{"id":638619,"date":"2026-06-14T18:07:25","date_gmt":"2026-06-14T18:07:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/638619\/"},"modified":"2026-06-14T18:07:25","modified_gmt":"2026-06-14T18:07:25","slug":"starter-pack-what-are-your-nintendo-switch-2-essentials","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/638619\/","title":{"rendered":"Starter Pack &#8211; What Are Your Nintendo Switch 2 Essentials?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>We&#8217;d love to hear your thoughts, too. Disagree with our picks? Can&#8217;t live without that extra storage? Let us know in the polls and comments what gear and games you&#8217;d recommend to a Switch 2-curious gamer looking to jump aboard.<\/p>\n<p>Switch 2 Essentials &#8211; The Console<br \/>\n<a class=\"scanlines\" title=\"Switch 2 Box\" href=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/d919b6c9192f3\/switch-2-box.large.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/switch-2-box.900x.jpg\" width=\"900\" height=\"600\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Switch 2 Box\"\/><\/a> Image: Zion Grassl \/ Nintendo Life<\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;re in the market for Switch 2 hardware, there&#8217;s good news and bad news.<\/p>\n<p>Bad news first: There&#8217;s only one SKU, which means no colour options if you want something brighter or Your-Favourite-Nintendo-Series-themed. Also, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/news\/2026\/05\/nintendo-announces-sweeping-price-hikes-for-switch-2\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">the price is going up in September<\/a>, from $449.99 USD \/ \u00a3395.99 \/ \u20ac469.99 to $499.99 USD \/ \u00a3TBA \/ \u20ac499.99. Not great.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"scanlines\" title=\"Choose Your Game Switch 2 Bundle\" href=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/90b920529e588\/choose-your-game-switch-2-bundle.large.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/choose-your-game-switch-2-bundle.300x.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"286\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Choose Your Game Switch 2 Bundle\"\/><\/a> Image: Nintendo<\/p>\n<p>The good news? There are bundles available worldwide that throw in a game with the system, and some good ones, too.<\/p>\n<p>Of particular interest is the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/news\/2026\/05\/nintendo-announces-switch-2-choose-your-game-bundle\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Choose your Game bundle in North America<\/a>, which \u2014 true to its name \u2014 lets you download <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/nintendo-switch-2\/mario-kart-world\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Mario Kart World<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/nintendo-switch-2\/pokemon-pokopia\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Pok\u00e9mon Pokopia<\/a>, or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/nintendo-switch-2\/donkey-kong-bananza\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Donkey Kong Bananza<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Elsewhere, in Australia and New Zealand, there&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/news\/2026\/05\/nintendo-announces-switch-2-pokemon-pokopia-bundle\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">a region-specific Pokopia bundle<\/a>. While that&#8217;s all for official hardware bundles at the moment, we wouldn&#8217;t be surprised to see others pop up. Remember, though, that the hardware itself is identical in each case.<\/p>\n<p>Also, keep an eye out for individual retailers whipping up deals of their own. With a plethora of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/guides\/every-nintendo-switch-2-game-key-card-release\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Game-Key Card titles<\/a> on store shelves, you may find some top games thrown in to sweeten the pot over the summer.<\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;re wondering which game bundle is best, the next section may be illuminating&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>Switch 2 Essentials &#8211; The Games<br \/>\n<a class=\"scanlines\" title=\"Switch 2 Games\" href=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/ff60fa063af16\/switch-2-games.large.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/switch-2-games.900x.jpg\" width=\"900\" height=\"507\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Switch 2 Games\"\/><\/a> Image: Damien McFerran \/ Nintendo Life<\/p>\n<p>A console is nothing without its games, and while Switch still doesn&#8217;t have an enormous number of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/guides\/all-nintendo-switch-2-exclusive-games\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">console exclusives<\/a> to its name yet, it&#8217;s amassed an impressive library in its first year.<\/p>\n<p>Let&#8217;s get Team NL&#8217;s quickfire &#8220;indispensable&#8221; S2 game:<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;My head says Pokopia, but my heart says Bananza. Either is guaranteed to produce face-aching smiles.&#8221; &#8211; Jim<br \/>\n&#8220;Donkey Kong Bananza. It doesn&#8217;t quite reach the same heights as Odyssey, but it&#8217;s got a lot of the same magic.&#8221; &#8211; Ollie<br \/>\n&#8220;Mario Kart World &#8211; it&#8217;s Mario Kart.&#8221; &#8211; Liam<br \/>\n&#8220;I&#8217;m going with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/nintendo-switch-2\/indiana-jones-and-the-great-circle\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Indiana Jones and the Great Circle<\/a>. Machine Games&#8217; light immersive-sim elements and spot-on presentation absolutely hooked me with a spectacular port. (Shoutout to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/nintendo-switch-2\/resident-evil-requiem\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">RE9<\/a>, which I haven&#8217;t yet played, but I&#8217;m jonesing \u2014 ha! \u2014 to.)&#8221; &#8211; Gavin<\/p>\n<p>The usual suspects, unsurprisingly, though it&#8217;s interesting to see a pretty even spread &#8211; no single game is the system seller for us.<\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;re looking for a larger rundown of Switch 2&#8217;s best games, we&#8217;re happy to oblige with our reader-ranked Top 50.<\/p>\n<p>System? Sorted. Games? Got &#8217;em. Play time? Possibly&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>Switch 2 Essentials &#8211; The Accessories<br \/>\n<a class=\"scanlines\" title=\"Switch 2 and Accessories\" href=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/1dcfd412e6b9a\/switch-2-and-accessories.large.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/switch-2-and-accessories.900x.jpg\" width=\"900\" height=\"600\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Switch 2 and Accessories\"\/><\/a> Image: Zion Grassl \/ Nintendo Life<\/p>\n<p>Is there anything else that&#8217;s genuinely essential?<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"scanlines\" title=\"Switch 2 Pro Controller\" href=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/116777eeae12a\/switch-2-pro-controller.large.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/switch-2-pro-controller.300x.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Switch 2 Pro Controller\"\/><\/a> Image: Zion Grassl \/ Nintendo Life<\/p>\n<p>Well, it depends on who you ask, and \u2014 obviously \u2014 your budget. If the controller that comes with the console works fine, splashing hard-earned cash on a controller has always felt like an ask, personally. That&#8217;s money that could be spent on another game!<\/p>\n<p>And do you really need to spend 50 or 100 quid on a bloody Micro SD Express card when you&#8217;ve just shelled out for the system?<\/p>\n<p>We&#8217;re divided on the storage question, but Team NL all agree about investing in a good pad &#8211; and something to carry your handheld hybrid in makes eminent sense. Let&#8217;s see what NL staffers are rolling with on the accessories front:<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;A good case is a must&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>Pad: I\u2019ve been rocking <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/reviews\/nintendo-switch-2-pro-controller-a-new-benchmark-in-comfort-and-design\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">the official Pro Controller 2<\/a> since day one, and it\u2019s a beauty. One of the best pads on the market, for sure.<br \/>Memory card: I still haven\u2019t been able to find one at a good price, but my \u2018Delete Software\u2019 antics can only last so long.<br \/>Accessories: Aside from the Pro Controller, a good case is a must. I\u2019m using <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/reviews\/nintendo-switch-2-carry-case-the-official-option-is-a-solid-one\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Nintendo\u2019s official offering<\/a>, and it has served me well so far.<\/p>\n<p class=\"avatar\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"img lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1771097295_545_avatar.jpg\" width=\"80\" height=\"80\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Jim Norman\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"name\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/authors\/JimNorman\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jim Norman<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"role\">Features Editor, Nintendo Life<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;I jump between pads&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>Pad: I jump between pads so much, but my top two are the Pro Controller 2 and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/reviews\/8bitdo-pro-3-bluetooth-controller-tmr-sticks-and-hall-effect-triggers-elevate-this-switch-2-compatible-pad\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">the 8BitDo Pro 3<\/a>. Both are excellent.<br \/>Memory card: I&#8217;ve got a 256GB Express card. Even then, I&#8217;m still having to frequently clear space.<br \/>Accessories: I&#8217;ve found the charging pad that comes with the 8BitDo Pro 3 to be a huge convenience. It also looks great set in front of the Switch 2 dock.<\/p>\n<p class=\"avatar\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"img lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1752498903_442_avatar.jpg\" width=\"80\" height=\"80\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Ollie Reynolds\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"name\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/authors\/Olliemar28\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Ollie Reynolds<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"role\">Reviews Editor, Nintendo Life<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;Highly recommend&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>Pad: I&#8217;ve got the S2 Pro Controller &#8211; highly recommend.<br \/>Memory card: Yes, I have one.<br \/>Accessories: I have a PowerA hardcase.<\/p>\n<p class=\"avatar\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"img lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1766909708_631_avatar.jpg\" width=\"80\" height=\"80\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Liam Doolan\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"name\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/authors\/Liam_Doolan\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Liam Doolan<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"role\">News Editor, Nintendo Life<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;Yet to invest&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>Pad: My <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/nintendo-switch\/splatoon_2\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Splatoon 2<\/a>-themed Switch 1 Pro still functions perfectly, so I&#8217;ve yet to invest in a Pro Controller 2. It&#8217;s only a matter of time before I cave, though, maybe when they do one with a funky livery? That <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/news\/2026\/02\/gallery-check-out-these-close-up-shots-of-the-resident-evil-switch-2-controller\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">RE9 tie-in<\/a> was too muted.<br \/>Memory card: I&#8217;m still doing the internal memory juggle. I can&#8217;t justify 100 notes on a decent-sized SD card &#8211; not when it won&#8217;t even hold a quarter of my library.<br \/>Accessories: I had a bog-standard 20\u20ac case I grabbed at launch (with a screen protector and some stick caps I&#8217;ll never use) until I was recently gifted <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/news\/2025\/07\/mini-review-waterfield-designs-cityslicker-for-switch-2-a-classic-design-lives-on\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">a snazzy Waterfield jobby<\/a>, a beautiful leather affair which I&#8217;d struggle to justify buying myself. Beyond that, the (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/reviews\/nintendo-switch-2-piranha-plant-camera-shocking-image-quality-but-its-cuteness-will-snare-you\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Piranha Plant<\/a>) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/reviews\/nintendo-switch-2-camera-an-elegant-but-nonessential-gamechat-companion\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Camera<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/reviews\/nintendo-switch-2-joy-con-2-wheel-flawed-but-still-fun\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Joy-Con 2 Steering Wheels<\/a> are fun extras, but nobody in their right mind should be recommending those as essential add-ons<\/p>\n<p class=\"avatar\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"img lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1764246308_886_avatar.jpg\" width=\"80\" height=\"80\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Gavin Lane\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"name\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/authors\/dartmonkey\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Gavin Lane<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"role\">Editor, Nintendo Life<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"scanlines\" title=\"Switch 2 Camera\" href=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/810297dc49911\/switch-2-camera.large.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/switch-2-camera.900x.jpg\" width=\"900\" height=\"600\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Switch 2 Camera\"\/><\/a>Yeah, you can probably live without this for the time being \u2014  Image: Zion Grassl \/ Nintendo Life<\/p>\n<p>That&#8217;s us, but what about you? What&#8217;s your essential Switch 2 game? Have you invested in a non-Joy-Con controller? A Micro SD Express card? Are there any S2 accessories you simply couldn&#8217;t live without? How many questions are too many questions for an outro?<\/p>\n<p>Let us know in the polls below, and take to the comments to expound further.<\/p>\n<p>Which Switch 2 accessory do you consider most essential? (361 votes)<br \/>\nA good controller35%A Micro DS Express card for more storage34%A decent carry case22%Something else (comment below)4%Nothing above is &#8216;essential&#8217; for me5%<\/p>\n<p>Up Next: What Is DLSS?<\/p>\n<p>\tSee Also<\/p>\n<p class=\"avatar\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"img lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1764246308_886_avatar.jpg\" width=\"80\" height=\"80\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Gavin Lane\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Gavin first wrote for Nintendo Life in 2018 before joining the site full-time the following year, rising through the ranks to become Editor. He can currently be found squashed beneath a Switch backlog the size of Normandy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"We&#8217;d love to hear your thoughts, too. Disagree with our picks? Can&#8217;t live without that extra storage? Let&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":638620,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[242,59,195,376,215578,3116,86,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-638619","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-features","tag-gb","tag-guides","tag-nintendo-switch-2","tag-switch-2-101","tag-talking-point","tag-technology","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/638619","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=638619"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/638619\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/638620"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=638619"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=638619"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=638619"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}