Nintendo Finally Announces Its Newest Console, Switch 2
The hybrid home console and handheld looks a lot like the first Switch and will arrive in 2025
It’s officially (Mario) party time. After months of speculation, and multiple unconfirmed leaks from third-party accessory manufacturers, Nintendo has finally pulled back the curtain on the worst-kept secret in the gaming industry with the official announcement the successor to the Switch.
It’s simply called the Nintendo Switch 2. No price or launch date was confirmed, other than that it will arrive in 2025.
The reveal came via a video posted on the company’s YouTube channel and X account, and provides the first true look at the system, which once again features a hybrid design, able to be played as a handheld on-the-go as well as docked to a home TV or monitor.
The video itself is unsurprisingly minimalist, providing little information about the console’s new features, but there are some details that seem to line up with previous reports on the alleged leaks. Aesthetically, the Switch 2 very much resembles its predecessor, although it eschews a colorful design for a sleeker, matte black veneer with only hints of blue and red on the analog sticks.
One clear update comes from the Joy-Con controllers, which are still fully detachable but no longer slide into place as before, instead locking directly into ports on the system’s sides. No word has been given on the size or specs of the screen (like whether it’s an LCD or OLED display) or its boosted internal horsepower — previously rumored to be as powerful as a PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 4 Pro device, which despite being an older system would be a huge leap from the current Switch model.
Footage of a new Mario Kart game was shown in the video, although no information was provided about whether it’s a full sequel to the franchise or an updated version of a previous title. No other new games were teased in the video.
The video ends with an announcement for a Nintendo Direct presentation, scheduled for April 2, during which full details of the Switch 2, including its finals specs, features, and games lineup will likely be released.
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The Nintendo Switch 2 is also confirmed to be backwards compatible with previous Switch games, a feature that many had hoped would be included, although the fine print notes that some games may not be fully compatible.
While there’s no firm release date, fans may have a chance to go hands-in with the Switch 2 itself as soon as April. In a second post on X, Nintendo announced a series of demo experiences taking place throughout that month in New York, Los Angeles, and Dallas. Users can register for a tickets via a raffle at the company’s website.
The new console has been hotly anticipated for years at this point; the original Nintendo Switch launched eight years ago in 2017. Although modern console cycles have begun to bleed together as companies like Sony and Microsoft have opted for mid-cycle refreshes of their hardware and focused on publishing games that play cross-generation, Nintendo has historically stuck to a strict five-year lifespan for its home consoles before introducing their successors.
To date, the Nintendo Switch stands as the company’s highest-selling home device with over 146 million consoles sold, making it the third highest-selling video game device ever, behind only Nintendo’s own DS handheld and Sony’s PlayStation 2.
At launch, the original Nintendo Switch arrived with the breakout hit The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild as its flagship title — widely considered to be one of the greatest games ever made — and kicked off a major resurgence for the Japanese company after the well-documented failure of the previous console, the Wii U. After eight years of publishing earth-shattering hits like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (2017), Super Mario Odyssey (2017), and Animal Crossing: New Horizons (2020), Nintendo’s cultural cache is at an all-time peak.
The numerical title is also a departure from the norm for Nintendo, who have generally opted for more unique naming conventions for fresh hardware like the Super Nintendo, GameCube, and Wii. The company famously ran into a marketing issue around the Wii U, whose high-concept name (read: “We” and “You”) led many consumers to believe that the system was the same as the original Wii. Nintendo is now looking to quell any confusion by following Sony’s lead with the PlayStation’s simple yet effective numbered releases.
The reveal will likely lead to a few more months of speculation, but fans can expect more when the Nintendo Direct airs on April 2.