It’s here: Unboxing and setting up our Switch 2 review unit

The Switch 2 launched in Japan and Australia ahead of its June 5 global release, with Nintendo sending final retail hardware directly to Ars Orbiting HQ. Despite a 14-hour lead time between receiving the hardware and midnight launch, Kyle Orland’s unboxing guide was just a pictorial journey due to the tight timeline. The dock for the Switch 2 is thicker and rounded compared to the original, with features like a removable back panel and angle differences from the standard dock. After updating via Wi-Fi, transferring data from the original Switch took about 30 minutes, and some games require save files to be deleted beforehand.