In case you’ve been living under a fungus in the Mushroom Kingdom for the last few months, you’ll likely know a new Nintendo console is on the horizon.
Nintendo Switch 2 launched this week, and it’d be fair to say there hasn’t been this much excitement for a Nintendo system’s initial launch since the Wii. The Wii U faltered, lowering expectations for the Switch, but the latter showed the company at the peak of its powers, whether you’re playing at home or on the go.
As a result, Switch 2 won’t make drastic changes to the formula of its predecessor, instead fine-tuning it and upping the power. Does that mean there’s no point buying an original Switch console in 2025? Be it an original model, an OLED version, or the handheld-only Lite model, you might be surprised at the proposition the first Switch model still offers.
Let’s break it down.
The library
While Sony puts its games on PC and Microsoft… well, just about anywhere, there’s one thing you can be absolutely sure of – you’re not going to play Mario Kart World or the next mainline Zelda anywhere else.
The same is true of the original Switch, which now has an absolutely enormous library of fantastic games. If you’ve not picked up the console yet, you’ve got the opportunity to play games that have shaped the last few years of the medium, like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Pokémon, and much more.
Nintendo also did a good job of reaching into its back catalog of underappreciated Wii U titles to ensure they didn’t stay marooned on the company’s first HD console. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze, and, of course, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe are all well worth playing today.
Sure, some games will look prettier on Switch 2, but Nintendo hasn’t promised a huge swathe of titles will get that treatment.
Looking forward, there are two big things to note. For one, Metroid Prime 4 and Pokémon Legends Z-A are two of Nintendo’s biggest games of 2025, but both are targeting Switch as well as the new console.
The other is that thanks to Switch 2’s backwards compatibility, your collection isn’t going anywhere if you decide to upgrade further down the line.
Peripherals
Peripherals also carry over to Switch 2, with some caveats. Joy-Con will only work wirelessly, for example, and the first Switch Pro Controller won’t have a ‘C’ button for chat, but that’s about it.
There are some compatibility issues we know of already for Joy-Con 2, but those only really apply in specific scenarios like using Labo (remember Labo?) or the football mode in Nintendo Switch Sports.
That means buying a Switch now is an investment into playing on your Switch 2 in the future, if you think about it.
The models
There’s also a lot more variety when it comes to buying the original Nintendo Switch. If you’re not interested in the Switch 2 just yet but want the hybrid home console/handheld flexibility, you’ve got the standard Switch and the OLED version to choose from.
They’re both equally powerful, but the latter has a brighter screen than even the new Switch 2, and is arguably the best option if you want a big screen for handheld play. Stick it in the dock, however, and it’s the same as the base version, which you can get a fair amount cheaper.
So, why would you go for the OLED? There’s simply no Switch, original or Switch 2, that can match its brightness and contrast. It’s got the blackest blacks of any console in the lineup, and fantastic contrast, too.
We’ve seen it drop as low as $300 / £250 for the OLED model, and at that price it’s definitely a tempter, but if it drops closer to $250 / £200 when Switch 2 launches, it’s an easy sell.
Then there’s the Lite, which is a fantastic variant that eschews the hybrid nature of the other two models and just offers handheld gaming. It’s smaller, making it ideal for travel, but it still plays any game that you don’t need motion controls or Joy-Con gimmicks for. If it drops in price considerably with the launch of Switch 2, it could be a dream console for your commute.
It’s also surprisingly durable, which means the console feels perfect for throwing into a backpack for your daily public transport journeys, or passing to a younger gamer just getting started.
It’s also only a small thing, but the Switch Lite is available in some lovely color options that you can’t find on any other models.
The price
That brings us to the price, something talked about a lot with Switch 2. While Nintendo’s first-party games will likely still be pretty expensive on Switch, they’ll be less than the new MSRP for games like Mario Kart World.
That means for less than the new console and a single game, you could snag the last console and a whole library of titles to play.
Availability is also a factor, with Switch 2 pre-orders likely to make getting your hands on the console tricky in the next month or two. If you’re desperate to play Zelda, Mario, Pikmin, or Pokémon, you’ll be able to do so with the first Switch anytime.
As we touched on above, we’re expecting the Switch models to drop in price when Switch 2 launches, and a swell of secondhand consoles to hit the market as eager gamers upgrade.
While the Switch OLED is a great console at $349, it’s only $100 or so cheaper than the Switch 2. If that delta reaches $200, making the OLED close to half the price of a Switch 2, we’d find it a very easy console to recommend.
With the base Switch retailing at another $50 below, there’s every chance we could be seeing it for $200 when the new console launches, a great price given it includes the handheld and docked functionality.
Finally, we like to think we might be living in a world soon where Switch Lite will be just $150, making it an ideal purchase for a lapsed gamer or newcomer to the medium.
In short, that original model isn’t going anywhere, but we wouldn’t want to pay more than $300 for any of them right now. If we see the price drops we anticipate, however, then you should definitely consider pulling the trigger.