Nintendo

8BitDo recently launched updated firmware for a batch of its controllers, including its USB Adapter 2. Now, you can plug that dongle into a Switch 2, and it recognizes anything from Sony’s DualSense to old wireless Wii U controllers as a native input device. The adapters are $18.99 a pop on Amazon.

Open the Switch 2’s GameCube collection and it will launch with a red splash screen and take you directly to the three titles currently available: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, F-Zero GX, and Soul Calibur 2. But if you hold the left joystick in any direction while opening the collection you’ll be treated to the GameCube’s startup animation with the rolling cube and iconic intro music, as spotted by Eurogamer.

Our 8BitDo pads definitely needed them (they’re live!), and GuliKit has now announced its KK3 Max needs this one to unlock Amiibo support. (Yes, it’s the rare quality 3rd-party pad with working NFC for Nintendo’s figurines, and it’s in our best controller guide.)

Once again confirming what many original Switch owners feared, iFixit’s teardown of the Switch 2’s Joy-Cons reveals a familiar joystick design that uses a resistive material that could lead to joystick drift again if it wears down over time.

You can use your iPhone (and likely Android phone) as a webcam for the Switch 2 if you connect them via a USB-C to HDMI cable and HDMI converter cable — total cost about $30.

Nintendo made the original Switch’s game cards taste terrible, coating them in a bitter chemical called denatonium benzoate. So we had to know... do Nintendo Switch 2 cartridges taste better? Time for a taste test! And while we’re at it, why not add a button battery coated in the same stuff, a Nintendo DS cartridge, and a 3DS cartridge too? Don’t try this at home, kids.

Have a look: we tested load times on three Nintendo Switch games on the Switch 2, and they’re noticeably faster. So is the eShop.

We aren’t having great luck, and Reddit’s seeing mixed results too. Though Nintendo assured the public that “you can use... any compatible USB-C camera you’d like,” our USB-C toting Logitech Brio 4K, Opal Tadpole and DJI OP3 aren’t working, even while a nine-year-old Logitech C922 with USB-A does when docked.

Pokémon Home has become the centerpiece of Nintendo’s larger Pokémon ecosystem, and the company announced this week that the cloud storage service is getting a new feature called Wonder Cards that will make it easier to receive event pokémon and special item giveaways.

Nintendo has acknowledged an issue with Ultimate when a match is played online between people on Switch and Switch 2 and one of them is Mii Fighter, IGN reports. An update is in the works.

Staples (the retailer) is selling the Switch 2 today, but some people getting the console at Gamestop say they had staples (the office equipment) on the front of their console boxes that damaged the screens on their Switch 2s. IGN covered some of the reports.

A Reddit user opened up one of Nintendo’s reissued GameCube controllers for Switch Online members and discovered the D-pad internals are redesigned. They note the original controller’s D-pad sat further from the board, requiring a shaft to accommodate the gap. The new model’s main board is closer to the surface, which they claim improves accuracy.

I drove by Best Buy last night, saw the line, and bailed. But this morning, the Target two doors down just had a bunch of them in stock! I got the second-to-last Mario Kart World bundle, but there was a shelf full of consoles left, and the staff said it hadn’t even been overly busy this morning. Anyone else having a shockingly easy time getting a Switch 2, or am I just having a good day?

Nintendo Japan’s support site has shared how much it’s going to cost to fix the Switch 2 and, not surprisingly, repairs and replacement parts are more expensive. Replacing the Switch 2’s mainboard costs 27,500 yen (~$192) compared to 14,300 yen (~$100) for the original Switch.

As most Switch 2 owners eagerly dive into Mario Kart World, some are instead dissecting their consoles to reveal its secrets. Following the first teardown yesterday, someone on Reddit has disassembled the new Joy-Cons, as spotted by Nintendo Life.

Happy Switch 2 launch day to all who celebrate. If you’re in the UK the console is surprisingly easy to purchase, and is available at a number of retailers today. Smyths has plenty of stock both for delivery and collection at local stores, as does Argos. Even Amazon UK will ship the Switch 2 and Mario Kart World bundle to you for delivery by 10PM today.

I got in line shortly after 9pm, and finished shortly after 11. The very last customers in line are about to check out now. Unfortunately, I couldn’t tack on a camera or gamepad to my order: Best Buy had plenty of the former, but its system wouldn’t let them sell any cams until tomorrow... and the latter sold out.

Employees have been nothing but friendly and gracious, but it’s a little odd to see many preorder customers could have gotten home 30-45 minutes ago if they’d gotten in the other line by 9pm. Only preorders are still waiting.

My small-town Best Buy line is now just 300 people long, down from 400 an hour ago, as buyers trickle out with the Switch 2. Employees are dressed up in Charizard and Yoshi costumes.

We’re covering this launch live... and it looks like I’ll be here a while, even though I live in a city with (checks notes) a population of just over 65,000 people!

If you’re not in the first wave of buyers but are willing to spend the $449.99 or more to get a Switch 2 soon, it could be tricky. Bloomberg asked retail execs, with a Best Buy senior VP saying it could be days or weeks before Nintendo sends more systems, assuming they sell out of their current stock tonight as expected, while GameStop reportedly expects to restock weekly.