2K Sports' latest iteration of the NBA 2K game, NBA 2K24, has been out for about a few days already (9 days, to be exact). Since then, we have been tinkering with the game on two different consoles now (at least, from my end). The game has been living up to the expectations that all the NBA fans have been looking for. It is both challenging and majestic while the features are beefed up with the usual NBA 2K experience. In this article, we share our experience with playing the NBA 2K24 on the Nintendo Switch and the verdict. We'll let you know whether it's YAY or NAY.
What is NBA 2K24?
Now, for those who don't know, NBA 2K is a game where the famous basketball league has been translated into a video game and we have been given twenty-five wonderful years of 2K basketball games. As we have mentioned in our previous NBA 2K24 review, the newest installment drops for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC. The latest NBA game from Visual Concepts honors the late LA Laker and basketball legend Kobe Bryant. In 20 seasons, he won five NBA Championships while earning 2 Finals MVP Awards, earning 18 All-Star nods along the way. Not only is The Black Mamba the cover athlete, but he also gets his dedicated mode in the game similar to the Jordan Challenge. But for now, let's discuss the new gameplay changes in 2K24.
The NBA 2K24 Experience on the Nintendo Switch
In this particular article, though, we won't dive deep into the different modes in the game, instead, we'll relay to you the overall experience of the game while playing NBA 2K24 on the Nintendo Switch. We'll get into how buttery smooth the gameplay is given the hardware of the console, the controls, and how they are able to translate into the things that we want our players and team to act.
Opening the Game for the First Time
First of all, the game is about 55GB which means it will take a little while to be downloaded onto the console. The internal storage of the Nintendo Switch OLED that we have didn't really get to install it and we had to use an SD card to completely download the game (roughly seven to eight hours in total). Once we have finally finished downloading the game, we are greeted by an amazing tribute video to the cover star of the game, Kobe Bryant. In case you haven't seen the video yet, spoilers ahead, we're sharing it down below.
One of the things that we have noticed in this game is that the video that we have just shared was completely stuttering on the Nintendo Switch. Of course, the hardware on the Nintendo Switch isn't really the most impressive when it comes to what's available in the handheld gaming console category (with the likes of Steam Deck and the ROG Ally that can run this game smoothly with more powerful hardware and utilizing either the SteamOS or the Windows OS), but we already knew that coming into this. Besides the lack of power on the hardware section, one of the probable reasons this happened was because the game was running on the SD card and could probably be too slow for its write and read speeds for the game to be fully optimized. This only means that Nintendo Switch owners who want to play the latest NBA 2K game must take extra steps just to get those juicy, detailed videos to run better on the console. Who knows? If the second iteration or version of the Nintendo Switch comes out, it will become so powerful that games like these would be a breeze to run.
Playing an Actual Game
Now while we did mention that the Nintendo Switch may have less power than the other consoles that NBA 2K24 is playable from, the developers of the game made sure that it would run as smoothly as possible when it comes to gameplay. This has always been the case when it came to NBA 2K on the Nintendo Switch and there are a lot of different 2K games that it has run on the console – NBA 2K18, 2K19, 2K20, 2K21, 2K22, 2K23, 2K Playgrounds, 2K Playgrounds 2, and now 2K24.
We played a regular “Play Now” “Quick Play” game on the console and chose to play the LA Lakers against the Miami Heat. In this mode, we wanted to see how the game responds to the commands that we give it – is there a certain latency that is so obvious that we couldn't play the game properly?
Lo and behold, there are a few game mechanics that are introduced in the game and we have yet to master it. From the tip-off of the game, we were able to secure the ball and run our first ball possession. Everything seems to be in check – Passing the ball, dribbling it around, speeding up against your opponents, and shooting the ball. Controls are pretty much the same – While on offense: The B Button to pass, the A button to shoot, and the X button to attempt an alley-oop shot while on defense: The B button to switch players, the X button to jump/block, the Y button to try to swipe/steal/intercept the ball.
One thing to take note of is that the shooting gauge is actually similar to the older games – Get it nearest to the green part of the gauge and release the ball at that point. Depending on the player that you are using while taking the shot, it would either be a piece of cake or a complete flop. The likes of LeBron James and other top players in the game are sure-fire shots just as long as you anticipate the timing of the ball release within the gauge. There are times when the gauge would actually change from a thin green area to a thicker green area and vice-versa depending on if you are being blocked or not.
The game feels absolutely playable without any noticeable latency or lag in the game and all that's left is to actually play with knowledge and skill to let your team take home that W.
Verdict – NBA 2K24: Yay or Nay?
NBA 2K has definitely been able to port over the gameplay experience to the Nintendo Switch console and there are no qualms over at our end. We did expect some of the things that we'll see on other consoles like the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Windows, and Steam to actually not be as decent on the Switch given, again, its hardware capabilities. Despite this, we're definitely still going to recommend getting the latest NBA 2K game on the Nintendo Switch. What lacks in power makes up for its portability. You still get to experience all the bits and pieces that the other consoles let their players experience – MyCAREER, MyTEAM, MyNBA, MAMBA MOMENTS, The W, and the whole she-bang while being able to play it anytime and anywhere you want. If the stepped-down graphics definitely aren't what concerns you, then this game is really for you. The stable OS of Nintendo Switch and its portability while not breaking your bank is definitely the selling point of getting this game.
For more on the latest updates, news, and events on anything and everything NBA 2K24 like this NBA 2k24 Experience on the Nintendo Switch, make sure to check in from time to time on ClutchPoints Gaming! We got you covered with all the happenings that you'd want to know before anyone else.