The Nintendo Switch 2 Has Been Announced

The Nintendo Switch 2 has been officially revealed. Today Nintendo offered a first look at the upcoming follow-up to the 2017 Nintendo Switch. Thanks to the Japanese company’s latest video, we know that the Nintendo Switch 2 will be released in 2025, along with a new Mario Kart game.

Aside from revealing the console’s look and a brief tease of the next Mario Kart entry, we know very little about the console itself, or any potential launch games.

From the trailer, we can see that the Nintendo Switch 2 is bigger than the original Switch, and removes the bright joy-con controllers to set it apart from its older sibling.

The console has a larger screen, headphone jack, game card slot and two USB-C slots. The first one is to connect to the redesigned dock, and the second sits at the top of the console, but Nintendo has yet to confirm what it’s for. We presume it’s for peripherals such as USB-C headphones, or maybe a keyboard accessory.

The First Look at Nintendo Switch 2

The Nintendo Switch 2 will again feature the split joy-con controls, which have been slightly redesigned to be more secure. The controllers will now snap into place thanks to magnetic alignments. The controllers feature optical sensors next to the SL and SR buttons, presumably to act as a mouse, and the right joy-con sports an additional button which remains a mystery.

The controllers are a little larger than the current joy-con so should be more comfortable for those with bigger hands, especially with the big ZL and ZR triggers. We cannot see the underside of the controllers so it remains unknown if the IR sensor nor if they still have NFC support for amiibo. Because of the magnetic nature of the joy-con, the Switch 2 will also come with a redesigned grip.

The Switch 2 will be backward compatible with most physical and digital Switch 1 games, with Nintendo saying that some may not work. At the moment we presume it would be games that utilise certain joy-con accessories like Ring Fit, Starlink, or Labo but we will wait for an official confirmation on that point. Nintendo Switch Online subscriptions will carry over to the new console.

No games have formally been announced for the Switch 2, but shown in the video is a new Mario Kart game. There is no focus on this, so details are scant but we can see more than 12 riders with redesigned karts, along with a new look for Donkey Kong that resembles the one seen in the Super Mario Bros Movie.

A Nintendo Direct is set for Thursday 2nd April 2024 that will reveal the launch line-up of games and presumably a release date and price point. Shortly after that, Nintendo will take their new console on tour around the globe, stopping in the USA, Asia and Europe. You will be able to register for tickets through the Nintendo website provided you have a Nintendo Account.

The European dates are as follows:

Europe
Paris	April 4th – 6th
London	April 11th – 13th
Milan	April 25th – 27th
Berlin	April 25th – 27th
Madrid	May 9th – 11th
Amsterdam	May 9th – 11th

So far, the Nintendo Switch 2 is following the same reveal pattern as its older sibling which was announced in October 2016, with the Direct and showcase following in January 2017. The console was then launched in March 2017.

If Nintendo sticks to this pattern then the Switch 2 could release in June/July 2025. Of course, this is not confirmed but it seems likely as Nintendo has been manufacturing the console’s components for a little while.

Whatever happens, we have had our first look at the Nintendo Switch 2, we know there is a new Mario Kart on the way and it is expected to release in 2025. We just have to wait for 2nd April to get our first look at what the machine can do and the games we’ll be playing.

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