To say people are hungry for news of the Nintendo Switch’s successor would be an understatement. We’ve reached such a fever point that Nintendo now needs to preface its Direct presentations with the disclaimer that, no, the new console won’t be revealed, so please stop asking.
This anticipation makes sense, though. The launch of the Switch was one of the most significant gaming events of the past decade. Since its release back in 2017, Nintendo has reportedly sold a combined 143.4 million units worldwide of the standard Switch, along with the variant Lite and OLED models. It’s one of the best-selling game consoles of all time, only outdone by the Nintendo DS and the PlayStation 2.
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Unofficially nicknamed the Nintendo Switch 2, this successor has a huge reputation to live up to. While Nintendo has been pretty withholding when it comes to information about the console, it has released a few bits and pieces into the world.
Here’s everything we know about the Nintendo Switch 2, along with a few rumours and possible leaks – because it wouldn’t be a new console news cycle without endless speculation.
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When Will The Nintendo Switch 2 Be Released?
While we don’t know the exact release date for the Nintendo Switch 2, we have a vague window.
Nintendo confirmed that the new console will be announced before the end of the Japanese fiscal year, which is March 31st, 2025. If we use that as the latest announcement date possible, then we’ll probably see the Switch successor launch in the back half of 2025. It’d make sense that Nintendo would have it on shelves in time for next year’s holiday shopping season.
For reference, the original Switch was announced in October 2016, before being released worldwide in March 2017. The OLED Model was revealed in July 2021, before launching later that year in October.
What Will The Nintendo Switch 2 Cost?
Again, we’re not too sure, but we can certainly speculate. The Nintendo Switch launched in Australia for $469.95, while the OLED Model was priced at $539. Looking at those figures and considering that the Switch 2 will most likely receive a hardware upgrade, we could potentially see its price pushing the $600 mark.
Nintendo is usually pretty competitive with Sony and Microsoft pricing, so it’d be fair to suggest that you won’t be paying PS5 prices.
What Can We Expect From The Nintendo Switch 2?
No surprises here, but Nintendo has been pretty tight-lipped about the new console’s capabilities. Most of what we know is based on leaks and speculation, so take some of these with a grain of salt.
Nintendo isn’t one for numbering its new consoles sequentially either, so don’t expect it to be called the “Switch 2”. If it retains the Switch name, it’ll most likely come with some form of distinguishing addition attached. Hopefully, it’ll be a bit more inspired than the Wii U.
As far as upgrades go, the Switch 2’s hardware will be what makes or breaks the console. While The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is undoubtedly a fantastic game, it pushed against the console’s limits when it came to performance.
According to Eurogamer, Nintendo presented a tech demo for the new console to developers during Gamescom 2023, showing off its beefier specs. We probably shouldn’t expect hardware that’s on the level of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, but it’ll ideally be a leap from the current specs. If you’re hoping the new console will support GTA 6, keep dreaming.
One of the Switch’s biggest shortcomings is its internal storage, so hopefully we’ll see a considerable improvement there. It was all too easy to max out the original unit’s piddly 32GB of storage. While the OLED Model did bump up its storage capacity to 64GB, it was a pretty low-effort solution – like slapping a bandaid on a broken leg.
Some rumours have suggested a much larger storage capacity. CentroLeaks posted leaked manufacturing details to X (formerly Twitter), which included 256GB of storage. These details also included an alleged memory upgrade to 12GB that’ll be split over two 6GB 7500 MT/s LPDDR5 modules, which is a pretty big leap from the current Switch’s 4GB RAM.
There’s also been a few rumours that the console’s Joy-Cons might be getting an upgrade. According to the long-running Spanish gaming website Vandal (and covered by VGC), the new console’s controllers will be a bit bigger and attach magnetically. That’s a fun concept, but more than anything Nintendo needs to address the dreaded drift issue that has been plaguing the Joy-Cons throughout the Switch’s lifecycle.
We wouldn’t be surprised if the new Switch kept the OLED screen and maintained the hybrid portable-home console setup. However, according to an Omdia analyst Hiroshi Hayase in a report published by Bloomberg, the new console could feature an 8-inch LCD screen.
It’d also make sense for the new console to be backwards compatible with physical Switch games and purchases made on the Nintendo Store. However, based on some leaks published earlier this year, there’s speculation that Nintendo might not offer this feature. Please don’t make us buy Mario Kart 8 for a third console, I beg you.
