Nintendo Switch 2: Everything You Need to Know

This station was updated 6/18/24 astatine 9:52 a.m. to see caller accusation from the latest Nintendo Direct. It was updated 5/8/24 astatine 11:55 a.m. ET to see comments from Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa.

Nintendo Switch sequel speculation has deed a fever transportation contempt however agelong we whitethorn person to hold for the long-expected update to Nintendo’s astir fashionable console ever created. And now, we yet person confirmation that the Switch 2 is, indeed, real. As for specifics and specs, well, that’s inactive near up to the rumors.

While there’s been a bevy of archetypal rumors suggesting we volition yet spot a Switch sequel merchandise this year, respective reports present connection a overmuch longer hold until 2025.

Nintendo has since been wide astir erstwhile we tin expect news. The latest Nintendo Direct taking spot June 18 seemed similar a bully accidental for a teaser with its 40-minute runtime, but Nintendo explicitly said this was lone for caller Switch games coming retired successful the second fractional of 2024. The institution wrote connected Twitter determination volition beryllium “no announcement regarding the successor to the Switch.”

As for what the console volition yet look like, astir reports bespeak it volition person a bigger surface than the archetypal Switch and outgo more. They volition person graphics capabilities equivalent to those of the erstwhile console generation.

What Kind of Specs Will the Nintendo Switch 2 Have?

The Switch sequel is rumored to person a bigger surface than the archetypal console had astatine launch, but caller rumors suggest the adjacent console could alteration up the size of the Joycons and adjacent however they connect to the main body.

As archetypal reported by the Spanish tech quality tract Vandal (via Eurogamer), the Switch 2 volition usage magnets to connect its Joycons, alternatively than the rails Switch users are utilized to. Vandal reported this based connected connection from accessory manufacturers, who often get console hardware details earlier release. The adjacent console volition inactive enactment existent Switch Pro controllers, which is simply a bully alteration of gait for owners who inactive privation to get a fewer much years retired of their existent controllers erstwhile the caller console comes in.

The Spanish tract didn’t accidental precisely however large the caller Switch volition beryllium but noted it volition beryllium larger than the existent Switch and inactive smaller than a Steam Deck.

When is the Switch Sequel Supposed to beryllium Released?

Photo: Kyle Barr / Gizmodo

Anybody holding retired anticipation that Switch volition inactive negociate to compression itself into 2025's merchandise docket should astir apt judge the world of a longer wait. Most recently, Nikkei Asia reported, based connected respective anonymous sources with cognition of Nintendo’s plans, that the Japanese crippled shaper volition merchandise the Switch sequel successful astir March 2025. The institution is reportedly trying to springiness publishers and crippled studios much clip to merchandise existent games for motorboat day.

Instead, Nintendo volition effort to support pushing the archetypal Switch arsenic overmuch arsenic possible, perchance with caller console tie-in versions with fashionable franchises.

It confirms earlier reports that Nintendo has decided to propulsion the Switch 2 release. Brazilian writer Pedro Henrique Lutti Lippe claimed connected his podcast that 5 sources from wrong the manufacture accidental that Nintendo is present aiming for a Q1 2025 motorboat aft archetypal expectations slipped from 2024. If that wasn’t capable to acceptable your teeth connected edge, Eurogamer besides confirmed akin rumors from abstracted sources wrong the industry.

Eurogamer mentioned that the Switch day is to guarantee a afloat slate of motorboat titles to complement the caller console. It each seems to bespeak Nintendo has told its spouse developers astir the caller motorboat date, and these rumors person filtered down to those with scarce manufacture sources.

It seems Nintendo volition stay aloof from the full hardware marketplace for 2024. Nintendo confirmed to Eurogamer connected April 15 that it does not program to be Gamescom, the yearly league held successful Cologne, Germany, which is usually a halfway constituent for the world’s games and hardware developers. The institution told Eurogamer, “After cautious information from each perspectives, we’ve made the determination not to beryllium contiguous astatine Gamescom 2024. Players volition person opportunities to effort retired Nintendo Switch games astatine different events passim the year.”

That’s an absorbing move, considering Nintendo usually attends the conference. Gamescom 2023 was besides wherever immoderate of the archetypal factual rumors reared their head, wherever immoderate publishers reportedly received improvement kits.

If Nintendo does opt for the archetypal fractional of the 2024 Switch 2 announcement, it would beryllium alternatively premature considering the expected motorboat date. Nintendo antecedently said that the Switch 2 wouldn’t debut successful 2023. However, the institution had thing to accidental astir the upcoming console successful its latest quarterly fiscal report released this past Wednesday. Instead, the institution noted however hardware income person decreased by astir 8% yearly. This was contempt Switch becoming the best-selling console of each clip successful its seven-year lifespan, with a full of 139.36 cardinal units sold arsenic of the extremity of past year.

Most rumors person suggested the Switch sequel volition see the airy of time successful the 2nd fractional of this year. Those rumors spell backmost to July of 2023, reinforced aft quality that immoderate developers had a accidental to demo the caller console successful respective closed-door meetings astatine Gamescom.

This won’t needfully person a Christmas release, arsenic speculation has consistently noted that it could beryllium disposable for pre-order successful August oregon September. That could coincide with the rumored PlayStation 5 Pro model, which would beryllium a large measurement up from the archetypal PS5’s internals with ray tracing upgrades and amended CPU and GPU specs.

Will the Switch 2 Be More Powerful Than the First Switch?

Photo: Kyle Barr / Gizmodo

All the existent speculation points to the Switch 2 getting entree to its peculiar spot from Nvidia. It’s a rumor going backmost astir 3 years to aboriginal leakers hinting that Nintendo would get entree to a customized variant of the T234, scaled down drastically to acceptable wrong a mobile design. The existent Switch uses a modified Tegra X1 chip, but the adjacent Switch could beryllium acold much susceptible than Nintendo’s archetypal handheld console. Documents shown publically from the Microsoft buyout of Activision Blizzard hint that Nintendo’s console could beryllium arsenic powerful, if not a spot much capable, than the past console generation—namely the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Reuters past dumped a batch of substance onto those rumors by citing 1 anonymous root who claimed that Nintendo was so getting a new, customized chip. Late past year, Digital Foundry performed a heavy dive into the expected spot architecture and capabilities of this customized Nvidia chipset dubbed the T239. They performed benchmarks with akin architecture connected the RTX 2050 moving astatine 750 Mhz. Still, it’s amended not to look astatine spot rumors and marque assumptions astir the adjacent console’s afloat capabilities.

Instead, we request to recognize amended what benignant of show it volition have. Some of the astir factual reports from manufacture analysts noted that the Nintendo Switch sequel volition person an 8-inch LCD. Compare this to the regular 6.2-inch Switch LCD screen, a important size bump. However, a fewer fans are apt disappointed that the adjacent console won’t support the Switch OLED’s beautiful, 7-inch integrated display.

The LCD surface is apt a mode to support costs down, which served the first Switch good erstwhile buyers had to see spending upwards of $500 connected a caller Xbox Series X oregon PlayStation 5. Still, different handheld consoles similar the Steam Deck OLED volition person an borderline connected immoderate comes retired of Nintendo.

The pursuing console could inactive interact overmuch similar the aged 1 with the hybrid cartridge and online download strategy that served the archetypal Switch truthful well, astatine slightest according to outlets similar VGC and Eurogamer. It hints astatine backward compatibility, which would beryllium a large inducement for existent Switch owners.

However, that doesn’t mean the Switch 2 volition beryllium arsenic inexpensive arsenic its predecessor. Noted tipster Zippo has claimed it could outgo astir $400, which is $100 much than you tin get the archetypal Switch for. It’s inactive little than the 2 astir significant, costly consoles, but it would present outgo much than an Xbox Series S. Instead, it would outgo arsenic overmuch arsenic a baseline LCD Steam Deck.

When Will Nintendo Finally Reveal the Switch 2?

Photo: Kyle Barr / Gizmodo

In aboriginal April, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa tweeted that the sequel power could beryllium announced anytime successful the adjacent fiscal year. But here’s the rub: Nintendo’s fiscal twelvemonth ends successful March of adjacent year, meaning we could inactive person a agelong hold until 2025 to spot immoderate existent hint of the caller console.

Furukawa’s connection was straight aft the institution announced its latest quarterly earnings. Noted manufacture expert David Gibson wrote that the company’s president besides told investors that the “Switch adjacent exemplary is the due mode to describe” the Switch 2. We inactive don’t cognize what it volition beryllium called (though I would emotion to spot thing similar “Super Nintendo Switch”), but astatine the precise least, it points to however Nintendo sees its adjacent console arsenic a continuation of the current-gen model.

Nintendo would apt denote this console alongside immoderate caller Nintendo Direct broadcast oregon crippled launch. The latest Nintendo Direct connected Feb. 21 was 1 of its “partner showcases” that promotes 3rd enactment titles making their mode to the Switch. While determination were a fewer surprises, including the archetypal 2 games of the Star Wars: Battlefront bid making their mode to the Switch and bringing backmost the classical 64-player online multiplayer, determination was not adjacent a morsel of quality regarding a caller console.

Drake doubled down connected that Direct day successful a tweet. This makes sense, particularly arsenic Nintendo’s archetypal Direct of 2023 besides took spot successful February, but that doesn’t mean we’ll spot a console announcement arsenic aboriginal arsenic this month. The Nintendo tipster hasn’t afloat backed disconnected his assertion that Nintendo plans to denote the console successful March, but astatine this point, it seems progressively unlikely.

The Mario genitor could besides denote its console during a media propulsion for its adjacent large crippled release. The lone first-party rubric connected the docket is Princess Peach: Showtime!, which is acceptable to motorboat connected March 22. Though that’s a caller rubric from a staple quality successful the company’s astir lucrative franchise, it doesn’t person the full planetary entreaty of a caller Mario platformer similar past year’s Super Mario Bros. Wonder that would adhd immoderate pomp to a caller console uncover or–hell–even a teaser.

Want much of Gizmodo’s user electronics picks? Check retired our guides to the best laptops, best TVs, and best headphones. If you privation to larn astir the adjacent large thing, spot our usher to everything we cognize astir the iPhone 16.