Admittedly neat, but don't pay for an interactive product manual.
I wasn’t impressed with Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour as part of a four-hour hands-on at Melbourne Park earlier this month, and a further dedicated forty-five minutes with the title at Nintendo Australia’s HQ nearing the end of May plus more time post-launch hasn’t changed my opinion about it.
Simply put, I’d be more likely to praise this admittedly polished tech demo if it was a Switch 2 pack-in title. At a whopping $15 AUD on top of the $700 AUD that you’re already laying out for console, however, you’re much better off saving every spare cent that you can.
Welcome Tour miniaturises you, allowing for your avatar to climb over the surface of the Switch 2 in order to learn about its bits and bobs. You’ll start on a Joy-Con 2, undertaking quizzes and participating in mini-games that detail Switch 2 enhancements and features. Success in these tasks will provide medals, which in turn provide access to further exhibits and learning opportunities. You’ll also need to walk up to each button or feature of the Switch 2 to collect its corresponding stamp, necessary for further progress.
One of the first Joy-Con 2 quizzes that you’ll encounter details how the controllers can be attached – frontwards or backwards – to each side of the Switch 2 screen. Another details how the magnets that keep the Joy-Cons connected to the screen actually work – and where said magnets are located.
While it’s interesting stuff, I couldn’t help but remember that Nintendo wants you to pay $15 AUD to engage with what’s akin to an interactive product manual.
Mini-games are fun, but range from trivial to ridiculously challenging. Mouse games are particularly tricky as they effectively demonstrate that the Joy-Con 2 mouse is incredibly sensitive, then go a couple steps too far by assuming you’ll be able to translate that into pixel-perfect efficiency.
Beyond the mouse, a session on framerates may be interesting, but it’s near impossible to tell if a bouncing ball is moving at 60 frames-per-second or 120 frames-per-second going off of a two-second clip. Heck, 40 frames-per-second is even harder, for that matter.
Worse yet, medal firewalls will restrict you from accessing new content unless you master older stuff, so be ready to try and try again if you want to continue on.
Despite these grumblings, I have to admit that there’s some neat stuff included. Specifically, I was thoroughly impressed by an HD Rumble 2 explainer that not only detailed the differences between controller rumble systems of old and new, but that the Joy-Con 2 can control its vibrations so specifically that the rumble could actually be used to produce purposeful sound in the form of a Mario coin noise or 1-up chirp.
Do I think children would delight in this experience? Absolutely. Do I think it’d be a neat way to introduce a Switch 2 to friends and family who mightn’t have a lot of exposure to Nintendo’s latest consoles? 100%. No arguments there.
More importantly, however, I also think that it’s ludicrous for Nintendo be nickel and diming consumers with something that isn’t worth its asking price. $15 AUD isn’t going to break the bank on its own, but it sure will following a $700 AUD console purchase, Mario Kart World and a Pro Controller.
Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour heads to the console tomorrow, 5 June. Stay tuned for our final thoughts on the title shortly.
This review was completed through gameplay as part of a Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour preview hosted by Nintendo Australia alongside play from a retail code purchased by the reviewer.
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Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour5 June 2025Switch 2 |
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