Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour

Even if Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour were the pack-in game it feels like it was meant to be, the execution of its charming concept is a muddled collection of quaint tech demos and boring factoids dressed up as an uncompelling completionist checklist.

Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour has its charms, but on the whole feels like a strange set of contradictions: a casual primer for power users, and a pack-in game that isn't packed in.

At times, Welcome Tour is Nintendo's Fantasia.

As one of the two first-party Nintendo Switch 2 launch titles, "fine, I guess, but I'd prefer Magic cards" as my impulse is… not good. And it is fine! It's fine. But "fine" alone is not enough to make something worth bothering with when there are so many different ways to spend your time that are much, much more worthwhile.

Welcome Tour is a calming, surprisingly engaging hardware exhibition with a handful of cool minigames, a trove of interesting info, and some neat demos that showcase exactly what the little system can do. It makes you feel good about buying the thing, which makes the platform holder's decision not to bundle it with the console utterly baffling. Featuring expensive add-ons you might not own also won't impress anyone who's indignant that the company wants another 10 bucks for this.That aside, it's an undeniably fine demonstration of Nintendo's thoughtful design approach. It's cute, it's fun, and it's a shame the whole pack-in argument overshadows the delightful software. Anyone interested in tech, design, or Nintendo in general should check it out immediately.

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Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour should have been a charming pack-in game.

Now that the Nintendo Switch 2 is out, get a fill of all the features the console has to offer in this tech demo.

Expectations for Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour were low, but somehow the premium tech demo still manages to fall below them.

Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour is a fun little introduction to the industry’s newest console, complete with a selection of mini-games plus trivia that helps users get to know their new system better. It would have been nice if it was included as a free game with every Switch purchase as it gives off the vibes of a pack-in game. The included mini-games can also be hit or miss while the heavy use of trivia can wear out its welcome after a while. It’s undoubtedly a great demonstration of what the Switch 2 can do. At the same time, charging for it means some folks will also have to decide whether to spend $10 on Welcome Tour or use that to make up for Mario Kart World’s higher price instead.