The Switch 2 : A Bridge Between Yesterday's LAN Parties and Today's Busy Lives ?

A PC Guy Facing the Switch 2

Let’s be honest from the start : I am a PC gamer. To me, gaming has always been synonymous with reinforced steel towers, tangled RJ45 cables, and network hubs. Those with a background like mine remember the epic car rides to a LAN party, where you would load 5 PCs in the back while praying. We all know that sentence from a friend before starting the car : "Careful, don't hit the brakes, I wedged my LED monitor between the seat and my tower, if you stop fast..." and BAM, the brakes hit, the screen cracks. That was what our weekends as passionate gamers looked like.

So, when people on Discord talk to me about the Nintendo Switch 2 (purchased for €510 in a bundle with Mario Kart World), I wanted to understand and take a look. Having never really touched a console since the original NES (aside from a few quick sessions at friends' houses on Switch 1), I investigated. Here is my feedback, based on my experience and that of my "PC Master Race" buddies who took the plunge.

Culture Shock : Cyberpunk in Your Pocket ?

As a guy who only swears by latest-generation graphics cards, I was "floored." Seeing Cyberpunk running on a handheld console is something we wouldn't even have imagined a few years ago.

Sure, it is scaled down. There are fewer NPCs in the streets, fewer lighting effects, you can feel that the power is contained... but the result remains stunning. Moving from a session on a beastly PC to such a deep portable experience is a technical slap in the face.

Spec Sheet : What’s Under the Hood

The Liberation of "Train-Plane-Sleep"

One thing must be admitted : the convenience is unbeatable. Being able to take a train journey, slide your console into your bag, and play "peacefully" for two hours without having to pull out a 3kg laptop and desperately hunt for a power outlet in the carriage... it is total freedom. It is all about the instant experience.

The Sting of the Bill : The "Nintendo Tax"

This is where it hurts for us, used to Steam catalogs at bargain prices. Between the console (€450 alone), the Pro Controller at €80 (essential if you don't want to feel like you're playing with toys), and the 256GB storage that fills up in three games... the bill skyrockets. Nintendo mandates Micro SD Express cards (expect to pay €60 for 256GB), and locks everything down with its official Dock at €120. For a pure consumer object, the entry ticket is very high.

Between Phone and PC : The Pure Relaxation Zone

In the end, what is my verdict as a PC Gamer ? The Switch 2 is the perfect middle ground between a smartphone and a computer.

• Better than a phone : You aren't playing "no-brain" games where you click and wait 4 hours to build a structure. You are playing real games—deep, beautiful, and finished.
• Less than a PC : You don't have access to your software, your messaging apps, or your web browser.

It is an object of pure consumption. You launch, you play, you quit. No ads, no popping emails, no distractions. As we explained in our article on Minecraft (Tablets vs PC), the console is there for raw relaxation.

Comparison : Switch 2 vs the Competition

The Retro Catalog : A Nostalgic Paradise

The "Retro" Library (Included in NSO)

It is a retrogaming paradise. We aren't talking about rebuying games, but a "Netflix-style" catalog :

• GameCube (The big novelty) : We can finally replay games like Metroid Prime Echoes, Pikmin 1 & 2, or the incredible The Legend of Zelda : The Wind Waker. All with HD smoothing that looks great on the console screen.
• NES & Super Nintendo : All the classics are there (Super Mario Bros 3, The Legend of Zelda : A Link to the Past, Donkey Kong Country).
• Nintendo 64 : For fans of GoldenEye 007, Ocarina of Time, or Mario Kart 64.
• Game Boy / Game Boy Color / Game Boy Advance : Perfect for revisiting the first Pokémon games, Metroid Fusion, or Zelda : Minish Cap.

The Special Case of the SEGA Genesis

Nintendo continues its partnership with its former rival. You can play SEGA Genesis games directly on the console (Sonic 2, Streets of Rage, Shinobi III...). It is quite ironic and satisfying to play Sega on a Nintendo machine when you knew the console wars of the 90s !

The "Wii / Wii U" Games

Here, these aren't games included in the subscription, but often "Remasters" or individual ports. You find the huge successes of Switch 1 that were already ports (Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Zelda Skyward Sword). Thanks to the Switch 2's power, some Wii games enjoy a second youth with adapted controls (no more needing to wave in front of the TV if you don't want to).

Verdict : Should You Crack Now ?

The Switch 2 is a console of paradoxes. It is powerful, modern in its build, but held back by technical choices from another age.

• YES, if you don't have a Switch or if you absolutely want to play Nintendo exclusives in the best conditions. The generational leap is real.
• WAIT, if your Switch 1 OLED still suffices. "Steam Machines" and new PC handhelds are entering the market with promises of much greater power and openness.

If you aren't in a hurry, waiting for a "Pro" version with a worthy OLED screen in 2 or 3 years is not a bad strategy. But for those who, like some of us, can't go without their daily dose of Nintendo on the go, the Switch 2 remains, despite its flaws, the queen of the pocket living room.

Transmission : Beyond the Numbers

Beyond the numbers, teraflops, or the price of Micro SD cards, there is a reality that we, PC gamers, have finally rediscovered with this machine : transmission.

Remember our LAN parties, the cybercafes, the hum of the fans, and that total freedom we felt at 15 or 20. Adult life eventually caught up with us, with its full schedules and responsibilities. Our Steam libraries are overflowing with "forgotten" games, bought on sale and never launched because sitting down at a desk has sometimes become a chore.

The Switch 2 is the end of that divorce.

It is the console that gives us back the right to play "anywhere," but especially anytime. By allowing us to instantly relaunch our old Switch 1 classics or the GameCube favorites of our childhood, it bridges the gap between the kid we were and the busy adult we have become.

Better yet, it allows us to pass this flame to our children, without RJ45 cables to plug in, simply by sharing a Joy-Con on the couch or in a train. In the end, it might not be the war machine we dreamed of on PC, but it is the one that reconciled our daily life with our lifelong passion. And as a PC guy, I must admit that is a small victory.

If you have games that made an impact on you, feel free to talk about them in the comments below !