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We know the Nintendo Switch 2 is coming, until recently we even thought it was coming in 2024, but it seems now that plans have been put on hold by Nintendo until the start of 2024, not only to make sure that there is enough supply of the new machine, but also to make sure that there is a worthy games library available at launch too.
Since the original Switches launch on March 3, 2017, and the subsequent launches of the Switch Lite (September 20, 2019) and the Switch OLED (July 6, 2021) this is the longest we have had to wait for new hardware from Nintendo since the Wii U back in late 2012.
When is the Switch 2 release date?
While Nintendo continues to keep radio silent about a firm release window for the Switch 2, leakers and rumors can all be put together to strongly point to a release in the first quarter of 2025.
This seems to have definitely changed as stories of Nintendo ordering display panels and showing off prototype hardware at Gamescom in September 2023 have long since been confirmed. The decision to delay until 2025 hit Nintendo stocks hard at the time as the markets reacted to the news, especially with rumors flying around about console competition from a new PlayStation 5 Pro and future Xbox hardware on the horizon.
Update: Nintendo confirms Switch 2 plans
On 7th May Nintendo commented publically for the first time that they would be announcing the Switch 2 before the end of the fiscal year saying in a post: “This is Furukawa, President of Nintendo. We will announce the successor to Nintendo Switch within this fiscal year.
“It will have been over nine years since we announced the existence of Nintendo Switch back in March 2015.
“We will be holding a Nintendo Direct this June regarding the Nintendo Switch software lineup for the latter half of 2024, but please be aware that there will be no mention of the Nintendo Switch successor during that presentation.”
What is the Nintendo Switch 2 price?
With the Switch OLED currently costing around the $349 mark if you can’t find any discounts we pretty much can assume the Switch 2 won’t come in under this price point. As there is no launch window confirmed yet, it goes without saying there is no RRP as yet, but both are likely to be unveiled at the same time, maybe within the next couple of months.
In the Competition box below we talk about other hardware that the Switch 2 will be going up against and they come in at price points both well over this price for top-range models. It may be that Nintendo sees some upward wiggle room, although the Japanese giant of course has the ability to subsidise hardware prices because it takes a cut from the sale of all games on the system which is a source of income that the PC handhelds do not have the luxury of.
One final issue that could see a higher-than-hoped-for starting price is that the world is in a different place when it comes to electronics and components than it was prior to 2017 with a worldwide shortage of parts and an increased cost of what is available.
What are the Nintendo Switch 2 specs?
Besides the release date, this is the area of the Switch 2 that most people are interested in, and also where leakers are likely to be least reliable. Of the most likely it seems Sharp may have been supplying LCD screens to Nintendo since mid-2023 and that they were an 8” model. This would give it a bigger screen than PC handheld rivals, although returning to LCD from an OLED model might be seen as a strange choice it would reduce cost, allow upgrades further down the line, and improve battery life
Speculation suggests the Switch 2 will be packing custom graphics chips manufactured by Nvidia – the T239.
Other rumors suggest the Switch 2 could come with as little as 8GB of RAM, which seems low to us, but may be mitigated depending on what kind of RAM comes with Nvidia’s custom chipset.
Importantly it is currently expected that the Switch 2 will be backward compatible with existing Switch games. Assuming that means we can expect the same format when it comes to cartridge it will be interesting to see if the new design can store more data on them.
With Nintendo also keen to close down the Switch emulator Yuzu recently it might also point to similarities in game protection architecture.
Nintendo Switch 2 competition
Since the original Switch debuted the landscape for handheld gaming has shifted with the arrival of PC-based handhelds such as the SteamOS-based Steam Deck and the Windows 11-based ROG Ally, MSI Claw, and others. While Nintendo has a loyal fan base and a great catalog of exclusive games and IPs, its handhold console now has competition that simply did not exist back in 2017.
Currently, nothing on the market has the ease of picking up a Switch and playing, but this will no doubt change as the PC manufacturers get to grips with the handheld tech in future iterations.
Nintendo Switch 2 games
Any new console lives or dies on its game library – not necessarily at launch, especially if it is backward compatible, but Nintendo will certainly want to make sure that it has one or two of its killer brands ready with a new game for launch. There is no way it will be a new Zelda game, and we have just had Super Mario Bros. Wonder, but something like a new F-Zero would be cool, and Mario Kart 9 anyone?
