Finally, CES 2025 is in the rearview mirror; Time to move on to the next round of hardware announcements. Rumors have been swirling for the past few weeks, pointing to an imminent announcement for the next generation of Nintendo's wildly successful hybrid Switch console.
in particular, A tough word from the industry Euro gamer (among others) pegged the announcement for January 16th – i.e. Thursday. If indeed the big reveal comes this week. This indicates a more incremental announcement. The company's specifications, Information is likely to be pulled from a Nintendo Direct at the same time, rather than a main point with availability and launch titles.
The company certainly made its sights on the Switch 2 in its Q1 announcement — another key thing Nintendo has confirmed will be released before the end of March 2025, in particular, is the device's backwards compatibility with its predecessor. That's good news for the 150 million or so people who bought the first Switch.
The biggest question right now is just how big of an upgrade we're talking about here. Nintendo's console names have largely hinted at major departures for each subsequent generation. With a few exceptions — like the ill-fated Wii U — things are simpler than on Sony's PlayStation.
It's reasonable to expect the Switch 2 to be an evolution of the existing product rather than a meaningful departure. Finally, Nintendo spent some time in the jungle ahead of the March 2017 launch of the Switch. A variable form factor and some really good titles are exactly what the company needed to re-establish itself in a dramatically different gaming landscape after the Wii U's crash.
While the new console will no doubt best the original's specs, it's also important to temper expectations given Nintendo's history. The company's days of going toe-to-toe with competitors on elements like GPUs are decades past.
Other rumors are just that: magnetic Joy-Cons and a screen size of 6 to 8 inches on the classic Switch and 7 on the Switch OLED arriving in late 2021. Between that console upgrade and the portable stand-alone system; Nintendo introduced the Switch Lite in 2019, a budget-minded model; Upgrades have been made.
(Nintendo Switch 2 not pictured.)