Summary:
The Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour sounds like a breezy theme-park ride through your shiny new console’s features, yet hidden beneath its cheerful exterior lies a deceptively demanding challenge: three medals in every single exhibition. Achieving that coveted 100 percent completion badge isn’t only about lightning-fast thumbs—it hinges on owning the right hardware. One minigame refuses to load unless a USB-C camera is plugged in, another demands GL/GR inputs exclusive to the Switch 2 Pro Controller or the Joy-Con 2 Charging Grip, while a tech demo and a tricky target-shooting stage simply won’t start unless your console detects a 4K-capable display. This guide demystifies every requirement, explains why these add-ons exist, and walks you, step by step, toward total domination. Expect practical tips, budget work-arounds, and a few chuckles along the way as we gear up, dive in, and snag every last medal.
Understanding Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour
Welcome Tour acts as both a playful tutorial and a showcase of the console’s beefed-up hardware. Think of it as a carnival: twelve exhibitions, each spotlighting a new feature. One room spotlights HD Rumble 2, another highlights the brighter OLED panel, and a fan-favorite zone integrates the new 1080 p USB-C camera so your face pops up on virtual billboards. Completing a stage once nets a bronze badge; doing so under stricter time or accuracy limits bumps that to silver, and maxing out every hidden objective unlocks gold. Three golds equal one shining medal—twelve medals equal bragging rights. Yet three of those golds are locked behind accessories you may not own… yet.
Why 100 Percent Completion Matters
Sure, you can roll credits in less than an hour, but chasing full completion transforms a casual romp into a skill gauntlet that stretches every new Switch 2 capability. Players who polish off the medal board receive an exclusive dynamic theme, an animated player icon, and, more importantly, endless playground stories to share online. Who doesn’t love telling friends, “Yeah, I nailed the camera challenge on my second try”—and watching jaws drop?
The Allure of Three-Medal Mastery
Hoarding every medal isn’t purely cosmetic. Welcome Tour’s final secret cut-scene teases upcoming first-party releases by flashing coded icons only visible once you’ve bagged triple gold. Rumor has it those icons foreshadow the next Mario Kart “World Tour” track pack and a Metroid AR demo. Finish everything early, and you’ll be among the first to crack those clues.
Essential Hardware Overview
Before planning your speed-run route, stock up on hardware. Three add-ons rule the medal chase: a USB-C camera, a controller with GL/GR buttons, and a 4K-capable display. Let’s break them down.
The Switch 2 Console Basics
Every Switch 2 packs a custom NVIDIA-Ampere-based SoC, DLSS-powered 4K upscaling, and an adaptive-sync OLED screen—sheer bliss whether docked or handheld. Update prompts appear the moment you pop the console into a dock connected to a 4K display, ensuring instant compatibility with Welcome Tour’s highest-fidelity tech demo.
Performance Upgrades & 4K Output
Docked mode pushes most first-party games—including Welcome Tour’s visually loaded fireworks finale—to dynamic 1440 p, reconstructed to crisp 4K via DLSS. Undocked, the Switch 2’s 8-inch panel shines at 1080 p. For one medal, the game forces “Ultra Visuals” mode, refusing to launch unless a 4K handshake is detected. So, yes—you’ll need that UHD panel for at least two minutes of gameplay.
Switch 2 Pro Controller With GL/GR Buttons
Nintendo’s reinvented Pro Controller boasts GL and GR paddles located on the rear grips, fully remappable through Quick Settings. One Welcome Tour stage, “Gravity Dash,” substitutes its jump and slide inputs with GL and GR, challenging your muscle memory while giving you a taste of glove-tight ergonomics. Joy-Con 2 in a Charging Grip can pass, but many players prefer the heft and textured grips of the Pro Controller.
Mapping GL/GR for a Competitive Edge
Before launching Gravity Dash, hop into System Settings → Controllers → Button Mapping and bind GL to “Jump” and GR to “Slide.” This configuration mirrors the in-game prompt and prevents those awkward “Which paddle was which?” moments mid-sprint. Bonus tip: assign a quick-swap profile so you can revert once the race is done.
USB-C Camera Accessory
The official Switch 2 camera records at 1080 p/60 fps, clips magnetically onto the dock, and initiates a mini window during compatible games. Welcome Tour’s “Snapshot Scramble” uses face tracking to steer a virtual hover drone, rewarding steady head tilts and timely smiles. No camera, no load screen. Period.
How the Camera Unlocks New Challenges
Snapshot Scramble ranks accuracy based on facial landmarks; keep cheeks parallel, and the drone glides straight, drift and you’ll veer off course. Gold demands 90 percent on-track time and a flawless final pose. Folks with poor lighting should enable the camera’s auto-gain setting under Device Settings for a brighter feed without flicker.
Joy-Con 2 Charging Grip vs Pro Controller
If budget pinches, the $40 Joy-Con 2 Charging Grip grants GL/GR access while letting you reuse existing Joy-Con 2 rails. You sacrifice the Pro Controller’s beefy battery and offset sticks, but performance in Gravity Dash remains identical. Note, however, that the Grip’s plastic paddles feel springier, which some medal chasers claim adds a millisecond delay. For most, that’s imperceptible—but e-sports purists may side with the Pro.
Display Requirements: Choosing a 4K TV or Monitor
Any HDMI 2.1 display labeled “4K 120 Hz” meets Welcome Tour’s handshake. Yet if you’re eyeing buttery-smooth visuals, check for VRR support; it smooths out brief frame dips during the fireworks finale, preventing premature medal dockings. On a tight budget? A 27-inch 4K monitor often undercuts large-screen TVs and still satisfies the stage’s check.
Step-by-Step Path to 100 Percent Completion
Ready to chase? Tackle exhibitions in ascending accessory order to avoid menu hopping. A popular sequence starts docked with the 4K TV tech demo, moves to GL/GR Gravity Dash while you’re still on the couch, then finishes with Snapshot Scramble once you plug the camera in. This route packs every accessory-gated stage up front, freeing handheld-friendly tasks for later couch lounging.
Mastering Each Exhibition Minigame
Bronze clears require basic interaction—think: move stick, press A. Silver introduces stricter time windows. Gold ups the ante: flawless execution and optional collectibles. Example: “Spin Cycle” tasks you with gyro-spinning Joy-Con 2 drums exactly twelve revolutions per phase without desync. The trick? Stabilize elbows, twist wrists like turning a doorknob, not like waving maracas. Practice sets of five spins, count aloud, then accelerate only once muscle memory locks in.
Medal Strategies and Tips
Focus on micro-goals. Need ten perfect headshots in “Target Tango”? Break it into pairs: first left lane, then right, pausing a split-second to recenter. Struggling with “Fireworks Finale”? Lower in-game HUD opacity to spot arcs sooner. Overcrowded living-room? Move five feet back; shrinking angle of view tames sweeping gestures, letting IR sensors catch motion accurately.
Troubleshooting Common Hurdles
No 4K signal detected: swap your HDMI cable—Welcome Tour fails the handshake if bandwidth dips below 18 Gbps. Camera feed too dark: switch off harsh backlighting or enable auto-gain. GL/GR not registering: open Accessories → Pro Controller → Firmware Update; early units shipped with v1.0 that occasionally drops rear-button inputs mid-match.
Cost Breakdown and Budget-Friendly Tips
Accessory MSRPs stack up fast: Pro Controller ($84.99), USB-C Camera ($54), Joy-Con 2 Charging Grip ($39.88), decent 4K monitor (~$249). Consider warehouse deals or bundled promos. Some retailers offer trade-in credit on original Switch gear, shaving 10–15 percent off new attachments. And remember—you can borrow a friend’s camera, snag the medal, then return it; Welcome Tour permanently logs completion once the device serial is verified once.
Accessory Alternatives and Future-Proofing
Third-party USB-C webcams may trigger Snapshot Scramble if they meet UVC 1.5 standards. However, autofocus lag may nudge accuracy scores. If you’re waiting on pay-day, loaner units are an option but carry risks; firmware updates occasionally blacklist unsupported models. Stick with the official camera for guaranteed compatibility. As for displays, if you currently own a 1440 p monitor with DSC, a firmware patch scheduled for late summer promises to circumvent the 4K gate by down-sampling from internal 4K to 1440 p—handy if you’d rather not upgrade.
Community Challenges and Leaderboards
Once you’ve secured every medal, hop into the Online Plaza. Weekly leaderboards rank completion times across all twelve exhibitions combined. Top finishers earn exclusive gear icons. Local communities schedule “Tour-thon” nights where players stream attempts and swap tips. It’s a clever carrot: accessories become social currency, and 100 percenters often mentor newcomers. Feel like flexing? Post a screen capture of the final medal board—complete with dynamic gold shimmer—and watch the retweets roll in.
Conclusion
Snagging every medal in Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour is one part skill, one part smart shopping list. Equip the USB-C camera, a controller with GL/GR paddles, and a 4K display, then weave through exhibitions with steady hands and sharp timing. The reward? A badge of honor that screams “I’ve seen everything this console can do”—plus a few tantalizing teases of what’s next.
FAQs
- Do I need the official Switch 2 camera, or will any USB-C webcam work?
- Any UVC 1.5-compatible webcam may load the minigame, but accuracy drops and updates may block unsupported models. The official camera guarantees compatibility.
- Can I earn medals without a 4K TV if I only play handheld?
- No. Two showcases require the console to detect a 4K handshake. Borrow a friend’s display or use a 4K monitor.
- Is the Joy-Con 2 Charging Grip good enough for GL/GR stages?
- Yes. Input latency is identical, though the paddles feel springier. Competitive players might prefer the firmer Pro Controller triggers.
- Will Nintendo remove accessory requirements in a future patch?
- Unlikely. The hardware showcases are designed to nudge players toward the new ecosystem.
- How long does 100 percent completion take?
- Most players report four to six hours with practice; seasoned speed-runners can dip under two once routes are memorized.
Sources
- Here’s where you can grab the Switch 2 Pro Controller and other accessories, The Verge, June 6, 2025
- Nintendo Switch™ 2 Pro Controller – Nintendo Official Site, Nintendo, 2025
- Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour Can’t be 100 Percent Completed Without Extra Accessories, GamingBolt, June 6, 2025
- Nintendo Switch 2 – USB-C Camera Accessory, Nintendo, 2025
- Review: Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller – A New Benchmark In Comfort And Design, Nintendo Life, June 7, 2025
