Screenshot: a2dubai / YouTube / Kotaku
Switch 2 hardware appears to be officially out in the wild, but it doesn’t sound like anyone will be able to play the console early. A day-one patch is needed for it to fully work, according to someone who uploaded a brief unboxing video of the new Nintendo console to YouTube.
Nintendo Switch 2 Could Launch With Almost No Reviews
The video, published by a user named a2dubai, is simply titled “Nintendo switch 2 unboxing” and is less than eight seconds long. It shows an apparent Switch 2 box sitting on a table next to the existing Switch. The person opens it to reveal exactly what you’d expect: a Switch 2 screen and the corresponding Joy-Con wrapped in plastic.
Why don’t they keep the camera rolling and turn it on? “Nintendo locked the switch 2,” a2dubai claims in the comments section. “It needs update to function so I am waiting for June 5th to unlock it.” Even so, fans are already pushing the pre-launch acquirer to do a full unboxing of the new hardware. More videos might follow, though Nintendo will surely be looking for any reason it can find to keep a lid on the new hardware until it’s officially out later next week.
A big software update for the Switch 2 was previously reported by The Game Business’ Chris Dring, who listed it as one of the potential reasons why media and content creators won’t be getting much early access to the hardware to test it for pre-release reviews. Unlike with previous hardware launches, Nintendo reportedly won’t be making the Switch 2 available to many in the press until a day before launch at the earliest.
“Another person shared with me that they have a Nintendo Switch 2 as well,” gaming news and deals insider Wario64 posted on X. “I have no permission to post pics but can share that when they try to boot a Switch 1 game, a message prompts ‘Please connect to the internet and update your system.’ Needs update to boot a game.”
It’s possible the Switch 2 consoles currently sitting in storage rooms (or the middle of the aisle at Target) could require an internet connection and download before they can start playing any games. That would be bad news for fans already frustrated that Nintendo is leaning into Game Key Cards and other initiatives this console generation that place less emphasis on physical media and products that work directly out of the box without the need to connect to the Mario maker’s servers.
But it’s also possible the nature of the required update might only lock the console from being used prior to a set date and time, but let it work normally after that period even without the day-one patch. We won’t know for sure until the big day is finally here.
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