Technologies

I Played Hours of Mario Kart World and Used GameChat on the Switch 2. I’m Hooked

From the chaos of 24-player races to the fun of group chats to the shrug that is Welcome Tour, the Switch 2 holds a lot of potential. But is it enough to buy right now?

Mario Kart World on the Switch 2 is a lot more interesting when you can see your friend’s face floating over the kart you’re trying to beat. I’m sitting with some folks from CNET’s sister site IGN and someone from Nintendo as I’m desperately trying to hang in a Knockout Tour competition, and we’re playing with the Switch 2 Camera connected and tracking our faces. Each of our four faces ends up broadcast into the game, floating over our respective vehicles. It’s live video, too: You can stick out your tongue or roll your eyes. Or, as one person did, zoom in on just your ear.

Nintendo is trying its best to show off how its new console is better than the first-gen Switch models. After a full day playing the Switch 2 a couple of months ago, I recently got a second full-day dive ahead of its June 5 launch — more time with Mario Kart World and Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, Nintendo’s only exclusive first-party Switch 2 games at launch. And I finally used GameChat, the console’s new multiperson audio/video chat feature.

I don’t have a Switch 2 to review yet, so I can’t really nail down my feelings about the full experience just yet. But in these early looks, I’m getting a sense that the Switch 2 is a console that, while showing promise, is something you can also easily wait on. That said, GameChat’s a welcome new feature; camera-connected play is surprisingly addictive (and sort of magical), and Mario Kart World is a blast, especially in wild multiplayer matches. After trying 24-player multiplayer, I don’t know if I can go back.

GameChat: Nintendo’s audio-video hangout zone

My 12-year-old tends to play games by starting a FaceTime chat with his friends, and then playing games while keeping his chat on. Sometimes they’re playing together, sometimes they’re not. I kept thinking about that when getting a brief chance to try Switch 2 GameChat at a Nintendo demo event, which basically aspires to do the same thing.

GameChat, which you start by pressing the right Joy-Con’s new C button, connects up to 12 players via audio (or four with video) into a little group. Friends have to be preinvited to GameChat via your own friends list on the Switch 2, making it a deliberate process that’s parent-friendly but not that spontaneous-feeling. Once that’s done, though, chats are fast to start up.

You can control turning your microphone, camera feed or game feed on and off while in chat. You can also hide your menu screens and just show your game once you’re playing it. You’re either just hearing friends, or seeing split-screen views of up to three others showing their faces, or the games they’re playing, or both.

The $55 Switch 2 Camera is sold separately, and it adds your face. There are a few clever modes that can either show your whole background in a picture-in-picture, cut out your face and body to overlay onto the game footage or zoom in to frame your face (or another part of your face/body you want to track) in a circle.

Video quality for both your face and game footage isn’t great, but it’s enough to feel connected to see what your friends are doing (and emoting). No one has to be playing the same game together, so it’s more of a way to just share what you’re up to at the same time. It’s really more of a hangout room where you can chat and maybe also play games together.

I got a second demo of camera-connected multiplayer in Mario Kart World, which we did in the same room, but it shows the possibilities of GameChat and multiplayer in other ways. Cleverly, the camera could track and zoom in on all four of our faces at the same time, displaying them separately on-screen as overlays on our karts. It almost felt like augmented reality magic, and reminded me of some of the other tricks I saw in Mario Party Jamboree, which is getting a camera-focused update over the summer.

Mario Kart World: Multiplayer is a blast, so is wandering

I still don’t know if any new Mario Kart game can truly top Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s 96 courses (including DLC), but Mario Kart World is a lot of fun… and something I can’t wait to explore more.

I spent some time with Nintendo’s big Switch 2 launch game in April, but got hours more to dive into wandering around, trying out all the modes, and playing online with 23 others. I got hooked.

Mario Kart World’s best feature is its wandering style: Everything is spread across a huge land, and you can just tool around and discover secrets or suddenly end up on other courses, or parts of courses. In its Free Roam mode, I just kind of tried to find things, mainly P-Switch challenges, which start up little timed events to earn awards, similar to challenges in Super Mario 3D games.

The courses I tried looked to be unique from lap to lap, unfolding over territory that eventually can lead to other courses if you’re playing in Versus or Knockout Tour modes. Once a race is done, your trip to the other course is still part of the race. It adds variety and changes up how some races even feel, depending on which one you’re heading to next, but also feels like it’s a departure from the more static lap-based courses from older Karts. It’s a lot more like Forza Horizon games in style, which I actually love.

Multiplayer in 24-player modes is total chaos. Many of the courses are wider than previous Mario Kart games to accommodate all those karts, and it can get pretty Mad Max. It also makes surviving feel even more victorious. Knockout Tour is the star of the show. This new mode, which I tried in April, is a survival race that eliminates a certain percentage of players every course. It feels like a 99-player-type survival game, but I like this even better. I once made it to sixth place among a bunch of game journalists, which was enough of a win for me.

Also, the characters? I love them. I played as a cow. I played as a dolphin. I played as a crab. There are so many weird options. It’s lovely.

I also tried Battle Mode, where 24 of us zoomed around pretty large course maps to either collect coins as fast as we could, or try to pop each others’ balloons. It was fun too, but felt more random, less purposeful than the races.

I mostly played in TV-docked mode, which showed off the Switch 2’s graphics quality: clearly better than Switch 1, but not shockingly so. I also tried handheld mode, and I’m impressed by the quality of the Switch 2’s LCD 1080p display, even if it isn’t OLED.

As good as it all is, though, I don’t think it’s enough on its own to justify a Switch 2 purchase. Not yet. Still, if you’re getting a Switch 2, this game is obviously your must-get, and it feels like it earns that label.

Switch 2 Welcome Tour: It should’ve been free

I spent more time in the weirdly charming Welcome Tour (about an hour and a half), and still can’t tell how much content this “game” has in it. Welcome Tour is literally a walk-through of the Switch 2’s features, accompanied by quizzes, demos and some minigames to try. It clearly should’ve been included on the Switch 2, much like Astro’s Playroom on the PS5. Instead, Nintendo is charging $10 for it — that’s absurd.

Then again, I’d be tempted to get it at launch just to have some things to play with that show off the Switch 2 extras, like mouse mode. Welcome Tour also has lots of weird facts about the Switch 2’s construction and design, like how its speakers are designed and housed. Lots of deep, nerdy stuff, and why is this presented in an app like this? I don’t know, and I wish Nintendo had just made a weird collection of mini-games like 1-2 Switch instead.

I unlocked some of the areas in the game, finished some quizzes, tested Joy-Con haptics, looked at frame-rate and HDR demos, and did some arcade-ish minigames using the Joy-Con as a mouse. I want to play it more, but I can’t justify the existence of this as a standalone paid game at all. Neither should Nintendo. There’s still time to change course and make this a free download.

Switch 2 still seems great, but not necessary yet

One final note: I walked away from my day of play feeling like I’d be happy to carry around a Switch 2, but unable to justify to friends why they should get one now. It doesn’t feel like a console that demands to be bought yet, and it’s too much of an “enhanced Switch” type of experience at the moment. That will certainly change once more exclusive and enhanced games emerge, but that could take another year. I’ll have more thoughts when I review the Switch 2 soon, but I do see more potential in GameChat and the connected camera than I expected.

Technologies

Trump Maintains US‑Iran Negotiations Continue Amid Tehran’s Denials of Duplicity

President Trump insists that US‑Iran talks are ongoing despite Tehran’s denial of any negotiation plans, while warning that only a deal or total surrender will allow passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Conflicting statements from both sides have heightened uncertainty as the conflict enters its sixth month.

On Monday, President Donald Trump asserted that negotiations between the United States and Iran are still taking place, even after Tehran stated it has no intention of engaging in direct talks with Washington.

In a fiery Truth Social post, Trump labeled Iran’s leaders “unbelievably duplicitous,” claiming they are lying about ongoing peace talks “whether Iran wants to admit it or not.” He repeated his assertion that the United States completely controls the Strait of Hormuz, despite maritime traffic through the crucial route lingering at only a small fraction of pre‑conflict levels.

He wrote, “Nothing reaches Iran unless we allow it, and nothing will pass unless a deal—or total surrender—is achieved.”

Earlier that day, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told reporters there is no imminent plan for U.S.–Iran negotiations, contradicting Trump’s earlier comment that talks would resume Monday afternoon. Baghaei added that Iran’s only current discussions are with Oman concerning the Strait of Hormuz.

The conflicting statements have heightened uncertainty over the peace‑talk process and the broader conflict, now in its sixth month.

Trump’s assertion about new negotiations came a day after he said on Truth Social that he had agreed to cancel a massive strike against Iran “subject to being able to rapidly make a DEAL.” He said in the same post that Iran and other Middle Eastern countries had asked him to hold off on that attack because “the perimeters of a deal has been agreed to.”

Trump has claimed dozens of times throughout the more‑than‑five‑month‑long war that a deal is at hand. No permanent deal has been signed, and a temporary ceasefire reached in June has fallen apart.

Trump has also repeatedly threatened to launch devastating strikes against Iran before backing off. After the latest example, oil prices on Monday fell and stocks surged.

BMI, a research unit of Fitch Solutions, said in a note Monday that a broader diplomatic understanding on reopening the Strait of Hormuz is still achievable this quarter, while raising the probability of its escalation scenario to 35% from 25%, citing mounting military, diplomatic and economic signs of rising U.S.-Iran tensions.

“Diplomatic progress is likely to be punctuated by periodic military flare-ups, while miscalculation by either side could trigger a renewed escalation,” BMI analysts wrote in a note. The firm said the key issue to watch is the future governance of the strait, as the Iran-Oman talks — potentially backed by Gulf states, China and the U.S. — point to efforts to build a post-conflict shipping framework.

Shipping risks persist even as diplomacy appears to be advancing. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre said it received a report of an incident 20 nautical miles (23 miles) northeast of Khasab, Oman — at the mouth of the strait — with a tanker’s master reporting an explosion in close proximity to the vessel at about 20:37 UTC Sunday (4:37 pm ET). The vessel and crew were safe and authorities are investigating, UKMTO said, advising ships to transit with caution.

The proposal Trump announced over the weekend calls for the U.S. and Iran to return to negotiations and continue ironing out some of the thorny issues that had derailed diplomatic efforts, according to The Associated Press, citing a regional official involved in the mediation efforts.

The official said the proposal also includes a reopening of the Hormuz Strait and halting attacks across the region, including by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq on the Arab Gulf countries and Jordan.

The U.S., for its part, will end its naval blockade on Iran and allow Tehran to export its oil, the official said, adding that no deal has been reached, although the mediation efforts remained underway.

Trump’s weekend reversal has lowered the temperature after days of escalating attacks across the Gulf. Kuwait said Saturday that Iranian forces launched a wave of drones within its airspace, with its military destroying multiple aircraft after Iran targeted critical infrastructure in the country’s north.

A parallel track with Muscat is also advancing. Iranian diplomats said Tehran was close to reaching a new arrangement with Oman to manage shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a deal critical to preventing the war from escalating further, according to the Financial Times.

Iranian officials said negotiations over future management of the Hormuz Strait with Oman, which sits on the opposite shore of the waterway, are in their final stages. The agreed shipping route would be different from those used before, according to Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Baghaei, adding that the new route was separate from the issue of the strait’s reopening or continued closure.

Technologies

Oil Prices Slide as Trump Halts Planned Iran Strike

Oil prices dropped after Trump cancelled a planned strike on Iran, with WTI down about 5% and Brent near 5% lower. He said the move followed requests from Tehran and regional allies for a pause while a deal shaping the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear program is negotiated.

Oil prices fell on Monday after President Donald Trump announced he had cancelled a planned strike on Iran. WTI futures dropped roughly 5% to $80.34 a barrel, while Brent slipped about 4.7% to $83.77 a barrel.

Trump said early Sunday he called off the strike after Iran and several Middle Eastern nations asked him to hold off, noting that the outlines of a deal had been agreed upon. He added that the prospective accord would entail the immediate, full opening of the Strait of Hormuz and an end to Iran’s nuclear ambitions, according to his Truth Social post.

The president had been considering another round of strikes as diplomatic hopes waned since the conflict began on February 28. He said the U.S. and Iran would meet for talks on Monday, but Iran denied any scheduled negotiations with Washington, citing PressTV. Iran’s foreign‑ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei clarified that Tehran was only discussing shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz with Oman. In a follow‑up Truth Social message, Trump insisted that, regardless of Iran’s acknowledgment, the United States is indeed discussing a solution to a long‑standing problem created by Iran.

Technologies

Oil Prices Drop as Trump Cancels Planned Attack on Iran

Oil prices fell sharply after President Trump announced the cancellation of a planned strike on Iran, citing a new deal that would open the Hormuz Strait and end Iran’s nuclear threat.

Oil prices fell sharply on Monday after President Donald Trump announced that he had called off a planned strike on Iran.

West Texas Intermediate futures, the U.S. benchmark, slipped roughly 5% to close at $80.34 per barrel, while Brent crude, the international benchmark, declined 4.7% to settle at $83.77 a barrel.

Trump made the announcement early Sunday, saying he had canceled the strike following requests from Tehran and other Middle Eastern countries.

In a Truth Social post, he wrote: “We have just been asked by Iran, and other Middle Eastern Countries, to hold off any attack in that the perimeters of a deal has been agreed to.”

The president indicated that the proposed agreement would include the immediate, complete, and total opening of the Hormuz Strait, as well as an end to Iran’s nuclear threat.

Trump had been weighing additional strikes amid diminishing prospects for a diplomatic resolution to the conflict that began on Feb. 28. He stated that the U.S. and Iran would hold negotiations on Monday.

Tehran denied that talks were planned with Washington, according to state news outlet PressTV.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran was only holding talks with Oman regarding the routes ships can use through the Strait of Hormuz.

In a subsequent Truth Social post, Trump added that whether “Iran wants to admit it or not, we are, in fact, talking of a solution to a problem that they have caused for decades.”