Nintendo will retail the Switch 2 for $449.99 at launch, which is significantly higher than the original Switch's $299 price tag. A separate bundle that includes the new "Mario Kart World" game will also be available for $499.99.

Namely, the two most notable games I played were Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong: Bananza. The latter isn't a launch game, but they both made strong first impressions – not only as games themselves, but also as demonstrations of what the Switch 2 can do. Let's dig in.

Fans had been waiting months for Nintendo’s big Switch 2 Direct. But one thing that’s dominated the conversation following the showcase isn’t the games or the features, it’s the Switch 2's $450 price tag.