As months go by, rumors are circulating about a potential Nintendo Switch 2 being in development. While Nintendo has not yet confirmed this, reports suggest that the company has started sharing their new console with third-party developers. Although information is scarce, we have compiled a list of everything we know so far about the Nintendo Switch 2, which does not have an official name yet. We will keep you updated as more information becomes available.
When Will the Nintendo Switch 2 Be Released?
There’s a lot of speculation about when the Nintendo Switch 2 will arrive. According to sources such as VGC and Eurogamer, the most widely accepted estimate is the second half of 2024. Accessory and component manufacturers also suggest that 2024 is a likely release date. It’s possible that Nintendo won’t take too long to start production, as they likely learned from the issues their competitors faced with the Playstation 5 and the Xbox X and S Series.
In January, Ai Shark, the manufacturer of the Game Shark, announced its return and stated that their software and the Nintendo Switch 2 would be released in September 2024. However, the company later clarified that this was just a forecast.
In February, the Nikkei media confirmed the March 2025 release date for the Nintendo Switch 2 (or Super Nintendo Switch), which was previously reported by The Verge and VGC. The reason for the delay is that Nintendo wants to ensure they have enough consoles and games ready for launch.
How Much Will the Nintendo Switch 2 Cost?
Of course, at the moment, there is only speculation, but the first bids on the price point to something in the $300 range. Nintendo has always been consistent in the prices of its desktop consoles, and they’ve always been in that range even after adjusting the prices for inflation. What is clear is that it will be more or less affordable, which has been Nintendo’s philosophy with almost all of its products since its inception and is unlikely to change now.
What Games Will Nintendo Switch 2 Support?
We can only speculate for now, but franchises present in almost all Nintendo consoles to date will likely feature, including ‘Super Mario’, ‘Pokémon’, and ‘Zelda’. An improved version of ‘Breath of the Wild’ optimized for the new console was actually shown at Gamescom to third parties.
As for confirmations from other companies, so far, only Microsoft has done so very vaguely regarding ‘Call of Duty’. On the other hand, UbiSoft has stated that Nintendo had told them to wait to launch their ‘Mario + Rabbids - Sparks of Hope’ on the new console.
Will There Be Backward Compatibility?
Almost certainly, and not just because logic dictates it. It’s clear that, at least digitally, that is Nintendo’s intention (obviously, we cannot guarantee that the Switch 2 will have a physical format compatible with Switch cards).
Thanks to the Nintendo Account that was inaugurated on Switch and allows for profile importing from the Wii, there will at least be something similar. Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa put it this way: “We are committed to ensuring a successful transition from Nintendo Switch to the next generation of consoles by leveraging Nintendo Accounts”.
What Specs Will the Nintendo Switch 2 Have?
All the specs information we have so far comes from accessory manufacturers. These are some of the things we already know:
- Display: There is talk of an LCD screen, not an OLED, like the second version of the first Switch that Nintendo launched in 2021.
- Hardware: In September 2022, a leak from NVIDIA mentioned an NVIDIA Tegra T239. Since then, there’s also been official data about the use of Samsung’s 5LPP (5nm Low Power Plus) process to improve speed and access with less consumption.
What About the Switch Pro?
For years, there has been long and long talk about a hypothetical improved Switch model, accompanied by continuous Nintendo denials and various leaks. It all started in 2021 when Bloomberg leaked documents about a 4K Switch. Nintendo has systematically denied this type of rumors almost every year.
Journalist John Linneman confirmed the rumors in Digital Foundry by saying that an intergenerational console was indeed in the works, a sort of upgraded Switch. But that plan was put aside to focus all their efforts on a smooth transition between consoles.
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