Switch 2 – All you need to know about Nintendo’s next console

The Nintendo Switch has now been out for six and a half years. That makes it the longest single-living Nintendo console in over thirty years. For this reason, people believe that the console will be replaced by a new and more powerful console reasonably soon. The community calls this potential successor the Switch 2, but it most likely will be going under a different name on release. Let’s look at everything we know about the Switch 2 up until now.

• What is Switch 2?
• Is it confirmed?
• When will it be released? When is the expected release date?
• Will it be backward compatible?
• Was Switch 2 shown at Gamescom 2023?
• Leaks
• Launch titles
• Price – What will it cost?
• Hardware Specs – How powerful is it?

What is Switch 2?

Nintendo Switch 2 is the unofficial name of Nintendo’s unreleased and upcoming console. The name will most likely be something else, but until we get the official name, It will be the name we will refer to.

Is Nintendo Switch 2 confirmed?

No official sources have confirmed that the console exists, but yes, it is genuine. It is not something made up. Maybe some rumors about it are made up, but not the console itself. On multiple occasions, Nintendo has talked about future hardware and their plans for future hardware releases, so in a way, they have confirmed that something is going on and that they are planning for a new hardware release.

Whether or not the following hardware will be related to the original Switch, we don’t know. However, many believe that the next console will be similar to its predecessor in many ways.

Release date

At this point, no release date has been set. While some people expected the console to be released this year (2024), recent reports say otherwise. While the early reports were talking about a late 2024 release, the more recent reports say the console’s launch has been postponed until 2025.

Most people are now thinking of a early-2025 release or maybe even later.

When will the Switch 2 be revealed?

At this point, we can only speculate on when it will be revealed. Some guesses are that Nintendo decides to reveal their next console like they did with the original Switch: with a video.

The reveal video, which has been removed for some reason, was posted about six months before the console was released. So, if we go by this theory, the reveal should be sometime in the coming 6-8 months.

Backward compatibility

While many people have been wishing for the upcoming console to be able to play Switch games, Nintendo has neither confirmed nor denied it. An argument for it to be backward compatible is that the original Switch has a large variety of games in its catalog, and people do not want to buy all these games again if Nintendo decides to release them on the next console.

Many of the company’s previous consoles have had backward compatibility, with the exceptions being Nintendo 64, GameCube, and Switch, so it is in Nintendo’s nature to include backward compatibility.

Back in June 2023, Nintendo company president Shuntaro Furukawa talked about how one of the big focuses for their next hardware was to use the Nintendo Account for a smooth transition to their next platform. It was later confirmed by Doug Bowser, the president of Nintendo of America. This might hint that their next hardware can download your in-game progress from the original Switch from a cloud-like system connected to your Nintendo Account, meaning that backward compatibility could be a thing for the next console. It’s pure speculation, though.

Switch 2 at Gamescom 2023

According to Eurogamer, Nintendo held a secret demo presentation for developers at Gamescom back in August, where they showed their next console and its power. Apparently, one of the things Nintendo did show was a better-looking version of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. However, this does not mean that Nintendo will release Zelda: Breath of the Wild on their next console. It could just be a demo to show the machine in action and what it can do.

The rumors also claim that a demonstration of The Matrix Awakens tech demo was shown at the presentation. This demo has been used previously to show the power and opportunities of Unreal Engine 5.

Nintendo Switch 2 leaks

Many unconfirmed rumors and fake leaks are circulating about the upcoming console. This will likely increase as we approach the console’s reveal.

At this point, it is hard to say what is true and what is not. If the information does not come from a legitimate source or Nintendo themselves, always treat it as fake.

Did the box leak?

No. Images of potential box art are circulating around, and people claim that it is the actual box art for the console, but these are most likely fake. People are making prototypes of how the console and its box could or should look, but it is not the real deal.

Did the home screen leak?

It is important to verify the source of any potential screenshots before jumping to conclusions. Recently, there have been rumors circulating that the home screen has been leaked. However, it is highly likely that these are simply prototypes and design suggestions from fans. Therefore, it is important to exercise caution and not believe everything you see or hear without proper verification.

Have developers gotten their dev-kits yet?

At this point, no developers have confirmed that they have gotten their hands on a dev-kit.

If Nintendo wants to have third-party games on their next console at launch, the dev-kits should be in the hands of developers by now.

Nintendo Switch 2 launch titles

No launch titles are confirmed at this time, but there are some wishes, rumors, and speculations.

Breath of the Wild

There is nothing out there that confirms that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will be launched on Nintendo’s next console, but if we are to believe EuroGamer, implying that the game was shown as a tech demo for the console at Gamescom, there is a slight chance that it might be. But it could also mean that Nintendo only needed something to show off at the event and decided to do a quick touchup of BOTW to avoid showing up empty-handed.

Metroid Prime 4

To those who do not know the story behind Metroid Prime 4, Nintendo first announced the game in June 2017 during the E3 Direct presentation through a short video teaser. The teaser said, “Metroid Prime 4 is now in development for the Nintendo Switch.” Fans of the Metroid franchise went wild.

However, in January 2019, Nintendo announced that the game’s development had met some hiccups with its development team, and the game did not live up to Nintendo’s expectations. Therefore, the job was given to Retro Studios, the original development team behind the Metroid Prime series. This also meant that all game development progress had to be reset from scratch. Since then, we have not heard or seen any new official information about the game and its development.

Since the original Switch only seems to have months left in its life cycle, one strong and possible theory is that Metroid Prime 4 will be a next-generation launch title or maybe even a dual console release.

Price

No price has been set for the console yet. However, the rumors and speculations point towards a price between 399 and 499 USD. It is impossible though to determine the price until Nintendo discloses it.

Should I buy a Switch or wait for Switch 2?

If money is no problem for you, and you know that there are games you want to play on the original Switch, then, by all means, buy it.

If not, try to hold off for a couple of months. The next console might be backward compatible. So, all the games you want to play on the original Switch right now could also still be available in the future.

Hardware Specs

The hardware specs are primarily unknown at this point, but some early, unconfirmed reports may have some truths to them.

Some of the recurring rumored specs are:

• 12 GB of RAM
• Nvidia GPU
• Ray tracing support
• 4K resolution

Will Switch 2 have dual screen?

In October 2023, a patent for a handheld device with two screens from Nintendo began to circulate. The patent was quite similar in appearance to that of the Nintendo 3DS and included a detachable screen among its features. It remains unclear whether this patent is a sign of Nintendo’s plans for their next console featuring dual screens, or if it was simply filed to protect their intellectual property from being stolen.

It is crucial to keep in mind that having dual screens on a console can increase manufacturing expenses. Moreover, Nintendo has already released a console with dual screens before.

This does not necessarily imply that they would not want to repeat the same concept again, but it is more probable that they would want to explore something different and not replicate their past work.

Handeld

According to some early and unofficial reports, the next console will be a hybrid, just like its predecessor. This means you can play it on your TV or in handheld mode. One of the reasons behind the original console’s success was its hybrid format, so Nintendo would probably want to keep that train going for a bit longer.

Screen

Early reports claim that the screen – unfortunately – will be a downgrade from the Switch OLED version OLED screen to a regular LED screen. The reason is the high manufacturing costs of OLED screens compared to LED.

As for the screen size, we do not know anything about that yet.

Switch 2 vs. PS4

In September of 2023, emails from Activision seem to have been leaked, hinting at the power of Nintendo’s next console. Apparently, Activision Blizzard held a meeting with Nintendo back in December 2022, discussing the company’s next-generation console. The emails describe the machine as more on par with PlayStation 4 and Xbox One than the current generation (Playstation 5 and Xbox Series S/X).

However, new rumors and speculations are pointing towards that the specs are close to the powers measured in Microsoft’s Xbox Series S. This should be taken with a large amount of salt though since that probably would drive up the costs too much.

Switch 2 vs. Steamdeck

The Steamdeck is a very powerful handheld console. Can the Switch successor beat the Steamdeck when it comes to power?

Well, unfortenly, that seems like a very hard thing for Nintendo to accomplish.

First of all, they have always put innovation before power, and this time, it will most likely not be any different.

Second, Nintendo’s hardware strategy has almost always been to release affordable consoles to stay ahead of competitors. While the Steamdeck price varies from 449$ up to 655$, Nintendo really wants to push the price below that mark to gain some advantage over the Steam Deck. That does not leave that much extra room for powerful hardware.

This is only pure speculation though. We only have to wait and see.

4K

Well, first of all, don’t expect the built-in screen to have 4K support. Nintendo wants to push down the energy consumption as much as possible in handheld mode. And the costs as well. It could happen though. But probably not.

As for docked mode on the TV screen, 4K could be possible. But nothing is confirmed yet.

DLSS

Early reports suggest that it will have support for DLSS upscaling technology. This technology is AI-based and can make lower-resolution images into higher-resolution images in real-time.

So, to get back to that former 4K question: If the DLSS tech rumors are true, then 4K support could be a thing.

Cartridges

Early reports say so, yes. Whether or not this is the same format as the current generation cartridges remains to be seen.

What is the difference from the first Switch?

Right now, we do not know the differences for sure. But we can bet that it will be more powerful than the first one. Several – unconfirmed – sources say graphics, resolution, and framerate have improved significantly.

Switch 2 CPU & GPU

Unconfirmed information about the chip/chips in the console is that Nintendo has been testing around a lot of different GPUs and CPUs to see which ones are the perfect fit. One of these chips is rumored to be the Nvidia Tegra T239 “Drake.” The “Drake” is an upgraded version of the original Switch Tegra Chip. Some say that the “Drake” is already starting to get outdated, and Nintendo probably has moved on from this GPU to something else.

Disclaimer

It is crucial to understand that Nintendo has not released any official information about their next console. As a result, all the details provided in this article must be taken with extreme caution. It is strongly recommended not to consider this article as an official source or believe it entirely until there is an official announcement from Nintendo.

We will update this article as we learn more.