Nintendo Switch 2 Release: Everything We Know About the Successor Console

Finally, the Nintendo Switch 2 announcement has arrived, and we know the system will be coming sometime in 2025. With a first-look trailer unveiling how the hardware looks and operates, there’s a ton to be excited about, even if we’re still waiting for more concrete details.

We know that the Nintendo Switch 2 will be backward compatible with all the best Nintendo Switch games (with a handful of exceptions) and that the Switch 2’s design is iterative, mainly on the first model. It’s a case of evolution over revolution, but considering how widespread the system is, keeping things familiar was undoubtedly the right way to go.

Techopedia presents everything you need to know about the Nintendo Switch 2 and when you can get your hands on it.

Table of Contents Table of Contents

1. Key Takeaways
2. Expected Nintendo Switch 2 Release Date
3. Expected Nintendo Switch 2 Price
4. Latest Nintendo Switch 2 News
5. Nintendo Switch 2 Features
6. Rumored  Nintendo Switch 2 Specs
7. Expected Nintendo Switch 2 Games
8. Nintendo Switch 2 Competition & Potential Impact on the Gaming Industry
9. The Bottom Line
10. FAQs
11. References

Show Full Guide

Table of Contents

1. Key Takeaways
2. Expected Nintendo Switch 2 Release Date
3. Expected Nintendo Switch 2 Price
Show Full Guide
4. Latest Nintendo Switch 2 News
5. Nintendo Switch 2 Features
6. Rumored  Nintendo Switch 2 Specs
7. Expected Nintendo Switch 2 Games
8. Nintendo Switch 2 Competition & Potential Impact on the Gaming Industry
9. The Bottom Line
10. FAQs
11. References

Expected Nintendo Switch 2 Release Date

While the exact Nintendo Switch 2 release date remains a mystery, we know the console will be available sometime this year. Previous industry estimates positioned the system for a Q2 release date, which would span between April and June 2025. Nintendo has announced that a Switch 2 Direct will be held on April 2, 2025, which could be when we’ll learn the finalized release date alongside the pricing and model configuration.

Considering that the Switch 2 hands-on events will run from April to June 2025, a release date within Q2 seems the most likely. As announced on the Nintendo website, the Nintendo Switch 2 Experience will be held simultaneously in North America and Europe, starting in April and ending in May 2025. There will be two days in Australia, and then the tour will conclude in Asia with the Tokyo and Seoul dates confirmed; Hong Kong and Taipei are still to be announced.

The original Nintendo Switch was revealed in October 2016 before its release in March 2017. That’s a seven-month timeline that Nintendo could follow with the Switch 2 release date. It’s possible we could be waiting as long as June or July 2025 to get the console in our hands. The summer period is, traditionally, the most significant time for game releases, and it could mean that all the upcoming Switch games could be ready for this window.

Expected Nintendo Switch 2 Price

Unfortunately, the Nintendo Switch 2 price was not provided in the first official look at the console. That means we’ll likely have to wait until the Switch 2 Direct on April 2, 2025, for the confirmed price point. Current rumors have alleged that the Nintendo Switch 2 cost will start at $399.99, but this has yet to be confirmed (via Gaming Bible).

The most recent supposed “insider information” has claimed that the Switch 2 price could start at $399.99, with games selling between $59.99 and $69.99. A Reddit thread highlights one Discord user from the Nintendo Switch 2 server who is the apparent co-owner of the server. They claim to work at Micromania, a chain of French video game stores, and allege the console “will be €399, unless Nintendo changes anything at the last minute”. Additionally, they claim that a “list of 25 provisional games” will cost between “€69 to €79”.

These Switch 2 rumors are unconfirmed and less concrete than others that have circulated for the past year; however, the hardware and software price range seems feasible. Translating into USD, it’s possible that Switch 2 could cost $400, with games between $60 and $70. This is in line with what we’ve seen from the Xbox Series X/S and PS5, not to mention the rates of some handheld PCs like the Steam Deck (starting at $399) and the Asus ROG Ally ($499). It seems unlikely that Nintendo would price its system alongside its more powerful competitors. This is because the company’s hardware is (traditionally) underpowered and cheaper than its rivals.

Latest Nintendo Switch 2 News

After years of Switch 2 rumors and apparent leaks, Nintendo finally revealed its new console with the First-look trailer on January 16, 2025. This nearly two-and-a-half-minute video outlines what we can expect from the new hardware. More importantly, however, it confirms that the console will arrive in 2025, as mentioned above. Additionally, in April, various major cities worldwide will host hands-on events.

Nintendo Switch 2 Features

There’s a lot to analyze with the Nintendo Switch 2 features from the announcement trailer, starting with how the reveal confirms a few significant details as it evolves from the first model. As seen in the video, the tablet itself will be larger (although the exact size has yet to be confirmed by the manufacturer); it will also feature an additional USB-C port, a headphone jack, and a redesigned kickstand, in addition to the (seemingly) larger speakers and exhaust ports.

The Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Cons have also been innovated. They will be taller to match the increased dimensions of the screen, but the old rail system of the past is gone. As some leaks have alleged, they will now be magnetic and attached to the side of the system via the corresponding tabs. This looks similar to how the detachable controllers are handled with the Lenovo Legion Go, albeit in a smaller and sleeker package.

While unconfirmed, particular emphasis is placed on the analog sticks of the Switch 2’s Joy-Cons, as they will now sport a colored ring around them with an otherwise all-black design. This could hint at the fact that the Switch 2 could be using Hall Effect sticks instead of the traditional potentiometer ones used by the original Switch console. If true, this would mean that the controller’s previous problem with drift, caused by wear and tear on the conductors, could be a thing of the past. Nintendo has yet to confirm whether this is the case, though.

Last, but not least, it’s confirmed that the Nintendo 2 backward compatibility extends to both digital and physical games. In an image shared towards the end of the reveal trailer, we see the game card for Super Mario Bros. Wonder inside the two Switch consoles side by side. While we haven’t seen what a Switch 2 game cartridge looks like, it’s possible that it could be notched in a similar fashion to how 3DS games were so that they couldn’t be inserted into the DS. However, Nintendo could employ a more sophisticated software-based solution for those trying to play Switch 2 games on the Switch by simply not being recognized instead.

We’ll likely be waiting until the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct to learn about the nuances of backward compatibility, the launch lineup, and the software’s actual target resolution. It’s been rumored that Switch 2 could support 1440p and 4K when docked, but we still don’t know. The first Switch is 720p in handheld mode and then 1080p when docked. It’s possible that the Switch 2 could have a 1080p screen that upscales to a higher resolution when it’s docked. Similarly, it has not been said whether the panel tech will be LCD (like the first Switch version) or OLED, as with the 2021 iteration.

Rumored  Nintendo Switch 2 Specs

The alleged specs sheet (via Reddit) for the Switch 2 infers 12GB LPDDR5X memory clocked at 7,500 MT/s, backed by Nvidia’s T239 SoC, and 256GB NVMe storage. Now, this isn’t the highest amount of RAM or storage we’ve seen from a handheld, but it’s the Ampere chip inside of the console that earns our attention, forgoing tried-and-true conventions of AMD hardware such as the Z1 and Z1 Extreme found in today’s handheld PCs.

Nintendo Switch 2 rumors featuring the Nvidia T239 are nothing new; they have been circulating for over a year now, but the implementation of this chip could make the system surprisingly powerful. As Digital Foundry Technology Editor Richard Leadbetter mentioned, the T239 is based on an octa-core ARM A78X CPU with integrated graphics based on Nvidia’s Ampere architecture.

With 1,536 CUDA cores on a 128-bit memory bus, the GPU found on the T239 isn’t going to frighten the best graphics cards or even challenge mainstream discrete laptop graphics; however, even with its quoted 102 GB/sec bandwidth, there’s a ton of potential especially when compared to the first Nintendo Switch’s Tegra X1, which was already aging by the time it was put into the handheld. The Nintendo Switch GPU is a GM20B processor with only 256 CUDA cores and 4GB DDR4 RAM on a 64-bit memory bus with a mere bandwidth of 25.60 GB/sec (via TechPowerUp), so we’re talking about a massive uplift in performance potential between the two machines.

Here’s how the alleged T239 hardware compares against GM20B in detail:

In terms of real-world performance, we could see the Nintendo Switch 2 confidently delivering 60fps at a native 1080p resolution, especially if the SoC utilizes Nvidia’s DLSS AI-upscaling, which is almost a given considering how hard the company has pushed this tech in recent years.

This could empower developers to dynamically upscale their games for high framerates without losing resolution, something not possible on the original Nintendo Switch hardware.

Moreover, there’s enough under the hood with the Switch 2’s alleged specs to make a 4K output possible.

It doesn’t seem likely, but similarly powered Ampere-based machines can do 1440p, so we could make Quad HD resolution possible through upscaling when docked. Again, this is pure speculation on our part, though.

Expected Nintendo Switch 2 Games

The only Nintendo Switch 2 game teased in the reveal trailer was that of a new Mario Kart game for the system, but it’s a start. The Switch received Mario Kart 8 Deluxe in 2017, a port of the Wii U game, Mario Kart 8 from 2014. That means it’s been over a decade since the last mainline installment of the popular kart-racing franchise. While brief, the track inlays indicate a total of 24 starting positions, meaning we could see double the racers available in the current game, which has a maximum of 12.

It’s unknown at this time whether we’re looking at early footage of Mario Kart 9 or whether this is just a proof of concept of in-engine footage with familiar characters. At any rate, we see Mario, Luigi, Toad, Bowser, Peach, Donkey Kong (and others) racing on a large street in the desert, just passing Yoshi’s drive-in diner. It’s pretty, sure, but it could be pre-rendered for all we know. It’s challenging to gauge what the visuals could look like without seeing confirmed gameplay, which likely will not happen until Switch 2 Direct or the succeeding hands-on events.

Popular Nintendo Switch 2 leaker Nate the Hate has made some bold claims about the system’s launch lineup and that the company could be going all-in on third-party support. We could see everything from Assassin’s Creed Shadows, and Mirage appear to Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and even Halo: The Master Chief Collection. This would mark another time the manufacturer would open its doors to other brands and IP, with the last major push being the Wii U’s launch towards a hardcore gaming audience.

More interesting, however, are the alleged Nintendo Switch 2 exclusives. We know that Metroid Prime 4: Beyond will be released for the Switch in 2025, and it’s highly likely that it will also appear on the Switch 2. Similarly, we can see the same thing happening with Professor Layton and the New World of Steam and Pokemon Legends: Z-A enhanced for the new hardware. To speculate, a Mario Odyssey sequel and a new Super Smash Bros may be possible. The title could also be on the cards, as it’s been over seven years since both franchises were updated.

Nintendo Switch 2 Competition & Potential Impact on the Gaming Industry

The Nintendo Switch 2 could significantly affect the world gaming scene. Its backward compatibility feature should allure gamers and facilitate a smooth transition from its predecessor.

However, in a world where Sony and Microsoft are already ahead in specs, concerns arise regarding the console’s graphics upscaling and resolution capabilities, which may pose limitations for enthusiasts seeking high-performance gaming.

Additionally, its architecture, rooted in Nvidia’s mobile ARM platform, could pose challenges for developers tasked with porting titles.

Nonetheless, the triumph of the Switch 2 could redefine the industry’s emphasis on graphical advancements. Ultimately, the impact of the Nintendo Switch 2’s arrival will depend on its ability to balance performance, compatibility, and user satisfaction.

Nintendo holds dear the same values as most gamers — it’s about gameplay. Ray-tracing and processors can take a backseat to the best, replayable, multiplayer gaming experiences.

Until the retail boxes hit the stores, stay tuned for more updates and Nintendo Switch 2 news as information unfolds.

The Bottom Line

Now that the Nintendo Switch 2 has been officially revealed and is coming this year, it’s only a matter of time before we know more about the specs and the launch lineup. The system’s design looks refined, taking everything that was great about the first edition and ironing out the kinks. Moreover, thanks to its backward-compatible nature, there’s already an install base of nearly 150 million to appeal to. With 1.3 billion software sales confirmed for the first Switch, the floor is Nintendo’s to capitalize with the next generation.

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