The Nintendo Switch 2 has finally been released, and with it comes many improvements and new features that the original Switch did not have, including mouse controls, webcam support, and support for higher resolutions and framerates. To showcase what this new console can do, it would be helpful to have an application that demonstrates its capabilities. That’s where Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour comes in.

For an entry fee of $9.99, Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour centers around an expo showcasing Nintendo’s brand new system. In fact, each of the areas takes place on a massive replica of one of Nintendo’s new products, such as the Switch 2 console, the upgraded Joy-Cons, the new Pro Controller, and many more. This expo contains numerous activities that highlight the Switch 2’s new features.

The first activities that you’ll notice are the minigames. There are 20 simple games you can play. Most of them involve the new mouse controls. These include a game where you control a UFO trying to avoid spike balls and one where you shoot balloons in a first-person perspective. There are games demonstrating other features as well, such as one where you play a Twister-inspired game in which you place all ten fingers on colored circles, along with a very clever game in which you’re given an angle, and you have to use the Switch 2’s incredibly flexible kickstand to recreate said angle. The most enjoyable game for me was one in which you slide a Joy-Con 2 left and right to control a car, while twisting your hand causes the car to stand on two wheels. You then need to use this unconventional control scheme to quickly get through an obstacle course. You can gain medals based on your performance in minigames, unlocking more games and higher difficulties in games you’ve already played. It is worth noting that a couple of minigames require hardware not included with the system. One such game requires you to use either the Switch 2’s Pro Controller or Charging Grip for their GL and GR buttons.

More interesting to me than the minigames are the 17 tech demos. Instead of playing challenges to get fast clear times or high scores, you are given a set of tools to use to test new features. These demos include one where you can mess with the rumble effect to create noise, one where you pretend to ride a motorcycle while using Joy-Cons as the handles, and one where you can test the built-in microphone’s ability to record your voice while blocking out noise. The best one has you playing the first level of Super Mario Bros., but the screen is zoomed out so that one pixel in-game corresponds to one pixel on a 4K display. In fact, the entire level fits on-screen like this. In each demo, you’re given a set of tasks to complete that will earn you a medal, but other than that, you can mess with these demos however you like.

Outside of the minigames and demos, you can freely walk around giant replicas of Nintendo’s new hardware in an isometric view. You can find hidden stamps located at important components, like buttons and ports. Collecting all the stamps in an area unlocks the next one. Eventually, you can even explore the insides of the Joy-Cons and Switch 2 console.

Finally, you’ll find information desks all over the expo. At these desks, you can read insights about the Switch 2 and how it compares to older hardware. You’ll then be quizzed on the information you just studied. Many of the insights are really quite fascinating, and it’s neat seeing the care that went into the design of the Switch 2 hardware. For example, when the Joy-Cons are attached to the console, they stick out ever so slightly, instead of being flush with the system. This minimizes leverage that could cause them to pop out of the system if twisted during play.

If these activities don’t sound particularly exciting, I don’t blame you. Few of the minigames and tech demos are particularly fun, but it is neat seeing what the system can do. Reading about the thought processes that went into the design of the Switch 2 is exciting (at least to me), but there is so much reading and quizzing that I felt like I spent $10 to spend my break from college enrolled in a summer course (though admittedly an interesting one).

The graphics and music are nothing to write home about. Welcome Tour uses simple models and animations to represent characters and objects in the minigames, and the music is not memorable at all. The giant pieces of hardware you can explore are impressively detailed, however.

Regarding moral issues, I am pleased to report that there is very little to worry about. Some of the closest things to violence would be a UFO getting destroyed by a spike ball or a car colliding into a wall. In one of the insights, there is also a screenshot of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, showcasing how an explosion in the game looks with and without HDR. Finally, since you can play a portion of Super Mario Bros., that includes being able to defeat enemies by jumping on them and using fireballs.

Almost the entire nine hours I spent playing Welcome Tour, one question kept coming back into my mind: “Why wasn’t this just made a pack-in title?” I’m not one to beg for free things, but it baffles me that Nintendo decided to charge money for this application, especially considering Nintendo’s pack-in titles of the past. The Switch 2 has quite a few great new features, and including a title like this for free would help get owners of the system excited to use them.

Ten dollars is not a whole lot of money, but even for a relatively low cost, you still won’t get a whole lot of enjoyment out of this application. I bought this title because I wanted to see what all was possible with my new $450 console, but soon enough, there should be plenty of proper games in which you can both marvel at the Switch 2’s capabilities and also have fun. For this reason, I cannot recommend Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour.

-Tyler Ferguson