Nintendo Switch 2 Officially Revealed: Launch Date and Prices Not Announced Yet

Nintendo has finally taken the wraps off the successor to its wildly successful Switch handheld console. The new Switch 2, which has been heavily leaked for months, will go on sale in 2025, but the company has not yet announced a date or price. Fans in many cities around the world will be able to to get their hands on early demo units at a series of events to be held over the next few months, which means not much will be left as a surprise by the time the Switch 2 goes on sale. 

In a preview video posted to YouTube, a first-gen Switch can be seen morphing into the new model. While the Switch 2 is still a tablet-like device with detachable controllers and a dock for TV gaming, it is physically larger, with a bigger screen. It isn’t clear whether Nintendo has gone with OLED as the default, or whether this model will launch with an LCD panel like the original. There’s a new integrated kickstand on the rear and a second USB Type-C port on the top. 

The “Joycon” controllers in the promo are now monochrome with small highlights, and the colour-coded parts are hidden when they are attached. There’s also a new locking and unlocking system, which previous leaks and rumours have suggested uses magnets. A new, unlabeled button on the right Joycon can be seen, but its purpose is not yet known. It is also not yet known whether Nintendo has found a permanent fix for the drift issue that affected the analogue sticks on the original Switch. 

The trailer also appears to back up another leak which suggested that the Joycons will have a mouse-like sensor, allowing them to be used while being slid around on a flat surface. The docking station seems pretty much the same as that of the original Switch, and there’s a new version of the same handheld controller accessory for the new larger Joycons.

In an announcement on its website, Nintendo has confirmed that the Switch 2 is intended to be backward-compatible with original Switch games, though there might be some that don’t work. A new version of Mario Kart can be seen in the trailer, but no actual details have been confirmed yet. 

A Nintendo Direct event on April 2 has been announced, and it is possible that that’s when the Switch 2 will formally be launched, with prices announced. The company will also hold a series of events starting in North America in early April and moving through Europe, Australia and Asia till at least early June. Limited tickets will be raffled to Nintendo account holders. Sadly but unsurprisingly, no Indian city is on the list of locations for Switch 2 Experience events. 

No hardware specifications or performance claims have yet been announced. As per previous purported leaks, the Switch 2 will feature an Nvidia processor with integrated graphics. It could support 4K upscaling, and it could be able to run faster to deliver higher-quality output when docked and connected to an external power source. 

Nintendo has reportedly ramped up production over the past several weeks to make sure that there is adequate stock when the Switch 2 goes on sale, to prevent disappointment among fans and discourage scalpers from snapping units up.