We went inside of the Switch 2 in Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, the system’s cute but bizarrely priced digital manual.
At this point, it’s a given that a new Nintendo console will launch with some kind of tech demo. I thought that the company might kick that convention to the curb this time after 1-2 Switch, but that’s not the case. In fact, it’s doubling down on that with the Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour. Positioned as an introduction to all of the console’s features, it’s a perfect idea for a light pack-in for a new console.
Except that it’s not a free pack-in. It is a game that costs money, a fact that got an audible laugh out of a room full of press who attended a Switch 2 hands-on event this week. It seemed like an absurd business decision to me, but I was willing to hear Nintendo out when I actually played a bit of Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour for myself.
Now I’m even more confused.An interactive manual
Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour is, basically, an interactive instruction manual. The app places players on a Nintendo Switch 2, which is decorated in informational booths and signs that explain every single console feature in detail. I could walk on a Joy-con and learn all about the larger shoulder buttons and glide across the central screen like an ice pond to learn about the new cartridges.
As an informational tool, the app does seem handy, even if a lot of the information it provides is fairly obvious to anyone who has used a Switch.
