehow, didn't include a new Zelda or 3D Mario.

In 2026, things already feel different. The economy has been brutal, driving prices of electronics and game consoles up constantly. PC gaming handhelds and Steam Decks are now climbing to prices that can reach $1,000 and higher. Years-old PlayStation 5 and Xbox consoles are more expensive too. Nintendo's also driven its Switch hardware prices up, but not nearly as much. The Switch 2's price is getting its first increase, up $50, to $500 on Sept. 1. A $500 price tag for a Nintendo console is a lot, but it's now on the lower end of a price spectrum that climbs higher than I ever imagined. Console gaming is a luxury now.

That's the thing: No one needs a game console, certainly, or ever did. PCs and phones and tablets can play tons of games. 

And yet, I deeply appreciate what the Switch 2 brings to the table right now. It's clearer than ever that it can rival current PC gaming handhelds in graphics (although that may change soon), and I love that it includes a TV dock and modular controllers as part of the package. It's an easy-to-like multifunction multiplayer-friendly thing, something that, somehow, competitors still haven't found a way to mimic or beat.

The Switch 2's first year of games had no Mario or Zelda, sure, but there were a lot of good ones. Donkey Kong Bananza wowed me, and so did Metroid Prime 4 (also playable on Switch, but it's in its best form on Switch 2). Pokémon Pokopia came out of nowhere to be the next sort-of Animal Crossing. There were good weird wild cards, too, like Kirby Air Riders and Yoshi and the Mysterious Book.

The third-party game ports maybe impressed me even more, simply for showing that the Switch 2 can play big mainstream games. Resident Evil Requiem is really good. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle looks beautiful. There's Cyberpunk 2077, and Pragmata, and while Madden wasn't great, it was playable: I hadn't been able to play Madden on the go like that in over a decade. 

There are drawbacks. The Switch 2 battery life is mediocre, lasting maybe a few hours depending on the game. I've come to accept it. I bring a battery pack, or redock. Also, the LCD screen is good, but not OLED vibrant. And, truthfully, the Joy-Con controls don't feel comfy enough, and lack analog triggers. I prefer most other game handhelds and controllers.

And, there's the price of Nintendo games, which generally trend higher than the same games on other platforms over time. That being said, Nintendo lowered the price of its own digital games going forward by $10 earlier this year, which helps a bit.

I'd still say you don't "need" a Switch 2, but I now think it's worth buying, especially before the price goes up in the fall to $500. Nintendo's throwing in a free game right now for that same $500. Considering they're also some of the Switch 2's best games -- Donkey Kong Bananza, Pokopia, Mario Kart World -- and normally cost $70 and up, it's a good deal. And in this topsy-turvy world, where I'd normally say wait for prices to drop, we may well see console prices keep going up in the year to come. 

I said a year ago that Nintendo would keep releasing Switch 1-compatible games for at least another year. Those days may be over now. Except for Rhythm Heaven, coming this July, Nintendo's own games might increasingly be Switch 2 exclusives going forward. Indie developers may still release for both simply because there are over a hundred million Switch owners they can still reach, but Nintendo's biggest and best games are going to be Switch 2-bound from now on.

The Switch 2 will never be the phenomenon the first Switch was, but it was never going to be. It's an iteration. But it's a key upgrade that powers the handheld up for big games to come, and it finally has enough great games of its own, even one year in, to justify the plunge.

But, also, you could just stick it out with the original Switch. Just keep expectations for new first-party Nintendo games low.