It'll cost you around $10, but this blast from the past does look fun.
(Image credit: Nintendo)
Eight years after the launch of the original console, the Nintendo Switch 2 has finally been announced.
The new console has got people talking due to its larger size, and new features such as the ability to use Joy-Cons as mice and Game Chat.
The reaction has been largely positive – although the price of the games is a sticking point – and fans are excited to get their hands on the Switch 2 when it releases on 5 June.
But there's one aspect of the new console that hasn't gone down so well with fans. Instead of shipping the Switch 2 with a handy intro that shows users how to use it, or – dare I say it – a manual, gamers will have to pay around $10 to download a Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, a short game that will show off its new features.
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This feels like a cheeky move from Nintendo. After all, the console alone costs $449 / £395.99 (more with Mario Kart World included), why should gamers then have to pay to find out how to use their new console?
The thing is, once the game comes out I'm sure that the internet will be quickly filled with the game's "secrets", but maybe, just maybe, the Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour might be worth getting for the graphic design alone. I said maybe.
The style of the Welcome Tour reminds me of my early days of gaming in the '90s, back when I spent hours playing Theme Hospital in my dad's office, and the most fun to be had at the weekend was seeing how many Lemmings I could lure off a cliff.
The graphics are, of course, more advanced than those games, but they still have a '90s feel about them, and moving around in the game discovering all the little tips and tricks does look like fun.
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Our ecommerce writer, Beth Nicholls, points out that the graphics look quite similar to Humanity, which is also in VR. VR this is not, of course.
(Image credit: Nintendo)
The red banners are on brand for Nintendo and match the new game box art design (which I think is a little on the dull side, if I'm honest).
The mini games within the game do look entertaining though, I particularly like the look of the golf one, which makes use of the Joy-Cons as a mouse feature.
And the animations such as the spaceship one are definitely reminiscent of what some would call a simpler time in gaming. I also love the little robot icon that pops up near the end.
One thing that isn't clear is how long this Welcome Tour lasts. If it's just ten minutes long then it doesn't seem worth it. But escaping into this utopian world for an hour while you play mini games and learn to get the most from your Switch? That feels more tempting.
Let's not forget the success of Astro Bot Playroom, which did the same as the Welcome Tour for the launch of the PS5. Of course, this is was free, and its paid-for sequel went on to win a BAFTA.
Overall though, paying for what is essentially a manual feels like a worrying trend. It's reminiscent of Apple, who no longer send manuals with their products. (When I first got an iPhone I remember being baffled as to how to turn it on.)
However, unlike Nintendo, Apple doesn't charge you $10 to access an online manual. But might it, if people do pay for Nintendo's glorified manual?
Will you be paying for the Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour? Let us know in the comments.
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Rosie Hilder is Creative Bloq's Deputy Editor. After beginning her career in journalism in Argentina – where she worked as Deputy Editor of Time Out Buenos Aires – she moved back to the UK and joined Future Plc in 2016. Since then, she's worked as Operations Editor on magazines including Computer Arts, 3D World and Paint & Draw and Mac|Life. In 2018, she joined Creative Bloq, where she now assists with the daily management of the site, including growing the site's reach, getting involved in events, such as judging the Brand Impact Awards, and helping make sure our content serves the reader as best it can.
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