Nintendo confirmed last week that the Nintendo Switch 2 preorders are happening soon. The good news is that the Switch 2 price remains unchanged despite tariffs, which means you’re two days away from spending $449.99 or $499.99 for the new handheld. The latter is the better deal as it gives you access to Mario Kart World for $30 off the game’s regular price.
You might need all the savings you can get. Mario Kart World will cost $80, the same price as before Trump’s tariffs, but plenty of Switch 2 accessories are getting price hikes.
Nintendo is certainly ready to start Switch presales in the US ahead of the console’s June 5th release date, and the Japanese gaming giant has begun promoting the new console in the best possible way. The company brought back Paul Rudd for a Switch 2 commercial, a brilliant callback to the 1991 SNES ad featuring the actor.
Nintendo published the 34-year-old SNES ad on YouTube, informing viewers it’s a callback.
“Step back into 1991 and watch the official Super Nintendo Entertainment System launch commercial featuring Paul Rudd,” the description reads. “Three decades later, we’re back together again. But this time, launching Nintendo Switch 2,” Nintendo adds, linking to the new ad featuring Paul Rudd.
In the original, we have a young Paul Rudd stepping into a drive-in, slamming an SNES cartridge into the console, and, well, starting “playing with power… super-power.”
Over 30 years later, a seemingly unchanged Paul Rudd steps into a living room (with smoke in it) and slams the Switch 2 into the dock to start a Mario Kart World game with friends.
The ad promotes the Switch 2’s new GameChat feature that lets users talk to friends while they game together, including video support, if you get the camera accessory.
Rudd immediately has to defend his look and remind everyone in the game room that he’s wearing the same clothes and hairstyle as his SNES commercial from the early ’90s.
From there, Rudd and his friends, including his niece Lisa, start talking trash to each other while they race in Mario Kart World. The game runs great on Paul’s TV, but there’s some stutter in the small windows showing each player.
Frankly, you might be better off not seeing live videos of your friends while engaging in multiplayer games like Mario Kart World, but that’s not the point of this ad. The idea here is that you’re playing together while video chatting, a Switch 2 signature feature that Nintendo is sure to keep promoting in the coming weeks and months.
If you want to video call with friends while you game, you’ll need the Nintendo Switch 2 Camera, which you’ll need to purchase separately for $54.99.
