By Harry Padoan
More than eight months after its June 2025 launch, the Nintendo Switch 2 has given reviewer Harry Padoan plenty of reasons to keep playing. Mario Kart World, Kirby Air Riders and Donkey Kong Bananza have been particular draws, even as he hopes to see more first-party titles on the horizon.
The hardware improvements are welcome, too: a larger 7.9-inch screen, 4K capabilities and improved Joy-Con controllers. But beyond those widely advertised changes, one upgrade has made him reluctant to return to his original Nintendo Switch. It is not the resolution, refresh rate or processing power—it is the audio.
Fuller speakers and a more spacious sound
The Switch 2 improves sound through both its hardware and software. Its built-in speakers are a substantial step up from those in the original Switch. The Switch OLED had already improved on that model's speakers, but Padoan never bought one; his comparison is with the non-OLED system.
He describes the new speakers as fuller and more powerful, with cleaner bass, better-controlled treble and less of the original console's tinny character. Playing Kirby Air Riders via GameShare allowed him to compare both systems side by side. The older Switch sounded notably thin, with audio becoming harsh at higher volumes.
Virtual surround sound is another standout addition. It works through either the built-in speakers or connected headphones, offering a more enveloping presentation in games that support 5.1 channel surround sound.
Having tested numerous Dolby Atmos soundbars and headphones with three-dimensional audio, Padoan approached Nintendo's implementation with high expectations. It nevertheless exceeded his initial assumptions. Using Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones in Sonic x Shadow Generations, he found the placement of a turning cog particularly convincing, while Sonic's movement was also mapped precisely.
He would still have welcomed Dolby Atmos support for games played in docked mode. Even with that limitation, the broader soundstage and substantially improved speakers make audio a meaningful advantage over the original Switch—not merely a footnote to its visual and performance upgrades.
More Nintendo Switch 2 games to explore
About the author
Harry Padoan is a Senior Reviews Writer at TechRadar, covering products from party speakers to wall chargers, with a particular focus on audio and gaming. His background is in business technology journalism, especially telecommunications.
