Refresh
Who else wants a new Animal Crossing game?
I’m still rocking my original Nintendo Switch, and there are two games I keep coming back to besides Mario Kart. Disney Dreamlight Valley and Animal Crossing: New Horizons – the latter is a nearly perfect title that I can play alone or with friends.
It was released in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic and quickly became my go-to activity when I couldn’t reach out to the world around me—allowing me some reprieve from work and to have some fun. While I still do play it routinely, and there has been some DLC, I really hope that the creative minds at Nintendo are cooking up a sequel that runs stellar on the Switch 2 and takes advantage of some hardware secrets that we don’t yet quite know about.
It really seems like the future is not yet written for K.K. Slider, and there are certainly more adventures on the horizon. I’m confident the Switch 2 will be included, but I hope that it brings the Switch, Switch Lite, and Switch OLED along for the ride for a bigger sense of community.
The Nintendo Switch 2 reveal and tease today left us with many more questions than answers, and top of mind are the accessories that will launch with Nintendo’s new console. Will it be the same as the Nintendo Switch, just a Switch 2 Pro Controller and little else, or will we see something more? We’ll know in a couple of months. Wow, that’s just too long to wait!
Will there be new capabilities with the Switch 2, or will it have the exact same motion control features as the original Nintendo Switch? There haven’t been huge developments on the hardware side of Nintendo’s motion technology. The Switch controllers use cameras to detect motion, not some more fancy tech like LiDAR or infrared.
There have been great improvements to the way computers interpret motion, but the cameras themselves were already good enough for the job, so I wouldn’t expect a huge motion upgrade.
The only other big competing tech Nintendo might consider is VR, or at least some sort of wearable technology. Pokemon Go has had a few varieties of accompanying accessories you could wear, including a not-so-smart-watch. I doubt we’d get a full headset from Nintendo, but the company loves to try new concepts, so I’m hoping the Switch 2 will bring us something cool, and not just more joy-cons and joysticks.
Adding to the long list of unanswered questions, if the Switch 2 doesn’t get an OLED display and sticks with an LCD one, does that mean a Switch 2 OLED might be on the horizon?
Clearly, Nintendo sees the Switch family as a clan rather than just one console on its own, but it remains to be seen if that carries over into this second generation. One could argue, as we did earlier, that the Switch 2 as a generational leap should be at least as compelling experience as the Switch OLED, so it might be that Nintendo simply folds that quality into the main console, which could also explain a potential price increase over the original model’s MSRP.
Time will tell; luckily, we only have to wait until April.
It would be safe to classify the original Nintendo Switch as a certified hit – it’s been on the market for eight years and sold over 140 million units.
Now, a new report from Bloomberg hints that Nintendo is expecting big demand for the Switch 2, reporting that that company has been prepping its ‘supply chain network’ to allow for ‘more than 20 million units’ to be sold in the first year. All signs point to Nintendo expecting significant demand for the console and that it wants to meet that demand.
The Switch 2 will also be the first major hardware launch from Nintendo since the Switch OLED back in October of 2021. Before that was the Switch Lite in 2019, which arrived after the Switch first hit the scene in 2017.
GameStop will let you sign up for more information
Like Best Buy, GameStop in the United States has rolled out a page for the Nintendo Switch 2, asking folks to sign up for more information about the hybrid console.
Still, no price or exact launch date is shared, but it does inspire some hope, stating, “Check back soon for pre-order info.” GameStop also includes a few photos from the teaser video, including the Nintendo Switch 2 in its dock with a charging cable coming out of the back. It’s also clear that the dock – at least at this stage – is branded with “Nintendo Switch 2.”
The console’s description is currently pretty simple: “GameStop presents the Nintendo Switch 2, the successor to the Nintendo Switch, releasing in 2025.”
For now, all you can do is sign up for more info. GameStop is also suggesting that folks consider a Pro subscription.
While details on what is powering the Nintendo Switch 2 are still scarce, one thing evident from the just over two-minute teaser video is that the second generation is much larger than the original.
Nintendo stopped short of revealing the Switch 2’s screen size, but from the images shared, it does seem to add some credence to the rumors of an eight-inch size. Of course, all will be made clear during the next Nintendo Direct on April 2, 2025.
Regarding display type, we’re hoping it’ll be an OLED display for the Switch 2, as it’s the full sequel to the original Switch and would hopefully be better than the Switch OLED. This way, you can really immerse yourself in whatever is being played.
On that front, Switch 2 will have games exclusively made for it, like the new Mario Kart we saw in the trailer, and will be backward compatible with games for the original Switch. However, Nintendo was quick to toss up a graphic stating that compatibility with some titles could be limited.
One thing for sure, though, is that the Switch 2 will give you more screen to game on and hopefully immerse you into futuristic worlds.
Will Nintendo release more colorful Switch 2 editions?
One thing I’m left wanting after the teaser is some more colorful options for the Switch 2. Seemingly, Nintendo might be following the original Switch, which had an all-black and gray model and one with Red and Blue JoyCons.
Thus far, we’ve only seen glimpses of color in Switch 2, thanks to the teaser. The model in question sported red and blue around the bottom of the joystick and then around the JoyCon portion that will connect to the console and likely be hidden.
Nintendo eventually released more colorful options with the original Switch and the Switch OLED, including some themed after popular titles. It remains to be seen what road Nintendo will take with the Switch 2, but hopefully, we’ll see at least one more colorful option unveiled in April.
The kickstand looks to be a major improvement over the original
While the teaser video is just a first look at the Switch 2, we got more than just a quick glance at the kickstand, which looks like a significant improvement. It is no longer just a thin rectangle that can be pulled out but takes shape in a more handle-like design that should be a lot better at keeping the console up. It sort of wraps around the rear of the Switch.
It also seems to let you bring the Switch 2 down to a much lower profile. Still, considering we know a new Mario Kart title is incoming, the improved kickstand might make it easy to start up a match on the fly. This should let one quickly prop it up on a table or even the floor and race around the circuit with the new and improved JoyCons.
It certainly seems more durable, and I, for one, can’t wait to give it a go.
Yup, that sure does seem like 24 racers in the new Mario Kart
The first officially revealed Nintendo Switch 2 game appears to be a brand new entry in the Mario Kart series. And it looks like Nintendo is going big with this latest one. The Mario Bros. Circuit track we caught a glimpse of in the reveal trailer is exceptionally wide with incredible draw distance.
However, the most alarming aspect looks to be an upgrade from 12 racers to a full 24, judging by the number of starting grid positions you can see in the image above. At the end of the footage, I also counted around 16 racers on track at the same time, so we are indeed getting more than Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s maximum of 12.
I wrote down my full thoughts on the new Mario Kart game, including talk on characters, art style and overall performance and visuals. Feel free to give that a read if you’re as excited as I am for a brand new Mario Kart!
Best Buy will let you sign up for more info on the hybrid console
While Best Buy is not yet asking for payment like ShopTo in the UK, you can sign up to learn more about Switch 2 and, more importantly, be among the first to know when you can pre-order.
Interestingly enough, Best Buy is leading with a generic, red Nintendo logo rather than the console itself, writing, “The evolution of Nintendo gaming continues. Sign up below to receive information about when you can pre-order this new system.”
You can sign up for notifications at Best Buy here to be among the first to know more about the Switch 2, things like pricing, final specs, and eventually when preorders will kick off.
One retailer has already opened pre-registration
While we don’t have a price, exact availability date, confirmed features, or even final specs as of yet for the Nintendo Switch 2, one retailer is letting you pre-register your interest for what will likely be a very much-wanted console.
ShopTo has set up the page here, allowing you to pre-register for the Switch 2 – for £0.01. It’s still clearly early days, though, with just the one teaser image and the page quickly reminding us that a release date has not been confirmed yet. The listing also writes, “Please note that the official price and allocation details have yet to be confirmed by Nintendo. Pre-orders are not guaranteed!”
Even so, this is a way to at least get ahead and potentially move closer to the front of the line. ShopTo says it will refund the payment if the order cannot be fulfilled. As someone with an original Switch who didn’t opt for a Lite or an OLED, this is at least tempting me.
Coming to a town near you!
We’re all desperate to get our hands on the Nintendo Switch 2 now that Nintendo has broken silence. Thankfully, some of us will be able to do that soon – and for free!
That’s because Nintendo has announced some Nintendo Switch 2 Experience hands-on events across the globe. These are happening between the months of April and June after the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct has aired on April 2. Cities include London, Los Angeles, New York, Dallas, Melbourne, Berlin and Paris.
Registration opens tomorrow, January 17, over at the official Nintendo Switch 2 Experience website. Make sure you register your interest before January 26, where participants will be chosen at random by Nintendo. You’ll also need a Nintendo account to sign up and take part.
What will it cost?
We also still don’t know how much the Switch 2 will cost, and that could be a real deal-breaker for a lot of people. The Switch launched at $259.99 / £259.99 / AUD$435, and the newer Nintendo Switch OLED goes for $349.99 / £309.99 / AU$539.95. As much as I’d love to see the Switch 2 launch at around the same price as the previous model, I can’t imagine that will be the case, considering the hardware improvements, and general cost of living price rises that have occurred since the original Switch.
I think a price slightly north of the Switch OLED will be likely. Having the new console cost less than the Switch OLED would kill off OLED sales pretty quickly (we’ll hopefully get price cuts for the older console), but I don’t think it’ll be much higher, as Nintendo has a lot more competition in the handheld space these days with handheld gaming PCs like the Steam Deck and Asus ROG Ally.
So around the $400 mark is my most realistic guess. But we’ll have to wait and see.
What’s in a name?
As our games writer Dash writes, the Nintendo Switch 2 is a bit of a boring name. While we don’t want to get into the kind of mess Microsoft has with its Xbox console names, where there’s a confusing amount of different names that don’t seem to follow any logical sense, it is a shame that we’re moving away, it seems, from consoles with weird names.
Of course, Sega was the best at this, with consoles such as the Master System, Mega Drive (sorry US people, it’s the superior name) and Dreamcast. Still, Nintendo had some good ones as well, such as the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Gameboy and Game Cube (I love the no nonsense approach of that last one. It was a cube that played games!).
Nintendo has also had some uninspired names, mostly for its direct sequel consoles. The Wii was bad enough, but the Wii U?! The whole DS series of handhelds was a bit of a mess as well, with the DS, DSi, 3DS and so on.
So, I guess it could have been worse than the Nintendo Switch 2, but I’m a bit sad we didn’t get the Super Nintendo Switch.
While the teaser trailer for the Switch 2 has certainly got us excited, we’re still none the wiser when it comes to the actual specifications of Nintendo’s new console. Until we know what kind of performance we’re getting with the Switch 2, it’s hard to get too hyped up.
One rumor that’s been persisting is that it’ll use some sort of upscaling technology, possibly based on Nvidia’s DLSS tech, which renders games at a lower resolution then upscales them so they look good and run well, even on underpowered hardware. Nintendo rarely releases consoles that are at the cutting edge of performance, so something like DLSS makes a lot of sense, assuming that like the original Switch, the Switch 2 will use hardware from Nvidia. At the moment, that hasn’t been confirmed.
What can we realistically expect from the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct in April?
The Nintendo Switch 2 Direct is happening on April 2, so we’ve got a good bit of time to wait right now. It does seem like the Direct will be a massive deep dive into the system itself.
I think it’s likely that we get a specs breakdown of the Nintendo Switch 2, and what performance improvements it’s going to bring over the original hardware. Similarly, we’re likely going to find out about all those new features and how the Joy-Con controllers have improved over the base model.
A launch date alongside when we can expect pre-orders to go live may also feature here. And it wouldn’t be a Nintendo Direct without a litany of new game announcements. I’m expecting updates on the new Mario Kart title that was shown off at the reveal, and potentially updates on Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. Could we also see a new 3D Mario game? We’ll know for sure on April 2, but all in all it’s definitely an exciting time to be a Nintendo fan.
What is your fascination with my forbidden button of mystery?
In the run-up to the Switch 2 launch, we’d seen renders and heard tales of a strange new button on the controller: a ‘C’ button. Perhaps it stands for ‘Campus’, a rumored new social service for the Switch 2, easily launched at any time with a push here. But Nintendo has a history with C buttons (or sticks, depending on your console generation), so it really could be anything.
Except that in the trailer, it doesn’t say anything at all. It’s simply a black square. That seems unlikely to be the case for a final button to me – it’s very un-Nintendo to have a vague button with no clear icon on it. So it’s possible that Nintendo has intentionally fudged the 3D renders we’re seeing here to disguise that it is, in fact, a C button. Or some other kind of button – we’ll have to wait until April to find out.
Don’t expect a release before June
Nintendo only listed a 2025 date during the trailer, but actually we can reach some conclusions about roughly when in 2025 based on when Nintendo is holding its hands-on events with the console around the world.
Nintendo typically holds these events before a console launches, giving the hardcore faithful a chance to try out new experiences. With IGN noting that these events all take place in April, May and up to June 1st, it’s logical to guess that the release date will be after that. Perhaps not a surprise, but a release early in the year certainly wasn’t impossible; the original Switch released in March, after all.
Black is the new black
The new nearly-all-black look of the Switch 2 is very much in line with the new wave of PC handheld gaming devices, such as the Steam Deck. It seems a bit of a shame not to have the signature Nintendo friendly brightness to contrast against all these devices, but at least we have some flashes of color along the edge of the new Joy Cons, and on the base of the analog sticks.
Of course, give it a year and I’m sure Nintendo will start rolling out the special editions and new colors for Joy Cons. At some point, you just know this thing will come in Pikachu yellow. It is the inevitable way of the world.
The sound of the Switch 2
One of the less-discussed but major improvements in the Switch OLED over the original model was a set of massively improved speakers, and it looks promising that the new version will live up to that, with the trailer showing some chunky speaker grilles as the camera flies around the edge of the device.
The trailer also confirms that there will still be a 3.5mm audio jack – great to see Nintendo not falling into the track of recent phones and cutting that out – and it even appears to show that the device may have two USB-C ports. This would enable you to connect USB-C wired headphones to the Switch 2 and charge it at the same time, which wasn’t an easy option with the original.
What we don’t know from the trailer is what will happen with Bluetooth headphones. Nintendo added it to the original Switch years into its life, seemingly reluctantly. It may be that Nintendo wasn’t keen to add Bluetooth audio to the Switch because of the transmission delay in wireless tech – but that was improved in Bluetooth 5.0, and the original Switch used Bluetooth 4.1, so as long as Nintendo is up to date with its wireless options on the Switch 2, Bluetooth headphones should be a good experience.
It’s unlikely that Nintendo will use any of the more advance low-latency Bluetooth options from Qualcomm, such as aptX LL or Snapdragon Sound, since those cost more to include, and not all headphones support them anyway.
The big question for us is whether Nintendo will try to include any kind of spatial 3D audio for headphones, even if it doesn’t include speakers that support it. There’s lots of custom solutions for this – Sony came up with its own for the PS5 – so it wouldn’t be a surprise if Nintendo included it, and it would be great to hear the world of Zelda in a more immersive way.
Switch 2 screen: bigger, but will it be better?
The Switch 2 trailer essentially confirms what had been universally leaked: that the Switch 2 will have a larger screen, and the claims of eight inches (or perhaps a tiny bit off from that) look to be essentially correct from we can see.
But what the trailer doesn’t tell us is what kind of screen is used, and the simulated game images don’t really confirm anything either way. The original Switch launched with an LCD screen, and then the Switch OLED brought us… well, an OLED screen, with its richer colors and better contrast.
Rumors of what to expect from the Switch 2’s screen have been fairly limited, but over the course of the last year, there have been claims both that it’ll be LCD (perhaps made by Sharp) to keep costs down, but also that it’ll definitely be OLED.
For anyone who has a Switch OLED, going back to an LCD screen would probably feel like a major step backwards, so we really hope that Nintendo has stuck with OLED. But equally, we don’t want this console to cost a ton, and Nintendo doesn’t sell consoles at a loss.
We’ll find out on February 4th at the Nintendo Direct, no doubt. For now, we live in hope.
A bit of nostalgia
In many ways, that reminds me of the trailer for the original reveal of the Wii. Zero information, zero game footage, just the emergence of a new console design over music. Relive those heady days here… although the music on the Wii trailer was way better if you ask me.
A new Mario Kart?
I said below that Mario Kart 8 is the game that lives forever – but did I speak too soon? Actually, we may be looking at a new Mario Kart game, judging by the models and track.
Mario Kart 8 came out in 2014 originally – we are a full decade with a brand new dose of Kart. So it’s about damn time we got something new, if that’s what we’re seeing here (and not Mario Kart 8 MEGA DELUXE With Four New Tracks).
More details coming April 2nd
So, if you’ve watched the trailer below, you’ll have seen that this is really just a teaser. It contains no features information other than the fact that the Switch 2 will play physical and digital Switch (original flavor) games, except not all games will be supported. Mario Kart 8 clearly will be, though – truly this is the game that never dies.
However, if you didn’t watch until the end of the trailer, you’ll have missed the reveal that a Nintendo Direct stream will happen on April 2nd, 2025 – presumably, we’ll get all the details there.
Nintendo unveils its Switch successor
Nintendo has officially unveiled its Nintendo Switch successor, officially called the Nintendo Switch 2, via a new trailer posted to YouTube.
In the trailer we see the console showed off for the first time and it looks… almost exactly how we predicted! You can see it for yourself below.
Will there be any Nintendo Switch 2 launch deals?
Unfortunately, it’s very unlikely that we’ll see any substantial Nintendo Switch 2 deals for the launch or pre-order phase. Nintendo will likely offer bundles with at least one major launch game included but this will almost certainly be at full price.
Your best chance to get a saving will be to trade in your current Nintendo Switch (or any other existing console) and put that towards an upgrade to the Switch 2.
As we saw with the recently released PS5 Pro, this was one of the better ways to get the console for less. In the UK, the phone network EE bumped up its trade-in rebate for the original PS5 by £30 to £260 when you also bought a PS5 Pro, making it one of the largest discounts from all retailers.
It’s best to expect something similar to that trade-in discount whenever the Nintendo Switch 2 is up for sale – at least until the major end-of-year sales get underway in November for Black Friday.
Nintendo Switch 2 is going to be backwards compatible
One of the very few pieces of concrete information we have about the Nintendo Switch 2 is that it will be backwards compatible with Nintendo Switch software. This was confirmed in an X / Twitter post by a Nintendo corporate account on November 6 last year.
What does this mean? Well, you won’t have to worry about your existing library of Nintendo Switch games not working on the new console. The company has also stated that Nintendo Switch Online will be available on the Nintendo Switch 2, too, so you should be able to carry over your save data via the cloud.
You can see the company’s full statement below.
This is Furukawa. At today’s Corporate Management Policy Briefing, we announced that Nintendo Switch software will also be playable on the successor to Nintendo Switch. Nintendo Switch Online will be available on the successor to Nintendo Switch as well. Further information about…November 6, 2024
What new Nintendo Switch 2 features should we expect?
As ever, Nintendo hasn’t revealed anything official for Switch 2 features as of yet, but some leaks have given us things to speculate over.
First up is the mysterious ‘C’ button which surfaced in a Nintendo Switch 2 rumors Discord server (via Game Rant). It’s suggested that this could stand for ‘Campus’, a feature that had been previously datamined. We’re still not exactly sure what Campus could be, but folks are speculating it to be a new social feature that’s potentially similar to the Wii U’s excellently charming Miiverse.
As for the hardware itself, it’s heavily rumored that the Switch 2 Joy-Con will feature magnetic connectivity, as opposed to the current Switch’s rail attachment system. This should make the Joy-Con easier to disconnect and reattach while in handheld mode.
It’s potentially going to be a bigger handheld, too, with rumors stating the Switch 2’s display will be around 8 inches. That’s slightly larger than the Nintendo Switch OLED’s 7.2-inch display. That could be a great thing for overall image clarity, but will likely mean the device will be a bit less portable-friendly overall.
What color will the Nintendo Switch 2 be?
One of our biggest questions is of course what color the Nintendo Switch 2 is going to be. Based on recent leaks, we actually have a pretty concrete idea of how it might look.
Like the original Nintendo Switch we think that it will come in two colorways, one plainer black option for all the boring gamers out there and something more adventurous for those who love a bit of whimsy.
We suspect that the latter will be a striking combination of black, orange, and blue. The orange and blue elements will likely come into play most on the refreshed Joy-con, with colored rings around the thumbsticks and a bright rail where it attaches to the system.
How will Nintendo reveal the Switch 2?
The way in which Nintendo will reveal the Switch 2 remains a mystery even today, as we’ve still heard nothing in regards to what we can expect from that first reveal.
For the original Nintendo Switch console, we got a fairly comprehensive reveal teaser that showed the Switch’s use cases. It demonstrated its docked and handheld mode capabilities while also showing off a number of unannounced titles like Super Mario Odyssey and a port of The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim. This was shortly followed by a full in-person presentation detailing specs, pricing and game announcements.
If Nintendo doesn’t reveal anything concrete today, then an announcement of an announcement would be the next best thing – perhaps a social media post telling us exactly when a potential reveal will happen. We are still expecting a teaser video, potentially followed by a more in-depth Nintendo Direct presentation for the hardware.
Similarly, we don’t expect Nintendo to just shadow drop a Switch 2 video or presentation. As with any Nintendo Direct, we do anticipate there will at least be some lead-up to the event itself.
What time should we expect?
We’re expecting the Nintendo Switch 2 to be revealed at some point today, but what time should you get ready for? Although there’s obviously no word on an official reveal window, we can make an educated guess as to when it might be.
A lot of it depends on the current time in Japan, which is 9 hours ahead of coordinated universal time (UTC). At the time of writing it’s almost 8PM, so we might even see some news in the next few hours before Japanese Nintendo fans head to bed.
That said, we suspect that that the reveal will be a bit later than that, potentially even tomorrow morning in Japan. 7AM Japan time would be about 5PM EST in the US, which would allow the news to reach two large audiences at once. Fingers crossed!
What we know so far
In terms of official Nintendo Switch 2 information, there isn’t a whole lot to talk about. However, as mentioned in the intro, we do know that Nintendo “will make an announcement about the successor to [the] Nintendo Switch within the fiscal year” as per company president Shuntaro Furukawa.
Also confirmed by Nintendo is that the Switch 2 will be backwards compatible with original Switch games. Furukawa stated: “at today’s Corporate Management Policy Briefing, we announced that Nintendo Switch software will also be playable on the successor to Nintendo Switch.”
Furukawa then added that the Nintendo Switch Online “will be available on the successor to Nintendo Switch as well,” so it’s reasonable to expect your Nintendo account will also carry over to the new console.
+ There are no comments
Add yours