(Bloomberg) -- The arrival of Nintendo Co.’s Switch 2 marks the biggest consumer tech product release of 2025 so far, with legions of gamers now unboxing and trying the new $450 gaming console for the first time.

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Despite the hype and a $150 increase over the launch price for the original, the second-generation system manages to impress with faster performance, improved graphics, more comfortable ergonomics and enough tweaks throughout to make this feel like a distinctly new machine.

Like the first edition, the Switch 2 has a versatile design, allowing it to be used as a portable handheld or placed in a dock where it will function as a living-room system. This time, it’s capable of outputting 4K resolution and more impactful HDR video to your TV screen.

For now, Mario Kart World and enhanced versions of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom are the best visual showcases of what the Switch 2 is capable of, along with third-party launch titles like Cyberpunk 2077. The improved graphical fidelity and higher frame rates, made possible by the Switch 2’s Nvidia Corp.-made processor, are easily noticeable once you’ve started up a game.

When it comes to performance, Nintendo’s console still lags behind Sony Group Corp.’s PlayStation 5 and Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox Series X, both heavier-duty systems designed to be used exclusively in the home. But for Nintendo fans, the in-game worlds of beloved characters like Mario and Link have never looked better.

Unboxing the device will be a familiar experience to owners of the original Switch, and that feeling remains true as you begin using it. The significantly larger 7.9-inch display is much easier on the eyes — a blessing for the eyesight of anyone who’s grown up alongside Nintendo’s gadgets — and has a sharper 1080p resolution.

It’s also far more fluid than the screen on the original version; this model supports a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz, which makes Mario Kart World feel all the more chaotic (in a fun way). These upgrades help offset the fact that the Switch 2 uses an LCD display instead of a punchier OLED panel.

The upsized screen means you’re also getting bigger Joy-Con controllers, which makes handheld mode a far more ergonomic experience. The buttons are also larger than before. Everything about the Switch 2 feels less cramped.