Summary
- The Nintendo Switch 2 maintains the same hybrid design of its predecessor, but makes everything a bit bigger including the display and Joy-Cons.
- Backward compatibility with original Switch games is guaranteed, including Game Cards, the digital library, and Nintendo Switch Online retro titles.
- The console will launch in 2025, likely sometime after June alongside a new
Mario Kart
entry. Nothing is known yet about the hardware, exact launch lineup, or the retail price.
After years of anticipation and months of rumors, Nintendo has finally announced the Nintendo Switch 2. Here’s what you need to know about the follow-up to one of the most successful consoles of all time.
A Larger But Familiar Design
The Switch 2 design is not radically different from the original. The console still uses a tablet-like design with detachable controllers, a Game Card slot for physical media, a dock for TV play, a kickstand for playing in tabletop mode, and an almost identical array of sticks and buttons.
The Switch 2 is slightly larger than the original Nintendo Switch, with a design that’s both longer and taller than the previous OLED model. The dock is larger to suit and features rounded corners this time around.
A bigger console means a bigger display, with the Switch 2 housing a larger glossy screen that has slightly smaller top and bottom bezels. Before the announcement, leakers revealed the screen size to be around 8 inches but Nintendo didn’t confirm specifics.
Nintendo’s reveal only showed a black Switch unit, with what appears to be a textured finish. The Switch’s signature neon blue and red accents appear beneath the analog sticks and where the controllers connect to the main unit. It looks like the Switch has grown up.
Backward Compatibility with Original Switch Games
One thing that Nintendo confirmed months before launch was that the Nintendo Switch 2 would be backward-compatible with the original Switch console. You’ll be able to play existing Nintendo Switch Game Cards and download original Switch titles from the Nintendo eShop.
This means that a rich catalog of existing Switch games should be available on day one. This includes Nintendo’s catalog of Switch Online exclusive retro games on the NES, SNES, N64, Sega Genesis, and Game Boy Advance.
It’s not clear whether these older titles will be able to take advantage of newer Switch 2 hardware for better performance, or whether upscaling will be used to boost the resolution. Based on Nintendo’s confident statement on backward compatibility, we can safely assume that games won’t need to be updated to work with the Switch successor.
Nintendo added a caveat that “Certain Nintendo Switch games may not be supported on or fully compatible with Nintendo Switch 2.” This could be a reference to games like Ring Fit Adventure or Nintendo Labo that currently depend on a smaller Joy-Con size for accessory compatibility.
Larger Magnetic Joy-Cons, USB-C Ports, and More
To fit the larger Switch 2 chassis, Nintendo’s detachable Joy-Con controllers are also larger than those found on the original Switch. This should hopefully make the console more ergonomic for those with larger hands (especially when using each Joy-Con as a separate controller).
It doesn’t look like the layout of the face buttons and analog sticks has changed, though there is what appears to be a new mystery button on the right Joy-Con beneath the Home button. The Joy-Con release button is now larger and moves toward the left or right when pressed.
The biggest change to the new Joy-Con design is what appears to be a magnetic attachment mechanism, rather than a sliding rail. The whole length of the Joy-Con now protrudes slightly and fits snuggly into the chassis of the main Switch unit. We’ll have to wait and see if Nintendo upgrades to better analog sticks this time around.
One part of the reveal that’s worth noting is a visual of the Joy-Con controllers gliding across a flat surface, like a mouse. The video also shows a black, sensor-like panel in the middle of the connector. This has fueled speculation that the Joy-Con in the Switch 2 will have some sort of mouse-like support.
The Nintendo Switch 2 kickstand runs the whole length of the main console unit and can be extended so that the console lies almost flat. This should make for a far sturdier kickstand than the one Nintendo used on the original Switch launch unit.
The last notable change is the inclusion of two USB-C ports. There’s one on the bottom, for docking the console, and another on the top. Presumably, this allows for charging the console with either port, though it could also point to future hardware expansion plans.
Mario Kart 9 Could Be a Launch Title
The only game Nintendo showed during its short announcement video was a new Mario Kart entry, which suggests that the console will launch with a brand new version of the racer. This doesn’t feel too farfetched considering Mario Kart 8 has been around since the Wii U days.
There’s little we could glean about the game from the short gameplay clips shown but online sleuths have noted that there are 24 positions on the starting line (the previous game only supported 12 racers at a time) and that Donkey Kong appears to be using Nintendo’s updated movie design.
Also rumored as a launch title is Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, which was initially announced in 2017, restarted development in 2019, finally got a proper trailer in 2024, and is slated for release in 2025. Most Nintendo console launches see some sort of cross-platform release (like Zelda titles Breath of the Wild and Twilight Princess before) so it makes sense that Metroid could be released for both the original Switch and Switch 2.
The Hardware Is Still a Mystery
As you’d expect from a console follow-up, the Switch 2 should see a big jump in performance compared to the original handheld console that came before it. Nintendo didn’t divulge any information about what the Switch is capable of, though it’s safe to assume that in the ultra-HD era, the console will be capable of some sort of 4K output in TV mode.
It’s not Nintendo’s style to divulge exact hardware specifications, so we’ll likely have to wait until consoles are in the wild to see exactly what’s under the hood.
It’s very possible that the new Switch 2 will make use of some sort of hardware upscaling solution, as is the case in the PlayStation 5 Pro. This would enable Nintendo to squeeze a lot more performance from what is likely a modest chip by rendering at lower resolutions and upscaling the image accordingly.
Arriving in 2025, No Price Yet
Nintendo confirmed that the Switch 2 will be released this year, but no price or specifics were given. The company confirmed that there will be a Nintendo Direct on April 2, where more information about the handheld will be revealed.
Nintendo will be showing off the Switch 2 via in-person events starting on April 4-6 in New York City, with further events taking place around the world. Tickets will be available via a “free-to-enter, randomly selected drawing” with other US events taking place on April 11-13 in Los Angeles and April 25-27 in Dallas. You can register for these on the Switch 2 website.
The latest date that Nintendo has confirmed is an event in Seoul running from May 31 to June 1, which suggests that a launch before June is off the cards.
We don’t know how much the console will cost, but the Nintendo Switch OLED model currently retails for $449 so make of that what you will. The second-hand market value will likely take a tumble with the arrival of a new model, so that $100 Switch Lite handheld bargain might get even cheaper.
Most of this information was already known before launch, but not every Switch 2 detail leaked. Nintendo has some lessons to learn from the original Switch, with more customization and a return to glory for the Mii among our biggest wants.