I booked a flight for 6 AM from Launceston to Melbourne with a return time of 9 PM, when Nintendo Australia invited me to the Nintendo Switch 2 Experience in Melbourne. Not knowing either how long the event would be or what time it would start, it seemed like the smart choice. And it worked out well for me when the hands-on time with the Nintendo Switch 2 was 4 hours, a lot more than I expected.

I’ll dive into the games in more detail over the weekend, but I wanted to discuss the event for this particular article. A lottery system that Nintendo fans could drop their hat into to get their hands on the Nintendo Switch 2 first in Australia. Was the event worth it? Considering the four hours of gaming and how organised the whole thing was, it’s a resounding yes, and I’m hopeful those lucky enough to attend over the weekend will enjoy it as much as I did.

The event rotated people into ‘Centre Piece,’ located next door to Rod Laver Arena, at set times. Everyone started their Nintendo Switch 2 experience the same way: hands gripped to the joysticks with Mario Kart World Tour. It’s an impressive first look at the Nintendo Switch 2, as the game is generally very good-looking, and is a stark contrast to any Mario Kart you have been playing for years on the Nintendo Switch at this point. Pundits who think the Nintendo Switch 2 hardware isn’t going to be much of an upgrade should quickly shut down between the visuals and how the game plays and feels.

Overall, all the Nintendo Switch 2 games I played felt like they were running at a solid 60fps in docked mode, and it’s a game-changer for Nintendo to join the fast-frame-rate family. Especially for a console that in the last few years has become a joke for how much of a struggle it is for even core Nintendo-developed games to stick around the 30fps mark.

After a couple of races, it was over and into the main area for the Nintendo Switch 2 Experience, where we could choose where to line up and what to play for free.

Here’s all the games I played, on top of Mario Kart World:

  • Donkey Kong Banaza
  • Super Mario Party Jamboree + Jamboree TV
  • The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild & Tears of the Kingdom – Nintendo Switch 2 Editions
  • Kirby and the Forgotten Land + Star-Crossed World
  • Nintendo Switch 2 – Welcome Tour
  • Nintendo Switch 2 Gamecube Controller Games
  • Drag x Drive
  • Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
  • Cyberpunk 2077
  • Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut
  • Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster
  • Hades II

Plus, I saw these there, but didn’t get around to playing them:

  • Street Fighter 6: One More Round
  • Sid Meier’s Civilisation 7
  • Hogwarts Legacy
  • Split Fiction

The wait time for any of these was between 5 and 10 minutes. I’m not sure if this was just because it was only media and content creators today or if it’ll have around the same number of people over the weekend and flow, but it was impressive that I could flow between games as much as I did.

From what I understand, all the consoles had a built-in ‘Thanks for Playing’ message that resets the console after 15 minutes of playtime. The double-edged sword to this, that worked in my favour, was that I’d often sit down to play something and be 5-6 mins in when this screen would show up, and the attendant would let me start fresh. So I got a solid 20-25 minutes on most of these games. Why so many people were jumping out of the games after 5 minutes and grabbing their pictures, I don’t know. We’re here to play the games, people! But thank you.

A guy was commentating the Mario Kart World – Knockout Tour matches happening on the floor, and all props to that guy because not only did he never once let slip a PG+ joke as much as I could tell he really wanted to several times, but he also kept up the same enthusiams for the whole four hours I was there, match after-match. If Nintendo plans to push Mario Kart World for competitive eSports, that’s your guy right there.

@explosionnetwork Nintendo Switch 2 Experience in Melbourne was great to attend thanks to Nintendo Australia for invite. Check our Explsoion Network over the weekend for thoughts on the console, and the games. Plus Cow. #NintendoSwitch2, #Switch2Experience, #NintendoEvent, #HandsOnSwitch2, #NintendoMelbourne, #Switch2Melbourne, #NintendoAustralia #MelbourneEvent, #MelbourneGaming, #CentrepieceMelbourne, #MelbournePark, #AustraliaGaming #FYP, #ForYouPage, #GamingTikTok, #TikTokGaming, #GamingCommunity, #ViralVideo ♬ original sound – Explosion Network

Many people were hired in red Nintendo Switch 2 shirts to watch every single Nintendo Switch 2 session, keep their eyes on the lines and point you in the right direction upon arrival, or when you’re looking for a bathroom (that was me!) At the end of the day, when there seemed to be about 10-20 normal people inside, it was a sea of red, and I was enjoying watching them all playing some Mario Kart together. There’s something wholesome about seeing some of these people bonding over this cool gig they’ve picked up for the weekend. Every single one of them was very nice, and I had plenty of great conversations, from why Cow is best in Mario Kart to disappointment that the Yakuza 0 demo doesn’t have Majima in it.

Let’s give out some awards!

The Most Obvious Reason To Buy the Nintendo Switch 2

It’s Mario Kart World by a long mile, thanks to its core MK gameplay remaining as simply fun as it always is, but really innovating on the formula this time. There are bigger tracks and more characters. The Knockout Tour is fantastic, and it’s the game you’ll be playing from day one until Nintendo’s next Mario Kart release.

Most Surprising Thing About the Nintendo Switch 2

The mouse feature actually works, and it’s a legit way to play Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. Based on the mouse input, you can tell the game has some gameplay elements built in. The next question is how living room gamers will adapt to needing a flat surface and a mouse pad to get the best experience, but as for the Joy-Con mouse, it works. I was actually shocked at how well it worked.

Which Remaster Is Most Exciting On the Nintendo Switch 2?

I have a level of bias here since I enjoyed the base game a lot, but Kirby and the Forgotten Land + Star-Crossed World‘s new content is just more Kirby and the Forgotten Land. It also plays better now and looks a little shinier, and that’s just a must-play for me.

What is The Most Disappointing Thing About the Nintendo Switch 2?

After getting used to the Nintendo Switch’s OLED screen for the past few years, it’s got to go back to the LCD screen. As smooth as playing it feels—and every game feels great—it doesn’t look as bright or colourful. Of course, I’d expect an OLED Nintendo Switch 2 model to show-up in a couple of years nonetheless.

As the editor of Explosion Network, I was always going to get my hands on a Nintendo Switch 2—it’s a bit of a given. However, after playing with the console for four hours today, I can now safely say I’m excited for its release on June 5th here in Australia. I’ll be diving into some more specifics on games over the weekend here on Explosion Network; I hope anyone attending the event has a great time and enjoys checking out the console as much as I did.

[Nintendo Australia invited Dylan to attend the Nintendo Switch 2 Experience]