The world is changing, and so is the generation of consoles. Nintendo Switch he is over seven years oldtherefore it needs to be updated. There have been rumors about a Nintendo Switch 2 spinning for yearsbut now we have some signs of life. Company sequel officially announced to its most successful home console in history in a short trailer on January 16th.
The Switch 2 is functionally very similar to the original system, albeit with a larger display, magnetic Joy-Cons, and a sleeker design. The company also confirmed that the upcoming console will be backwards compatible with Switch games.
While the reveal did confirm some rumors and contained some interesting details for those who have been following the news closely, Nintendo is still largely keeping its cards close to its chest. We'll have to wait until the special Nintendo Direct on April 2nd to get all the juicy information. It's a shame that this date is Wednesday and not the second day.
Nintendo Switch 2 was announced on January 16th.
The rumor mill had hard proposed that Nintendo would open the curtain on Switch 2 on January 16th, and that's exactly what it turned out to be.
The company has not changed the basic form factor. This is a portable console with detachable Joy-Cons. The Switch 2 can be docked for big-screen gaming. However, there are some significant differences from the original console.
The most obvious one is that the next generation Joy-Cons will no longer click into place mechanically. Instead, they will be attached to the main unit using a magnet. There is a small connector that is likely used to charge the controllers and possibly eliminate the need to pair them via Bluetooth. At this point, it's unclear whether the Joy-Cons from the original system will be compatible with the Switch 2.
Another big (and very welcome) change is the addition of a second USB-C port on the top of the device. This should make connecting accessories much easier when the Switch 2 is docked. It's nice to see that Nintendo kept the headphone jack as well. Let's hope Bluetooth headphone support comes from the start this time and Nintendo doesn't leave everyone behind. waiting four years for this function.
The stand will also receive an update. As with the Switch OLED, it spans the entire length of the console. But based on the trailer, it looks to be fully customizable, so you can adjust the viewing angle to whatever suits your needs.
However, there are still a lot of unknowns regarding the future console. We do not yet know the technical characteristics and type of display. We also don't know anything about battery life, user interface or game running. We'll probably learn a lot on April 2nd.
When will it be Nintendo Switch 2 come out?
2025 That's all we know for sure at this point.
It's highly unlikely that Nintendo will release the console before the dedicated Direct on April 2, and not just because it will be the start of Nintendo's next fiscal year. However, accessory maker Genki, which has become the main source of leaks in recent months, claims the console will be released in April.
In any case, we should find out the release date during the live broadcast on April 2, if we haven't already done so by then.
When can I try Nintendo Switch 2?
Nintendo is planning a worldwide roadshow to allow gamers to practice using the console. These events will begin in New York and Paris April 3-6, with the rest taking place over the next two months. This confirms some speculation that Nintendo will release Switch 2 in June.
Register tickets for Switch 2 Experience events in the US (New York, Los Angeles and Paris) begins January 17 at 3:00 pm ET. and will be open until January 26th. A Nintendo Account is required to register. Nintendo will randomly select recipients of the free tickets.
The full list of Nintendo Switch 2 Experience events is as follows:
North America:
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New York, April 4–6, 2025
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Los Angeles, April 11–13, 2025
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Dallas, April 25–27, 2025
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Toronto, April 25–27, 2025
Europe:
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Paris, April 4-6, 2025
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London, 11–13 April 2025
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Milan, April 25-27, 2025
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Berlin, 25-27 April 2025
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Madrid, 9–11 May 2025
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Amsterdam, 9-11 May 2025
Oceania:
Asia:
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Tokyo (Makuhari), April 26-27, 2025
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Seoul, May 31 – June 1, 2025
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Hong Kong, TBA
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Taipei, TBA
Will Nintendo Switch 2 have any weird features?
Everything we've seen from this console so far has been pretty traditional. Looks like the original Switch, but better. It's amazing, but will there be some unpredictable Nintendo magic in the game? May be! There are two mysterious additions that people can't figure out.
Genki, an accessory manufacturer, has just published a landing page for their accessories for the Nintendo Switch 2. This landing page features a video that goes into great detail about the layout of the Switch 2. pic.twitter.com/Db7RSk4YlQ
— Bob Wolf (@BobWulff) January 8, 2025
Careful eyes will notice a new button at the bottom of the right Joy-Con. It's not yet clear what this does. Can it initiate voice chat while playing? Can controllers be calibrated? Can it create a hologram of Bowser the size of your living room? We'll have to wait and see.
Now about the updated Joy-Cons. It looks like there is a new sensor on the connecting side of each controller. It looks like very similar to an optical sensorwhich uses a computer mouse. This has led to speculation that players will be able to flip the Joy-Con over and use it as a mouse. Notable: The trailer shows the Joy-Cons moving on a flat surface with the connector facing down, looking suspiciously like a mouse.
But why would anyone need this at all? I can think of three words. New Mario Paint.
Is Nintendo Switch 2 backwards compatible?
In November 2024, the company confirmed that Nintendo Switch 2 will be backwards compatible. It will also have access to Nintendo Online, so users can play all the old retro games.
In the first Nintendo Switch 2 press release, Nintendo confirmed that physical and digital Switch games will run on the new system. However, it notes that “some Nintendo Switch games may not be supported or fully compatible with Nintendo Switch 2.” More details about what these games are will be revealed later.
What about the specifications?
Rumors about the specs are all over the place, making them difficult to pin down. We know one thing for sure: it will be more powerful than the ancient Switch hardware, which was already obsolete back in 2017. One analyst allegedly received a specification from Korean United Daily News Switch 2 said it will have an eight-core Cortex-A78AE processor8 GB RAM and 64 GB internal eMMC storage. To me, it looks like these specs are about as weak in 2024 as the original Switch was in 2017. However, some reports indicate that console will include 12 GB of RAM.
Another source suggests that the eight-core processor will be housed in a chassis manufactured by NVIDIA. Tegra239 SoC (system on chip). Considering the current Switch is powered by an NVIDIA chip, this makes a lot of sense. The processor will be more powerful, but the main difference with the Switch 2 will be the new GPU. It's all but confirmed that the Switch 2 will support DLSS, NVIDIA's “deep learning supersampling” upscaling technology that will allow the console to render low-resolution games internally while simultaneously outputting high-resolution images. (Fun fact: we were actually writing about How perfect DLSS was for Nintendo Switch 2 when this technology was announced along with the RTX 20 series back in 2018.)
There are still questions about Switch 2 and DLSS: will the system support new DLSS features such as frame generation? Will existing games be automatically cleaned by NVIDIA's algorithm? Regardless of the specific implementation, DLSS scaling would be a huge improvement over the rudimentary methods available to Nintendo Switch developers.
Regarding the display, there are many conflicting rumors. Early reports from reliable sources suggested that the Switch 2 will have an 8-inch LCD display. The Switch 2's display definitely looks larger than the original Switch's when compared to the trailer.
Some analysts suggest it will be an OLED screen, while others say it will be Mini LED display. A mini LED display is essentially an LCD display that is backlit (surprise!) by mini LEDs rather than edge-lit. This provides local dimming, making blacks appear blacker. I'm hedging my bets here. I think it will be a standard LCD to keep costs down, with an OLED or Mini-LED model coming later. However, Mini-LED screens are slightly cheaper than OLED displays, so it's certainly possible at launch.
In terms of resolution, recent reports suggest that the console will output 1080p in handheld mode and 4K when docked. It's much better than OG Switch. Meanwhile, it's unclear whether the Switch 2 will provide performance or visual improvements to the original Switch games.
How much will Nintendo Switch 2 cost?
We don't have a lot of pricing information, but we do have a lot of history to work with. The original Nintendo Switch launched at $300, which is practically the magic number when it comes to Nintendo console releases in recent years. The Wii U also cost $300.
However, there are many rumors that Nintendo may increase the asking price of the Switch 2. Numerous stores they said it would be $400or perhaps even more expensive. However, the same analysts who say the console will cost $400 were also quite confident that it would come out by the end of 2024, but that didn't happen.
Looking back in history, rising prices had some priority. The GameCube was $200 and the Wii was $250. Wii U and Switch prices have risen to $300 and, well, the numbers love to go up. A $400 price tag would make it almost as expensive as the PS5 and Xbox Series X. That would also make it cost the same as the 256GB LCD Steam Deck.
Again, we should have price confirmation during the Nintendo Direct on April 2nd.
Do we know of any game launches?
Not so much. The demo trailer showed a glimpse of the new Mario Kart game. Nintendo released Mario Kart 8 on Wii U over a decade ago, and it's been milking that cash cow ever since, selling over 64 million copies of the game on that console and Switch. It's definitely time for a new entry!
This is of course a lot of time has passed since then we also have a real Mario adventure in 3D, so the new one could be a launch title. That would be a damn good systems salesman. Otherwise, your guess is no worse than mine. As a prologue, we can expect something from Ubisoft and an unusual game such as 1-2-switch.
If there's some kind of trick or trap with the console, we'll also get a game that takes advantage of that. Double release Metroid Prime 4just like Breath of the Wild And Twilight Princess before that is also possible.
It's almost certain that we'll learn a lot more about the Switch 2 launch lineup during the Nintendo Direct on April 2nd. You'll definitely want to set your alarm for this.
That's all we know about the Nintendo Switch 2 so far. We'll update this article with rumors we believe and information we gather directly from sources. Any changes made to the article since its original publication will be listed below.
Update, January 15, 2025, 12:10 pm ET: This story has been updated to include rumors about a potential console announcement this week.
Updated January 16, 2025, 10:33 am ET: This story has been updated to include official information about the Nintendo Switch 2 from the promotional trailer and press release.