Nintendo shared the first details about the Nintendo Switch 2 in a video published Thursday. Nintendo doesn’t give a specific release date for the console besides “2025.”
The console looks a lot like the original, but it’s bigger. In the video, the Joy-Con controllers are black with colored accents, and they attach to the side of the console instead of sliding on and off. The Joy-Cons appear to snap on quite easily — leaks have suggested they could be attached via magnets.
There’s a new button under the home button on the right Joy-Con, which had shown up in leaks. The video also appears to show the Joy-Cons being used similarly to a mouse. And the SL and SR buttons on the Joy-Cons are bigger than they are on the original Switch’s Joy-Cons.
On top of the Switch 2, there’s a new USB-C port next to the 3.5mm headphone jack. The kickstand has a new design — it’s shaped more like a U. The dock for the Switch 2 has a more rounded design. And, like with the original Switch, there will also be a separate controller grip that you can snap the Joy-Cons into.
The only game shown is what appears to be a new Mario Kart title. But the console will be backward-compatible with both physical and digital Nintendo Switch games — though the video cautions that “certain Nintendo Switch games may not be supported on or fully compatible with Nintendo Switch 2.”
Nintendo is promising to share more details in a Nintendo Switch 2-focused Direct on April 2nd, 2025. The specific time will be shared “at a later date.”
Your first chance to try it could come at a series of events in New York, Los Angeles, and Dallas that are scheduled over several days later in April — ticket registration will be available here on Nintendo’s website starting January 17th at 3PM ET.
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Image: Nintendo
The Nintendo Switch will be a tough act to follow. The device was a clever hybrid of a home console and a handheld, and the formula resulted in one of the bestselling consoles of all time. A huge part of the console’s success was that it was home to some of Nintendo’s best-ever games, including hits like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Super Mario Odyssey, Metroid Prime Remastered, and the very popular Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Fortunately, you’ll be able to play all of those games on the new console — Nintendo said in November that the Switch’s successor will be compatible with Switch games and will have Nintendo Switch Online.
The first Switch was also a massive sales hit. The company says that, so far, it’s sold 146.04 million units, making the console its second-highest-selling video game system behind the original Nintendo DS, which sold 154.02 million units. The Switch’s sales figures also mean that it has surpassed the Nintendo Wii (101.63 million units), the Game Boy (118.69 million units), and the Nintendo 3DS (75.94 million units).
While we’ve been waiting years for a true Switch successor, the console had mid-cycle hardware refreshes along the way. The Nintendo Switch Lite was a great way to play Switch games on a smaller device, and the Nintendo Switch OLED added a beautiful display and a handful of other nice upgrades.
Starting in December, supposed information about Nintendo’s next console began to trickle out from accessory manufacturers. Dbrand, for example, gave us what it believed to be actual dimensions of the hardware and said that its “understanding” was that the Joy-Con controllers would be magnetically attached. And at CES 2025, Genki showed off a 3D-printed mockup of what it believed the Switch’s successor would look like.