I set three phone alarms for that midnight preorder drop. My hands shook clicking Walmart’s site like I was fighting a Souls boss. Nintendo’s Switch 2 hype train’s here—$449 gets you next-gen handheld magic. But does it fix what made me rage-quit laggy Fortnite matches on my dusty OG Switch?

We’ve all been burned by “upgrades” that feel like sideways moves. The Switch 2’s 4K rumors got me dreaming—imagine Breath of the Wild without those jaggy cliffs. My buddy still mocks my Switch Lite’s drift issues. Nintendo better nail these joysticks. Remember when the Wii U confused everyone? This needs to be Switch 1’s glow-up, not another identity crisis.

When I played the OG Switch launch, it felt like wizardry. Docking it mid-Zelda shrine? Pure flex. But six years later, my console wheezes loading Pokémon Scarlet. If the Switch 2 can’t handle open-world smoothness, why drop half a grand? That Mario Kart bundle tempts me though—nostalgia’s a sneaky seller.

Preorders feel like gambling. My PS5 hunt involved stalking Twitter bots for weeks. Switch 2’s Walmart 9AM delivery promise? Almost too good. But what if the screen still scratches easy? What if new games demand $70 each? My wallet’s still crying from Tears of the Kingdom.

Here’s hoping Nintendo listens. Give us power without losing that pick-up-and-play charm. Keep the UI simple, skip the gimmicks. The Switch 2 could unite casuals and grinders if it balances muscle with heart. Maybe I’ll finally retire my launch-day Switch… if the preorder doesn’t crash my browser again.