Nintendo Switch 2: what to buy with it and what to skip

Switch 2 is here. Nintendo finally jumped to a real screen, real chip, and prices that hit the wallet harder than the original. If you've already bought (or you're about to), the accessory question is what gets people. Most "starter kits" on Amazon are overpriced bundles of stuff you'll never use. Here's what I'd actually pick up.

Buy this first

A microSD Express card, 256GB minimum. The Switch 2 needs the Express spec — regular microSD won't even boot games from it. The internal storage gets eaten by two or three modern titles. 256GB is the floor; 512GB is the comfortable spot. Sandisk and Samsung are the only brands I'd trust.

A tempered-glass screen protector. The Switch 2's screen is bigger and the dock still has the same scratchy plastic guides that wrecked the original. £8 well spent.

A decent carrying case if you actually take it places. The official Nintendo case is fine but the third-party ones at half the price are nearly identical inside.

The controller question

This is where people overspend. The Joy-Con 2s shipped with the console are fine for most games. You don't need a Pro Controller on day one unless you're playing competitive Smash or hours of platformer.

If you do want one, the official Switch 2 Pro Controller at around £70 is the right buy. Third-party pro controllers from 8BitDo are good but skip the no-name brands — drift in 3 months, dead in 6.

What I'd skip entirely: the "premium" Joy-Con grips with vibration motors, charging stands shaped like a Pikachu, and the £40 carrying cases with built-in speakers. Pure markup.

Headphones for portable play

The Switch 2 supports Bluetooth audio properly now (unlike the original, which only got it in a 2021 update). Any decent pair works.

For travel I use Anker Soundcore Space Q45 headphones — about £90, noise cancelling, 50-hour battery. The £350 Sony WH-1000XM5 are nicer but overkill for handheld gaming.

If you'd rather go wired, a basic pair of wired 3.5mm earbuds with mic does the job for £15. The headphone jack on the top of the Switch 2 still works.

Games — the actual buying decision

Mario Kart World is the launch title most worth picking up. Donkey Kong Bananza is the surprise. Hold off on the cross-gen ports for now — the price drops within three months on titles that already exist on the original Switch.

For physical copies, check eBay for sealed-cartridge deals — UK sellers regularly undercut Argos and Game by £8-10 on new releases.

Skip Nintendo Switch Online's "Expansion Pack" unless you specifically want the N64/Mega Drive library. The standard Online membership at £18/year covers what most people actually use it for (cloud saves, voice chat).

The dock and the TV side

Don't buy a third-party dock. Nintendo permanently bricked a wave of off-brand docks with a firmware update on the original Switch and I'd assume the same risk applies here. Stick with the official.

If you want a second dock for a second TV, the genuine Nintendo dock is £80-100. Hate the price, but it's the safe move.

One genuine upgrade: a decent HDMI 2.1 cable if your TV supports 4K. The cable Nintendo ships is fine but if you're already replacing it for a longer run, get one with the 2.1 spec to future-proof.

What gets oversold

Glass docks, RGB Joy-Con shells, "anti-drift" replacement sticks for Joy-Cons that aren't drifting yet, gaming chairs marketed as Switch accessories. All of it. Save the money for the next first-party game release.

You don't need to recreate a Best Buy on launch day. A microSD card, a case, a screen protector, and one good game. That's it.