Everything we know about the upcoming console

As the world changes, so do the console generations. The Nintendo Switch is over seven years old, so it should be updated. Nintendo Switch 2 rumors have been swirling for years, but now they are indeed heating. A sequel to Nintendo’s most successful home console is coming and it may be coming sooner rather than later.

Will it be a direct sequel to the Switch with updated specs while keeping the same hybrid performance or will Nintendo be weird about it? Will it even be called the Switch 2, or will the company go with something like the Super Switch or the New Nintendo Switch? You can’t say that about Nintendo. Heck, maybe it’ll call the thing the Switch U.

In any case, recent weeks have brought intense speculation about all aspects of the upcoming games console. It is important to note, however, that very few details have been confirmed by Nintendo. The company works on its own schedule. With that said, here are all the rumors that may come true, given the industry analysis.

When will the Nintendo Switch 2 be announced?

As mentioned before, Nintendo marches to the beat of its own drum. We don’t know exactly when it will hold an event to reveal the console. Many people wrongly thought it would happen in late 2024, but that didn’t happen.

Even Nintendo is having trouble keeping the lid on the console’s big release, so we can learn something before the official reveal. There are parts that have to be found and they have to be shipped. A senior analyst at MST Financial noted an increase in the cost of manufacturing equipment made by Nintendo developer Hosiden.

When will it happen? Nintendo Switch 2 Get out?

Once again, this is more or less a mystery. We are not completely in the dark, but mostly rumors and speculation. One thing we know for sure is that Nintendo will announce the Nintendo Switch 2 (or whatever it chooses to call it) in March 2025, as the company confirmed in May. Some say there will be a March release date, which makes sense if the OG Switch came out on March 17, 2017. However, other reports put the console’s release window later in 2025.

Accessory manufacturer Genki, which has been the main source of leaks in recent months, says the console will be released in April.

Will it be a proper Switch sequel?

Nintendo has a strange history here. The confusing Wii U followed the massive success of the Wii. The Wii itself followed the traditional GameCube. In other words, it might be something out of left field and not a true Switch sequel. However, this is not possible this time. As much as I’d love to see fancy VR glasses or a completely bonkers console concept, all points point to a more traditional approach.

The developers have already seen the hardware, albeit in an earlier version, and it appears to be a regular old console. Although Nintendo has not yet confirmed the performance of the hybrid, it would be strange given the complete financial storm of the Switch. We also hear rumors of a Mini-LED display, which could track the hybrid console. It is very likely that this will be a straight Switch 2, or something similar, reminiscent of the Super Nintendo.

To that end, recent rumors hint at a design reminiscent of the original Switch. According to a report by VGCimages of the console have surfaced online and show an 8-inch screen and magnetic Joy-Con controllers. There appear to be SL/SR buttons and player LEDs on the front of these controllers.

Will there be any surprises for Nintendo?

Everything leaked or rumored so far for this console has been, well, traditional. It looks like the first switch, but better. That’s amazing, but will there be that unexpected Nintendo magic? It’s possible! Recent reports show two confusing additions that people can make to their skin or hair.

An accessory maker called Genki accidentally leaked an alleged mockup at CES 2025 of the entire console. If the Switch 2 is coming sooner rather than later, it makes sense that accessory makers will have these types of mockups. There seems to be a mysterious “C” button in the bottom right and no one knows what it does. Can it start a voice chat during gameplay? Can it measure controls? Can it create a room-sized Bowser hologram in your living room? We’ll have to wait and see, and there’s always the chance that the button won’t be available.

Now for the updated Joy-Cons, that same leak seems to indicate a new sensor on the connector side of each controller. It looks exactly like an optical sensor, which is what a computer mouse uses. This led to speculation that players would be able to flip the Joy-Con around and use it as a mouse.

But why would anyone want this? I can think of three names. New Mario Paint. In any case, take all that Genki stuff with a huge grain of salt, as Nintendo has come out and said the images and video are “illegal.” The accessory manufacturer also stated that the recording was not based on an actual console, but rather “leaked information distributed in the industry.”

Is it Nintendo Switch 2 back compatible?

If it’s a Switch sequel, the next question should be about backwards compatibility. The switch library is huge, and continues to grow, so players will be well looked after if they can’t play. Tears of the Kingdom on their new next-generation console. There is good news ahead.

The company officially announced in the latest earnings report that the console will be completely back. It will also include access to Nintendo Online, so users will be able to play all those old retro titles.

What about the specs?

Rumors about the specs are all over the place, so it’s hard to refute them. We know one thing for sure: It will be more powerful than the old Switch hardware, which was already old in 2017. One analyst allegedly received the specified sheet Korean United Daily News said Switchch 2 will boast an 8-core Cortex-A78AE processor, 8GB of RAM, and 64GB of internal EMMC storage. This is tracking me, as these indicators are almost as weak in 2024 as the original Change was in 2017. However, other reports indicate that the console will feature 12GB of RAM.

Another source suggests that eight CPUs will be packed inside the NVIDIA-produced Tegra239 SoC (system on a chip). Considering the current Switch runs on an NVIDIA chip, that makes a lot of sense. The CPU will be more powerful, but it’s the Switch 2’s new GPU that will be the biggest difference. It’s all-but-confirmed that the Switch 2 will support DLSS, “deep learning supersampling” of NVIDIA technology, which will allow the console to offer games with a low resolution inside while outputting a high-resolution image. (Fun fact: We actually wrote about how perfect DLSS was for the Nintendo Switch 2 when the technology was announced alongside the RTX 20 series back in 2018.)

There are still questions about the Switch 2 and DLSS: Will the system support new DLSS features like frame generation? Will existing games be automatically optimized with NVIDIA’s algorithm? Regardless of how it’s done exactly, the DLSS upgrade will be a huge leap forward from the unconventional techniques available to Nintendo Switch developers.

Regarding the show, there are many conflicting rumors. Early reports from solid sources suggested that the Switch 2 will have an 8-inch LCD display, but there have been rumors about a 7-inch display with a 120Hz refresh rate. Some analysts have suggested that this will be an OLED screen, while others say it will be a Mini-LED display. A Mini-LED display is basically an LCD display with a backlight made of mini-LEDs (amazing!) rather than edge lighting. This allows for local dimming, making blacks very dark. I’m hedging my bets here. I think it will be standard LCD, to keep costs down, with an OLED or Mini-LED model coming later down the line. However, Mini-LED screens are slightly cheaper than OLED displays, so that’s a possibility at launch.

As for resolution, recent reports suggest that the console will output portable 1080p and 4K when docked. That’s much better than the OG Switch.

How much will the Nintendo Switch 2 cost?

We don’t have too much information about the price but we have a lot of history to work with. The original Nintendo Switch was launched for $300, which is almost the “magic number” when it comes to Nintendo console releases in recent years. The Wii U also came in at $300.

However, there are many rumors circulating that Nintendo may raise the price of the Switch 2. Many outlets have reported that it will be $400, or possibly more. However, the same analysts who said the console would be $400 were also sure it would come out in late 2024 and, well, it looks like that’s not happening.

Going back in history, there are precedents for price increases. The GameCube was $200 and the Wii was $250. The Wii U and Switch went up to $300 and, well, the numbers tend to go up. The $400 price tag would make it almost as expensive as the PS5 and Xbox Series X. That would also put it at the same price as the 256GB LCD Steam Deck.

Do we know of any launch games?

No! But it sure has been a while since we got a proper 3D Mario adventure, right? That would be a system vendor. Besides, your guess is as good as mine. In the past as a precursor, we can expect something from Ubisoft and an off-the-wall title like 1-2-Change.

If there’s a gimmick or hook involved in the console, we’ll find a game that takes advantage of that. A double release of Metroid Prime 4just like Wild Spirit again Twilight Princess before that, it is also possible. Finally, it has been rumored that the main theme of the launch will be none other than that Mario Kart 9.

That’s all we know about the Nintendo Switch 2 today. We will update this article with the rumors we trust and the information we gather directly from the sources. Any changes made to the article after its initial publication will be listed below.

Update, January 10, 2025, 12:40 PM ET: This story has been updated with details about the Switch 2’s alleged “C” button, as well as the Joy-Con sensors. We also wrote about the announcement window and the launch games. Finally, we’ve put together announcements from Nintendo and Genki about potential leaks.