I went hands-on with the Nintendo Switch 2. It's phenomenal in every way — with one quirk.

Last weekend, I was among the hundreds of lucky Nintendo fans who won a ticket to try the new Switch 2 at a preview event in New York City. I went in skeptical but hoping Nintendo would change my mind.

Like millions of other people, I've been eagerly awaiting the launch of the Switch 2 for months now. So, I was a bit disappointed by the Nintendo Direct livestream that finally unveiled all the details on the Switch 2 last week – including a major price hike, which has been a concern for the overwhelming majority of Switch fans online and in-person.

Despite the price, I'm still extremely excited about the Switch 2. So, I was hoping that after trying out the new console myself, I'd walk away feeling like the Switch 2 is impressive enough to justify the price.

Did Nintendo win me over?

The Nintendo Switch 2 looks, feels, and plays great

The Switch 2 is genuinely a joy to game on. I was shocked by how light it was. Despite having a larger display than the original Switch, it doesn't feel noticeably heavier. That's a huge relief since I'm used to handheld gaming PCs, which are heavy enough to be uncomfortable to hold during long gaming sessions.

The new Joy-Con design looks and feels fantastic as well. The magnetic attachment system has a very satisfying click when connecting the Joy-Cons. They stay connected very firmly, too. You have to press a release button on the back (near the trigger buttons on each side) to disconnect them, and they didn't budge at all otherwise when I tried to pull them off.

The build quality all around feels very solid and premium, noticeably more than the original Switch (and far more than my little Switch Lite). The rumble felt especially wonderful during my demos.

I don't normally like having the rumble setting turned on, but it feels subtle and intuitive enough on the Switch 2 that it wasn't distracting at all. It's a little thing, but it's just a touch more refined than the rumble on the original Switch and adds to the immersion of gaming on the Switch 2.

Then, there's the display. I was skeptical when Nintendo announced this 7.9-inch display offers 1080p in HDR with up to 120Hz refresh rate. Nintendo games tend to be a bit behind when it comes to graphics quality, but I was seriously impressed by how good all of the game demos looked, even in handheld mode.

I got the most playtime with Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bonanza, the first two first-party Switch 2 games, and both looked phenomenal. The colors pop more, movement is smoother, and everything's a bit sharper and cleaner around the edges. The 120Hz refresh rate is especially nice in Mario Kart where you're moving fast enough for it to make a difference, leading to less blur and a smoother gameplay all around.

While I would have liked the Switch 2 to feature an OLED display, I have to admit, the LCD display looks fantastic. It is legitimately a significant improvement over the previous model between the larger screen size and the improved overall graphics quality.

Switch 2 "mouse" mode is an ergonomics headache

I was thoroughly impressed by the build quality and gaming experience on the Switch 2, but the one area where I'm still skeptical is the new mouse mode for the redesigned Joy-Cons. This feature allows you to sit the detached Joy-Cons on a tabletop and use them like a mouse. It's a cool idea, but it was rather awkward in practice.

I tried out the mouse mode while playing a demo for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. I prefer to play FPS games on PC with a mouse and keyboard rather than a controller because I've always found a mouse to have more precise aim for these types of games. So, I was intrigued to see how Nintendo's quirky take on that felt in actual gameplay.

I swapped between regular controller mode and mouse mode in Metroid to compare. The game plays well in either mode, but I preferred the mouse mode. At least, I wanted to.

I found it a lot easier to aim accurately in mouse mode, but unfortunately, the ergonomics of holding a Joy-Con parallel to your desk leave a lot to be desired, especially while awkwardly holding the other Joy-Con normally in your other hand.

It's similar to using a vertical mouse but with a much less comfortable shape. My demo only lasted about 10 minutes, but I could see playing in mouse mode leaving you with a bad wrist cramp after an hour or so of gaming.

While this concept may need a bit more time to cook, I can see it being a popular feature if the ergonomics can be improved, maybe with some sort of Joy-Con attachment that gives it more of a normal mouse shape. Alternatively, a third-party controller with a modified Joy-Con designed for mouse mode could also be a good solution.

Either way, there's certainly potential for this feature, especially with games that benefit from the precision of a mouse, like Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.

Is the Switch 2 worth its hefty sticker price?

The question on my mind throughout my hands-on preview last weekend was, "Is this worth $450?" After trying out the Switch 2, I am happy to report that I do think the console itself is impressive enough to justify its asking price. (At least, its asking price at the time of writing. That price could go up due to the ever-shifting landscape of tariffs, which led Nintendo to indefinitely delay pre-orders for the Switch 2 last Friday.)

However, like many other Nintendo fans, I'm still reluctant about the price of the games.

It's difficult to judge Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bonanza based on 20 minutes of demo gameplay. I had a good time with what I saw, and they could contain enough high-quality content to be worth their $80 price tags.

Affordability remains an issue, though, no matter how fun a game is. If $80 is going to be the new standard price for Switch 2 games, I will likely only be getting a few a year. The rest of my library will be more affordable indie games (which can be just as much, if not more fun anyway).

Unfortunately, third-party titles and indie games are not what people buy the Switch for. They can be a blast on the Switch, but they're much more affordable on PC. People buy the Switch for first-party Nintendo games, which are the titles getting these major price hikes.

Hopefully, these next-gen Nintendo games are bigger and more feature-rich to justify higher price tags. Sales and trade-in discounts can also help with affordability, but even then, the sticker price is a tough sell.

I genuinely love the Switch 2, which just makes the price increase that much more disappointing.

More from Laptop Mag

• The Switch 2 is Nintendo's priciest console since the SNES and people are not happy
• A Nintendo Switch 2 price hike before launch is possible. Here's what happened.
• The Nintendo Switch 2 looks great, but there's a reason I won't go back to console gaming