Lifestyle
Your 5 most burning questions about the new Nintendo Switch 2, answered
The Nintendo Switch 2 console has officially been released, as retailers opened their doors at midnight — 9 p.m. here on the West Coast — to welcome early adapters and die-hard fans. It’s the follow-up to Nintendo’s second-bestselling gaming device ever; with sales topping 150 million, the Switch is behind only the handheld Nintendo DS.
Thus, Switch 2 carries expectations.
Though it has a bigger, higher-resolution 1080p screen and more processing power than its predecessor to better run some of today’s most popular games, it’s not a wholesale re-imagining. It looks similar, albeit just a tad larger, and again comes with detachable controllers, which Nintendo dubs “Joy-Con,” only now they are magnetized. Switch owners will feel right at home with the new device.
And judging by lines at retailers yesterday — a social media friend of mine claims to have spent eight hours standing outside a Best Buy to get a Switch 2 on Day One — many have already made the plunge to buy the new console. Nintendo has stated that it expects to sell 15 million new consoles between now and the end of its fiscal year next March.
Yet a new video game console brings with it questions. What is worth playing? Is it easy to upgrade? And will it even be in stock?
Nintendo has stated it believes it has enough consoles to meet demand, but whether there will be shortages after the initial rush remains an unknown. I’m still getting to know my Switch 2, but have spent some time with its showcase game and transferred my data from my prior console, and here are some initial answers to basic queries.
The showcase game for the Nintendo Switch 2 is “Mario Kart World.”
(Nintendo)
There’s only one new marquee game at launch: “Mario Kart World.” How is it?
While it may seem odd to release a new console with only one potential blockbuster title, remember that the most recent game in the series, “Mario Kart 8,” is one of Nintendo’s top-selling games, selling more than 67 million units since its release about a decade ago. Therefore, it’s a pretty safe bet, as it’s a game that works for casual and hardcore players, and has cross-generational appeal. Nintendo has also made “Mario Kart” the centerpiece of its theme park lands, of which there is one here at Universal Studios Hollywood.
And there’s good news: It’s a winner.
While its feel and tone will be instantly familiar, it comes with a couple of new tricks. One of those is a new mode called “Knockout Tour,” in which you’ll need to maintain a certain placement throughout each of the race’s five checkpoints. It’s a fast play style that is constantly upping the tension, which is key for a game in which it’s always possible to go from first to last and vice versa at a moment’s notice. Another new option, and my early favorite, is the “free roam” setting. No racing here, just exploring.
At a preview session earlier this year, some of the most fun I had was when I wasn’t racing and was simply driving my kart off the track to see what hidden surprises awaited me in the world. I came across Toad characters fishing and ramshackle vehicles that encouraged me to follow them. It was play for play’s sake. This morning, I relaxed with coffee while pulling up to a cafe run by Yoshi, and then stumbled across some timed mini-challenges in the world. It adds a surprising sense of depth and presence to Mario’s Mushroom Kingdom.
Short answer: Early impressions are dazzling.
“Nintendo Switch Welcome Tour” is a delightful exploration of the Nintendo Switch 2 featuring a host of mini games.
(Nintendo)
Wait, there’s an add-on game that’s essentially a Switch 2 tutorial? What’s that about?
I was eager to get my hands on “Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour,” a $9.99 title game-as-tutorial in which we control a tiny human avatar who appears to live in a giant Switch 2. Only instead of tech bits, we see a sleek mall-meets-amusement park world full of mini-games designed to showcase various aspects of the Switch 2’s technology — a guessing game centered on frames per second or a dodging challenge that has us using the Joy-Con detachable controllers as mouse-like gadgets. The latter is one of the key differences between the Switch and Switch 2, and will be especially handy in games that require precision.
Some of the other games in “Welcome Tour” are essentially demos. One aims to show off modern television sets with 4K resolution. Another has us adjusting Switch settings to help convey the vibrancy of HDR via animated fireworks. They’re simple, quick ways to get to know new tech, and I had fun with a mini-game that tests out the rumbling of the controllers, challenging us to pinpoint the precise moment the vibrations are at their most intense. They’re good mini-games that won’t last more than a minute or two.
Yet it’s a game designed to teach players about the new fancy game console they just bought, and therefore should come bundled with it. I wonder if I’ll revisit it after my initial week with it.
Short answer: “Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour” is cute but should be free.
The Nintendo Switch 2 looks and feels familiar to the Switch.
(Nintendo)
How complicated is it to transfer data from my original Switch?
If you’re purchasing a Switch 2 and playing via cartridges rather than downloadable games, you can jump right in. But I’d recommend downloading the system update and transferring your saved game data and as many games as you’d like from your prior Switch. The Switch 2 is largely backward compatible, meaning the vast majority of older titles will work on it (Nintendo is maintaining a list).
While I opted not to download every game from my previous Switch, wanting to save space on the 256 GB internal storage of the new console, I was pleased to see that the more than 50 games I had on my older device were all ready to go. Better yet, this was all relatively simple to accomplish and extremely user intuitive. A QR code will have you log into your Nintendo account, and as long as your older Switch and Switch 2 are in the same room, everything should transfer within a couple hours, depending on how many games you want to port over.
Short answer: Don’t stress.
“Donkey Kong Bananza” is due next month for the Nintendo Switch 2.
(Nintendo)
Eek, the price! Will it increase?
Early headlines regarding the Switch 2 focused on the price. It’s high.
The base system sells for $449.99 and “Mario Kart World” carries a hefty $80 tag, the highest price Nintendo has given a game, and an atypical price for an industry that has long valued non-special editions of games at around $59.99. And just hours after announcing a price and pre-sale date, Nintendo pulled back its pre-order plan, stating that there was uncertainty due “the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions.” President Trump’s trade war remains an evolving situation, but the Japanese tech giant ultimately decided not to increase the price of the system. That being said, Nintendo did up the cost of some of the accessories for the Switch 2.
In recent interviews, Nintendo of America President Doug Bowser said the company would continue to monitor the situation. For now, the price is set, but things seem to always be in flux in our current political climate. Nintendo’s gaming competitor Microsoft recently raised the prices on its Xbox consoles.
Short answer: It remains unknown, but if you’re in the market for a Switch 2, it may be advisable to buy when you can.
A purchaser of the Nintendo Switch 2 at a Target in Chicago.
(Kiichiro Sato / Associated Press)
So, should I buy it?
This is, of course, the No. 1 question I receive, and I’m being honest when I say it’s difficult to answer. I’ve had a Switch 2 in my home for only half a day, at the time of writing, and while I attended a preview event earlier this year, I still haven’t been able to put it through its paces. Additionally, it’s always difficult to tell someone to drop $500 — $600 or more, if you’re buying some games and a recommended Pro Controller — on a video game console, which is, of course, a luxury item.
That being said, I am a big proponent of the importance of play, and Nintendo tends to get this right. The company’s video game mantra since its Nintendo Entertainment System days has been to show gaming and play as a medium full of possibilities, using world-building, competition and puzzles to enchant. I believe some new additions to “Mario Kart World,” for instance, such as the free roam mode, accomplish this goal. You likely already know if you’re a fan of the worlds Nintendo creates, whether they involve Mario and his brother Luigi or are franchises such as “Zelda” and “Animal Crossing.” And Nintendo isn’t going to abandon its core franchises — a new “Donkey Kong” title arrives in July — and there are some abilities, such as using the detachable controllers as mice, that should add some fun twists to future gameplay.
Short answer: If you have the means, my early impression is that Switch 2 is a worthy successor. That being said, if you’re not a fan of “Mario Kart” or Nintendo’s main franchises, I think you’re safe to wait until there are more games to your liking, as the Switch has a robust catalog and Nintendo is going to continue to support it for the near future.
Lifestyle
Terry Tempest Williams on why women with big ideas get labeled ‘crazy’ : Wild Card with Rachel Martin
A note from Wild Card host Rachel Martin: I met Terry Tempest Williams about 25 years ago at a writer’s conference in Yosemite Valley. I was a young reporter who was there to do a story about how literature was addressing climate change and she made such a huge impression on me. I had never heard someone talk about the natural world the way Terry did and she had a spiritual depth I hadn’t encountered in my life at that point.
To this day, Terry’s writing always reorients me towards what is good, what is beautiful, and what is true. Her newest book is called “The Glorians.”
For its upcoming Los Angeles venue, experiential art firm Meow Wolf will focus on the art of storytelling, with a specific eye toward skewering our city’s moviemaking magic. To help bring that vision to life, Meow Wolf has entered into a creative partnership with Titmouse, one of L.A.’s most renowned independent animation houses.
The Hollywood-based studio behind popular series such as “Big Mouth” and “Star Trek: Lower Decks” will create animation that will be shown throughout the West L.A. venue, which is on target for a late 2026 opening at the Howard Hughes entertainment complex.
It’s a move that represents a shift for Santa Fe, N.M.-based Meow Wolf. Over the last decade-plus, the art collective has grown beyond its anything-goes, punk-meets-psychedelic roots into an organization with full-scale, maximalist installations in its hometown, Denver, Las Vegas, Houston and the Dallas suburbs. In the past, Meow Wolf kept most of its media in-house.
As part of its larger-than-life participatory art installations, Meow Wolf L.A. will feature a mix of live action and animation, the former filmed by Meow Wolf in its Santa Fe studio. Meow Wolf’s James Stephenson, a senior VP with the company and its creative director of emerging media, said the degree to which the L.A. exhibition will lean into various animation styles necessitated an outside partner. Titmouse’s work, in development by a number of directors with contrasting tones, will be shown on a variety of formats, ranging from cinema screens to full-room projections.
“I really believe in animation as an art form, and I know the Titmouse folks do too,” Stephenson says. “Animation is made by artists. It’s made by artists with their own hands. It’s something that is still very rooted in craft.”
Meow Wolf’s L.A. space is set in a former cinema complex, and will champion its location, taking guests on a journey through a converted movie house and beyond, into a sci-fi-inspired fantasyland with sentient spaceships and a 30-foot-tall mushroom tower. Meow Wolf creatives have spoken of the fantastical movie theater as one that will feature animated, self-aware candy before attendees enter the main exhibition space, making Titmouse’s work some of the first art guests will encounter. Titmouse co-founder Chris Prynoski has said the studio has lined up at least six directors for the exhibit.
An in-progress art installation destined for Meow Wolf L.A. at the art collective’s Santa Fe, N.M., headquarters. The L.A. exhibition will feature animation from Titmouse.
(Gabriela Campos / For The Times)
Titmouse, says Stephenson, is the right partner because “they’re known less for a house style, and more for a house vibe.” Over the years, Titmouse has been behind such diverse shows as “Scavengers Reign,” owning a Jean Giraud influence rooted in French and Spanish surrealism, the lively “Jentry Chau vs. the Underworld,” with an unique color palette that took inspiration from anime and Chinese mythology, the exaggerated comic book feel of Adult Swim’s “Metalocalypse,” and the approachable yet expressive tone of “Star Trek: Lower Decks.”
“Meow Wolf’s vibe is similar to Titmouse’s vibe,” Stephenson says. “It’s artist-first, artist-driven, independent and kinda edgy. They are always trying to find the edge of what’s possible. They try to see how far they can go, and it’s done for fun and in the spirit of taking risks.”
Prynoski says working with Meow Wolf will give Titmouse a sense of artistic freedom it doesn’t always have when delivering content for more traditional Hollywood partners. He says the multi-director approach is a callback to the early days of Warner Bros. Animation, when individual creators put their own stamp on Looney Tunes material.
“I use Bugs Bunny as an example,” Prynoski says. “You’ve got a Friz Freleng Bugs Bunny short. You’ve got a Chuck Jones Bugs Bunny short. You’ve got a Tex Avery Bugs Bunny short. They’re all different versions of Bugs Bunny, and people who are really paying attention can tell which director directed each one. Even though to the layman, these are all Bugs Bunny, but if you lined them up, they are drawing in different styles, sensibilities and techniques.”
Prynoski says that was a centerpiece of his pitch to Meow Wolf, noting that characters will reappear in multiple installations, each handled by a different artist. Meow Wolf L.A., in fact, will be the firm’s most character-driven exhibition, as guests will follow the storylines of three main protagonists throughout the space.
In announcing the partnership, Meow Wolf and Titmouse released an image from an animated work directed by Luca Vitale. It features a key character having a moment with a hummingbird and it’s done in an elegant, slightly anime-influenced style. It’s an image full of movement, reflecting a character in transition with inviting pastels and bold dashes.
“I like that image because I think it captures some of the sense of wonder that we want people to feel,” Stephenson says. “The character is having an encounter with the elusive nature of creativity and reality in a way that makes them have a different perspective of what’s possible.”
Other contributing animation directors to Meow Wolf L.A. include Space Dawg, Felix Colgrave, Alexander Vanderplank and Phimémon Martin, and Jun Ioneda.
Titmouse’s partnership with Meow Wolf will extend beyond the L.A. exhibition. The two will be working on the development of Meow Wolf New York, which is slated to open some time after Los Angeles, and are collaborating on a planned animated series, which Prynoski is spearheading.
Meow Wolf exhibits are the result of sometimes hundreds of disparate artists coming together in a shared space. Distilling that into a signature, singular style for a series could be a challenge. Stephenson pinpoints some guiding principles.
“You really need to feel the hand of the artist,” he says. “You need to feel a DIY aesthetic. You need to feel the materiality. Those are very specific to what we are.”
The Kennedy Center on June 28, with its facade signage still covered by a tarp and scaffolding.
Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images
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Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images
On Wednesday, a federal appeals court denied President Trump’s request to stop the removal of his name from Washington, D.C.’s Kennedy Center. The signage on the building has been covered with tarp and scaffolding since June 13, but in a court filing last month, the center’s current executive director said that Trump’s name has been removed.
In their decision, three judges from the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said that the president had failed to prove that the arts center would be “irreparably injured” without Trump’s name attached to it.
NPR requested comment from the Kennedy Center, but did not receive an immediate reply.
This latest round of court decisions is part of the ongoing litigation filed by Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, against President Trump and the board of the Kennedy Center. In a statement emailed Wednesday to NPR, Beatty said: “Today’s ruling again affirms that this administration’s efforts to rename the Kennedy Center were unlawful. His name no longer desecrates this sacred memorial, which belongs to the American people. Now it is time for the Trump administration to accept this, comply with the law, and take the tarps down.”
In previous court filings, Trump’s legal team had asserted that removing the president’s name from the arts complex, both on the physical building and in its digital materials, would inflict irreparable harm in both time and money already spent. In the denial, the three judges — Patricia Millett, Robert Wilkins and Gregory Katsas — wrote that since Trump’s name has already been removed, “a stay would not avert those harms.”
Furthermore, Trump had claimed that without his name attached, future fundraising would be threatened “and [will] contribute to the financial decline of the Center.” In response, the appeals judges wrote: “Appellants, however, have failed to support this assertion with any specific facts or evidence. They offer only the conclusory assertions of the Kennedy Center’s Executive Director that were made in a factually unsupported declaration.” The center’s current executive director, Matt Floca, specializes in physical plant management.
The presiding judge in the case, Christopher R. Cooper, has ordered that the center provide him a status report on the center’s operation and programming before the end of this month. As of Wednesday, the center’s calendar lists a small roster of programs, including outdoor free movie screenings, workshops for children, and five free live performances in July on its Millennium Stage. In the past, the Kennedy Center presented over 2,000 arts and education events each year, including free daily Millennium Stage performances.
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