The Nintendo Switch 2 is coming in 2025. Here are all of the confirmed details, rumors and speculation regarding the upcoming console.
With Nintendo’s April 2 Direct showcase over and done, we now know more about the Switch 2 than ever before, including its release date (June 5), price ($450!) and how to pre-order.
Thanks to Nintendo’s January 16 teaser trailer, we’ve long known what the Switch 2 will look like, and that it will arrive in 2025 — over eight years after its predecessor. The Nintendo Switch 2 looks very similar to the original system, albeit with a larger display, magnetic Joy-Cons and a sleeker design. The company also reaffirmed that the upcoming console will be backwards compatible with Switch games.
Looking to catch up on everything we know about the Switch 2? Read on.
The Nintendo Switch 2 has a 1080p 7.9-inch display with a 120Hz refresh and HDR compatibility. It also supports up to 4K output at 120Hz (with variable refresh rates) when docked.
The new Joy-Con for Nintendo Switch 2 attaches magnetically with a button to release them. They have larger SL and SR buttons (the ones hidden when the Joy-Con are attached) to make playing multiplayer games on one Joy-Con more feasible. The analog sticks are no longer tiny nubs, and are closer in size to the ones you might find on a PS5 or Xbox controller. They have what Nintendo is calling “HD Rumble 2” built in, which seems to be a refinement of the original (and still very good) vibration function. Finally, each Joy-Con has an optical sensor that allows you to use it as a mouse, and a C button, which we’ll get to in a minute.
The new Pro Controller for the Nintendo Switch 2 comes with everything you’d expect based on the refreshed Joy-Con: Namely HD Rumble 2 and the C button. There are also remappable GL/GR buttons around the back and a standard audio jack for connecting a headset.
Both options come with Amiibo support built in. The Switch 2 comes with two Joy-Con as you’d expect, and additional pairs are priced at $90. The Pro Controller will cost $80.
The new C button is a dedicated way to enter a chat session with friends. As well as the standard features you’d expect from voice chat, Nintendo has built a Discord-like video-sharing feature, which lets you show your gameplay to others and see other people’s screens while you’re playing.
The chat function works with a mic built into the console, though headsets are also supported. Nintendo will also sell a $50 camera that plugs into the USB-C port on the top of the console, which will allow you to stream your face along with your game.
The Switch 2 will work with GameCube games via the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack. The three titles available at launch will be F-Zero GX, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and Soul Calibur II.
Perhaps the biggest feature, though, is one you can’t see: The Switch 2 has an all-new processor and GPU and significantly more storage (256GB vs 64GB in the Switch OLED), along with support for faster and more capacious microSD cards. This will obviously lead to better first-party games and upgraded Switch experiences, but more importantly it will mean multi-platform games that had to skip the original, underpowered Switch will be able to be ported over. With games like Cyberpunk 2077 coming to the Switch 2 at launch, it seems like far more ports will be feasible than on the original console.
Another major improvement comes in the form of networking — the Switch 2 supports WiFi 6, which will improve the original’s often glacial download speeds.
