Nintendo Switch 2 Preview Event Recap - January 2026

On January 29th, I was able to make a trip out to the freezing cold streets of Manhattan in order to play some new Nintendo games. A recent snowstorm and temperature advisory couldn't hold me back from seeing what Mario and the crew have been cooking up fresh.

Upon arriving for my designated session time at the event hall where Nintendo was hosting us, we were given a brief video presentation/introduction, then split up into smaller groups with hosts who would usher us around to our next designated game station.

In total, I got to go hands-on with Pokémon Pokopia, Resident Evil Requiem, Pragmata, the new Virtual Boy headset, Super Mario Bros. Wonder - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Bellabel Park, and Mario Tennis Fever.

Putting my love for Nintendo and the contentment of being filled with plenty of New York-style slices of pizza on the streets of Manhattan (shoutout Lucia's) aside, I was ready to dive in and objectively see if what Nintendo has in store for us in early 2026 is worth getting excited about.

I spent four hours in total demoing everything on offer, and I can confidently say that every experience I had at this event was a very positive one. Here's how everything went down.

Poking Around in Pokopia

First up, my group got to spend about an hour in total with the upcoming Pokémon Pokopia. While everything else was on the main floor of the event hall, Pokopia was set up in the basement of the building so that it could have its own, dedicated, private show floor space.

I got to spend some time solo, working through the game's tutorial section, creating my Ditto avatar, and getting my feet wet with how Pokopia works. After a short intermission, I then got to jump back in with three other media members seated next to me, and we got to test the limits of the game's multiplayer functionality.

Pokopia is going to be huge, I'm fully confident in that. Despite getting to play for an hour, I also still feel like I barely scratched the surface of the game.

My full thoughts on Pokémon Pokopia can be found in my preview below:

- Pokémon Pokopia Preview

Next up, my group had a bit of a "choose your own adventure" part of the event. In this time slot, I could choose between checking out the new Virtual Boy, Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Switch 2 Edition, or a couple of third-party offerings from Capcom, Resident Evil Requiem and Pragmata.

I opted for Capcom first, starting with RE9.

Resident Evil Requiem

Resident Evil Requiem was another title we'd already run a preview of at DualShockers, and the section I demoed at this Nintendo event was the same section of gameplay. It's also readily viewable online for anyone to watch (the section where Grace wakes up strapped upside down on a gurney).

Still, I personally had yet to go hands-on with RE9 myself, and I had a great time with it. The game runs perfectly smoothly on Switch 2, and also looks great in motion. I felt like this particular section of gameplay was a little box standard compared to other RE titles, but I absolutely see the vision, and I'm excited to play more soon.

Here's our previously written preview of this same section of gameplay:

- Resident Evil Requiem Preview

For me, it was particularly impressive to get to test out Requiem in Handheld Mode on the Switch 2. I was honestly blown away by just how fluidly it ran, and how well-translated the graphics were to the small screen.

If you want to learn more about my personal thoughts on RE9, specifically how it works in Handheld Mode, that can be found below:

- Resident Evil Requiem Handheld Mode Thoughts

As an additional note here, my demo also included the special edition Resident Evil-themed Switch 2 Pro Controller. The design is pretty subtle, but I dug it.

Pragmata

Up next was Pragmata, another offering from Capcom that really drove home how much third-party support it seems like the team wants to give the Switch 2. To put it bluntly, I think Pragmata absolutely rules.

I was one of those concerned viewers when I saw the trailer that revealed Diana's hacking mini-games in the middle of Hugh's gunfights. How could this possibly work well in action? Well, it does, and it's awesome.

I played the Sketchbook demo, which is already available on other non-Nintendo platforms (coming soon to Switch 2), and something we'd already previewed at DualShockers. That preview can be found below:

- Pragmata Preview

Like the RE9 demo too, however, this was the first time any of us had been able to go hands-on with the Switch 2 version of the game, and I was wildly impressed. In fact, Pragmata just might be the best looking game I've seen on the Switch 2 yet. Here are some more of my thoughts on this matter:

- Pragmata Switch 2 Thoughts

Lastly, on the Pragmata front, we also got a closer look at the Diana Amiibo figurines that will launch alongside the game. While I'm not sure how they actually function in practice, they do look great.

Heading Back to the '90s with the Virtual Boy

My next stop was at the Virtual Boy demo area, which featured four headsets that were each set up on their own little, red cube. As a '90s kid who also grew up a huge Nintendo fan, the Virtual Boy was my personal white whale, because I'd still never gotten to try one out for myself all these years later since its original release.

It took me about ten seconds once inside the headset to realize that I truly would've loved this thing as a kid, and I still think it has a ton of playability in 2026. As much as I didn't expect to be impressed by the Virtual Boy, I just was. It feels premium, the seven games available for me to try out were all fun, and I was bummed when my time with it was over.

If you want my full experience with the Virtual Boy, click below:

- Virtual Boy Preview

Snack Break (Very Important)

After Pragmata, I had some time for a quick snack break. This is not relevant to you whatsoever, but I wanted to take a moment to recognize the lady serving the soft pretzels. She is truly doing the Lord's work.

The Jalapeno-Cheddar Pretzel with Beer Mustard was a solid 9.5/10, and I miss it already.

Moving on!

Wonderful Mario Multiplayer Madness in Bellabel Park

After all that, it was time for the multiplayer-focused portion of the event for my group. This started off with Super Mario Bros. Wonder - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park. Yes, that is an egregiously long name, but don't let that distract you from the fact that Nintendo whipped up some additional video game magic with this one.

While the Switch 2 version of Wonder does add some single-player content as well, the bulk of the extras lie in Bellabel Park, a brand-new section of the game that features a huge collection of both co-op and competitive multiplayer experiences.

I got to test several of these out with two other people in my group, as well as a rep from Nintendo who steered us towards the specific sections of gameplay the team was most eager to show off.

This resulted in what was hands-down the most outright fun I had at the event overall. In zero seconds flat, this couch full of strangers was laughing, high-fiving, yelling, and (politely) trash talking. To me, this speaks to how great Bellabel Park is going to be when it goes public.

Here are my full thoughts on my preview of this title:

- Super Mario Bros. Wonder - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park Preview

We also got a sneak peek at the three upcoming Amiibo that are launching beside Wonder for the Switch 2. These included Elephant Mario, Poplin and Prince Florian, and Captain Toad with a Talking Flower.

And speaking of Talking Flowers! Nintendo also had a few units of the forthcoming Talking Flower Figurine, which is full of silly little quips. I found the little dude pretty adorable. Check out the video above to hear him in action.

Catching the Mario Tennis Fever

Finally, last on the docket for my squad was going hands-on with Mario Tennis Fever, the latest entry in a series of games that I've historically had a lot of love for, but also a lot of complaints in some cases as well. As such, I was very curious to see how Fever was shaping up so close to release.

After a quick tutorial section, my group played five matches of doubles, and I'm happy to report that it was a blast. The new Fever Rackets bring such a fun twist to the game, and I'm already wondering if this one will go down as the best Mario Tennis game to date once the dust settles. It feels more balanced than ever, more fluid, and is jam-packed with characters, courts, and the aforementioned rackets.

My team went 5-0 (but who's keeping track, really?), and with that, my time at the Nintendo preview event was coming to a close. Fever was a great way to cap everything off, however.

My full Mario Tennis Fever thoughts are linked below:

- Mario Tennis Fever Preview

The New Joycons

One last quick note. I also got to check out the soon-to-be-released set of new Joycons. Described as "Light Purple/Light Green," the green is absolutely more of a teal/cyan/mint. For me, that's fine, since teal is one of my favorite colors.

I've seen the complaints that these first new Joycon iterations for the Switch 2 aren't super exciting in their color integration, but they do look really nice and clean in person. I'm a fan, and I prefer them to the standard Joycons that come with the Switch 2.