I, like millions of people worldwide, picked up the Nintendo Switch 2 yesterday, losing many hours already to the likes of Mario Kart World and Cyberpunk 2077 - two games without Nintendo Switch 2 Edition upgrades, meaning you have no choice but to buy at full price. But after just spending more than $400 / £400 on a new console, I need to save some money somewhere.
Unfortunately, on top of the price of the console itself, it'll cost you $1.2k to buy all of the Switch 2 launch games, and that's not even counting any of those pricey Nintendo Switch 2 accessories. I don't know about you, but that's out of my budget if I'm going to have a holiday this year. So, to that end, I look to those aforementioned Nintendo Switch 2 Edition upgrades, and you should, too - assuming you already have copies of the original Switch games like Tears of the Kingdom and Breath of the Wild.
If you do have those two excellent RPGs (like I do), you can get the Switch 2 Editions for $9.99 / £7.99 a piece, giving you two huge adventures for less than 20 bucks - and let's face it, the Switch 2 offers a great opportunity to revisit them. Better yet, if you're a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscriber, you can actually upgrade these to their Switch 2 versions for free. I knew I kept my membership for a reason beyond being able to play those classic GameCube games. Of course, there are numerous other titles that offer this, too, even outside of first-party Nintendo games. Civilization VII, for instance, also has a $9.99 upgrade option.
Beyond the upgrades that you need to pay for, there are actually 12 that you can claim for free, giving you another reason to return to some of the best Switch games. Personally, I'm thrilled to see Pokémon Scarlet and Violet get one. I've been wanting to revisit the Paldea region for quite some time, and knowing that I can now enjoy the experience in 60 FPS is great. Other games to receive a free upgrade include Arms, 51 Worldwide Games, and Big Brain Academy - those last two are perfect if you enjoy brain training games.
While I'm not a huge lover of single-player Mario games, it's undeniable that any Mario fans are in for a treat, as four of them have a free upgrade, including Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury, Super Mario Bros.U Deluxe, and Super Mario Odyssey - the latter of which I know many of you consider to be of the best Mario experiences of all time. If you're a big fan of the Zelda games, you also get a couple of freebies to go alongside BotW and TotK, as both Link's Awakening and Echoes of Wisdom are among the 12 games with free updates.
So, for all I have to say about Nintendo charging $10 for the Welcome Tour, I have to admit that it's being generous in other areas, though this does force me to further question why it chooses to charge people for a tutorial. In my Welcome Tour preview, I describe the experience as feeling like "you're not all that bothered about being there, but it beats algebra, and there's still that one kid who's really into it."
Looking to the future, it appears as though Nintendo is partial to Switch 2 upgrades, just like Xbox and PlayStation with their respective games and consoles, as one of the best Mario Party games, Super Mario Party Jamboree - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition costs just $20 if you upgrade it from the standard Switch version. Plus, it comes with a new feature called Jamboree TV.
One of the best Kirby games is getting the same treatment, too. With an upgrade price of $19.99, you can enjoy Kirby and the Forgotten Land Switch 2 Edition. Better still, this comes with the Star-Crossed World DLC, giving you something completely new to experience as you revisit this fun Kirby adventure.
While I already have a Nintendo Switch 2, I do like knowing that people who don't intend to pick it up just yet - perhaps even for a couple of years - have a reasonable option to upgrade some new Switch games they do buy between now and then, with other upcoming games like Pokémon Legends: Z-A and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond confirmed to also offer upgrades when the time comes.
So yes, being a gamer is expensive, but you don't need to break the bank too much further if you're willing to revisit some old games, with some for less than $20, others for under $10, and a bunch that are completely free. Plus, let's not forget you also have a Fortnite Switch 2 port to enjoy, and we all know that the battle royale game is free - so long as you don't buy those premium Fortnite skins, anyway.