Nintendo is finally readying to launch the successor to its revolutionary hybrid video game system.Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa announced that the Switch’s replacement will be revealed before the end of March 2025, the end of the current fiscal year. Nintendo is typically tight-lipped about its products until it’s ready to make a full presentation, so it’s unlikely we’ll get much more information until the company is completely ready to unveil the Switch 2.We can still examine the details that have allegedly been leaked and use those insights to fill in some of the system’s gaps.
(Credit: Nintendo)
What’s the New Switch’s Name?Nintendo has strangely named consoles. In recent years, it released the Wii and then the Wii U. And let’s not forget the DS, 3DS, and New 3DS. So, will the Switch 2 actually be named Switch 2?Nintendo’s president referred to the upcoming console as the “successor to Nintendo Switch,” and that hints that “Switch” will be part of its name. Don’t be surprised if it’s labeled the New Switch, but Switch 2 and Switch Pro aren’t off the table.When Will Nintendo Announce the Switch 2?The Switch successor won’t be announced in June. Nintendo confirmed that there will be a large Nintendo Direct presentation next month, but the new Switch won’t be in it. Optimistically, a late summer or early fall announcement could show us what we want to know, but since Furukawa said it will be announced by the end of March 2025, Nintendo might delay announcing anything until after the 2024 holiday season.
(Credit: Nintendo)
Will the Switch 2 Replace the Current Switch?The Switch 2 probably won’t be a half-step upgrade like the New Nintendo 3DS was. It’s been seven years since the Switch’s launch, so it has aging hardware. The new Switch will almost certainly have a significant power jump and feature launch games that the original Switch can’t run. A proper sequel to the seven-year-old system is vital to convince a good number of the 140-million-plus Switch owners that they should upgrade.Switch 2 Games: What Should You Expect?It looks like Nintendo is actively working on new Mario and Zelda games. According to Midori, an online leaker with a proven track record, Nintendo is working on a project (codenamed Edward) that might be the next Zelda game. It could potentially be a full-overhaul remake of a classic Zelda title, because the Link’s Awakening remake was codenamed Richard. Midori has also stated over the last few weeks that Nintendo is working on projects Anna and SPRed, which could be sequels to Nintendo Switch Sports and Super Mario Odyssey. Most recently, Midori speculated that another project (codenamed Spiral) will be the next Splatoon game.None of these titles are confirmed. In fact, Midori hasn’t confirmed that they’re specifically being developed for the Switch 2. Considering the Switch’s age and Nintendo announcing a new system within the next year, though, it’s likely that any new Mario or Zelda game will be intended as a launch (or near-launch) game for the Switch 2.
(Credit: Nintendo)
Will the Switch 2 Keep the Same Hybrid Design?We haven’t seen many completely out-of-left-field rumors about Nintendo’s newest system wildly bucking the Switch’s design, so that’s a good indicator the Switch 2 will have a similar build. Nintendo struck gold with the Switch, after all. It’s a game console that can work at home in a dock or on the go with the Joy-Cons attached to its sides, making it incredibly flexible. Returning to a solely home console or solely handheld game system would be baffling (though handheld- or console-only variants like the Nintendo Switch Lite aren’t out of the question as alternative models). Hopefully, the new Joy-Cons will be more substantial and less prone to drift.Nintendo filed a new patent in April that describes a dock extremely similar to the Nintendo Switch dock, along with a swiveling block that holds video connectors that you can point in any direction to accommodate your TV best. This could be a key part of the new Switch’s dock, or it could just be a new dock for the current Switch. Of course, it could be a patent Nintendo filed because they have the idea and want to use it later. We’re not sure, but it potentially points at the new Switch being thoroughly Switch-like.Will the Switch 2 Be More Powerful?If any of the supposed hardware leaks are accurate, the new Switch will be significantly more powerful than its predecessor. However, this doesn’t mean it will be as powerful as the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.According to Brazilian Pokemon leaker Centroleaks and users on Famiboards who poked through shipping records, the new Switch will have 12GB of RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage. That’s a big jump over 4GB/64GB of the current system. Centroleaks also claims the new Switch will have an 8-inch screen (again indicating that this new system will have the same form factor as the Switch).
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Another spec sheet leak earlier this year says the new Switch will have an ARM Cortex-A78AE processor with eight cores, a chip for mobile/auto installations that almost certainly isn’t remotely as powerful as the AMD Zen 2 chips that drive the PS5 and XSX. On the other hand, that same spec sheet quotes 8GB of RAM and 64GB of storage for the new handheld. Both should be taken with grains of salt.The system will have more power than its predecessor. However, that may mean it’s comparable with a Steam Deck, PlayStation 4 Pro, or an Xbox One X (and capable of 4K output). It may even use DLSS to punch above its weight class. Nintendo isn’t telling anyone yet, and none of the leaked details quite fit together.
Nintendo supports older games in its own inconsistent way (Credit: Nintendo)
Will the Switch 2 Play Old Switch Games?The consensus among leaks and rumors is that the Switch 2 will be completely backward compatible with the original Switch. Nintendo supported backward compatibility in the past, though not consistently. The 3DS could play DS games. The DS could play Game Boy Advance games. The Game Boy Advance could play Game Boy games. The Wii U could play Wii games. The Wii could play GameCube games. The Switch can’t play old Nintendo games on physical media because it uses a different game card format from the other systems. However, the new Switch will likely support current Switch games if it uses similar game cards.As for software, Nintendo confirmed that it’s retaining the Switch’s Nintendo Account system, which should preserve digital game purchases across generations. Presumably, this means you can download OG Switch titles. Although Nintendo’s history with hardware-based backward compatibility is strong, its digital backward compatibility is not. In fact, it’s difficult to track purchases between systems.
The New Nintendo Switch: Everything You Need to Know
What Will the Switch 2 Cost?Nintendo has made clear that it doesn’t want to directly compete with Microsoft or Sony in power or price. The company learned a hard lesson with the $250 launch price of the 3DS, which it cut to $180 only months later. Currently, the base Switch costs $300. The handheld-only Switch Lite costs $200, while the Switch OLED costs $350.A $400 Switch 2 wouldn’t be unreasonable, coming in well below the PS5 Digital Edition. Nintendo pricing the new Switch between $300 and $350 seems likely, along with a price cut for current models (if Nintendo doesn’t immediately discontinue them).Of course, this is all speculation until Nintendo confirms details about the new Switch. What do you want to see in it? Let us know in the comments below.
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