The Nintendo Switch 2 Is Real. Here's What You Need to Know.
In my lifetime as a gamer, a console announcement has never felt as inevitable as the Nintendo Switch 2. The writing has been on the wall for the Switch for years, but when accessories for its next version showed up at CES, it felt like the nail in the coffin when it came to secrecy. This morning, Nintendo just outright announced the Switch 2 in a video on its YouTube channel. That's right. The successor to one of the bestselling consoles of all time is called—no surprises here—the Nintendo Switch 2. It's coming out this year.
Let's hit the high-level, important details first. The follow-up to Nintendo's handheld-console hybrid is coming in 2025. Again, Nintendo simply dubbed this console the Switch 2. No Super Switch—that was the name I was gunning for—or Switch Pro. From what the teaser shows, there's no new gimmick. It's just a (presumably) better Switch. I mean, we have to assume that's a new Mario Kart in the final moments of the teaser—but nothing about the footage makes it look "new," or even teases what the graphical capabilities of the new hardware. In terms of tech specs, we are in the dark until April 2, when Nintendo has scheduled its first Switch 2 Digital Direct.
The nearly two-and-a-half-minute preview placed a lot of emphasis on showing how the Joy-Con design has changed. Visually, the detachable controllers have more of a "pro" look—Nintendo gave them a black coat of paint with colored highlights under the sticks, as well as where each Joy-Con interlocks with the console. In the early days of the Switch, I had a lot of issues with my Joy-Cons, both with stick drift and a latch mechanism that would often break. Ideally, the Switch 2's Joy-Con revamp are meant to address these issues.
The video also emphasised an even sturdier kickstand than the Switch OLED, which improved upon the first generation's wimpy attempt. Beyond that, Nintendo showed a new dock, which looks functionally the same, and what appears to be a new Mario Kart title. On first look, they all functionally appear the same. To top it off, the teaser did confirm that the Switch 2 will play exclusive titles as well as original Switch games. This did come with the notable fine print that "certain Nintendo Switch games may not be supported or fully compatible with Nintendo Switch 2."
Fingers crossed that we'll hear more on that—along an idea of a release window and launch lineup—at April's Direct.
You Might Also Like
