It’s safe to say that people are amped up for the Nintendo Switch’s successor. When the first Switch console released back in 2017, it was a revelation – a vision of a portable gaming future. Everyone scrambled to get their hands on one. Now, seven years later, very scrap of information is pored over, every rumour investigated to the nth degree – we’re all deeply invested in what’s to come.
Despite recent Nintendo Direct conferences avoiding the topic, we’re keeping our ears to the ground for any information that could lead to the upcoming console. Will it be the Nintendo Switch 2? Will it be called something entirely new and different? The internet is abuzz with questions as countless journalists, hobbyists and fans scour social media for clues.
All eyes are on Nintendo’s upcoming console, and despite the company’s consistent candour in affirming there’s no official Nintendo Switch 2 news as yet, the hype is increasing every day. To satisfy your curiosity, here’s everything we know about the Nintendo Switch 2 (so far).
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Nintendo Switch 2: Latest news and updates
September 10th, 2024: Reddit leak suggests backwards compatibility, production experts speculate on a launch window
While all leaks should be taken with a grain of salt (especially those that arise from Reddit), reports from known Redditor NatetheHate2 have set the community ablaze, suggesting that the Nintendo Switch 2 will have confirmed backwards compatibility. The comment, which was posted on a thread discussing imminent news from Nintendo regarding production and release dates, didn’t go into any detail on the potential inclusion.
Meanwhile, per HotHardware.com, tweets from Senior Analyst at MST Financial David Gibson indicate that production is ramping up fast, and might be indicative of an even earlier release date than expected. With rumours abound that Nintendo will make an announcement as early as this week (in large part due to comments from Andy Robinson on the VGC podcast), we’re keeping our eyes peeled.
August 30th, 2024: Amazon Games intends to support the new Nintendo console
According to an interview with IGN, Amazon Games vice president Christoph Hartmann spoke highly of his regard for the upcoming console and how willing he is to wait for the perfect product.
“Yeah, we obviously plan to develop games for it and I can’t wait for it to be out,” he said. “I mean, honestly, I’d rather have them wait a year and get it perfect than rush it to the market and then we all complain about what doesn’t work. Switch has been such a fantastic product, I can wait another year if I have to.”
August 27th, 2024: Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase and Indie World set for tonight
“In addition to announcing the dual shows, Nintendo has also confirmed this Nintendo Direct won’t include any news or announcements for the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2. That said, we can still expect a few nice surprises.”
August 5th, 2024: Nintendo reports significant year-on-year financial downturn
“In its newly-released financial report, the company has confirmed significant drops for net sales (-46.5%), operating profit (-70.6%) and net profit (-55.3%), with this comparative loss attributed to “special factors” in Q1 2024, including the release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and The Super Mario Bros. Movie.”
“For now, there’s no news about the next Nintendo console, and until a release is firmly locked in, Nintendo is likely to continue its temporary downturn. Based on colour in its financial report, the Q1 result is not unexpected for Nintendo, and it will likely continue in a holding pattern until the launch of its next console. When this happens, we can expect a sharp uptick in Nintendo’s results.”
June 19th, 2024: Nintendo Direct June 2024: Every major game announcement
“Though we knew for sure there would be no mention of the Nintendo Switch successor console, that doesn’t mean we weren’t blown away. There were plenty of trailers that were primed and ready for us to lay our eager eyes on – including The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, Donkey Kong Country Returns HD, Mario & Luigi: Brothership, and much more.”
May 8th, 2024: Nintendo will announce Switch 2 console by March 2025
“Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa has taken to Twitter / X to formally announce the company will reveal its next console – colloquially known as the Nintendo Switch 2 – by March 2025. While the announcement was light on detail, that hasn’t stopped the excitement, as fans anticipate the long-awaited console.”
April 29, 2024: Nintendo Switch 2 rumoured to feature magnetic Joy-Cons
“Per Vandal, which accurately reported on the Switch OLED prior to reveal, the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 will have refreshed Joy-Con controllers that attach magnetically, rather than by sliding rail. This suggests the new Joy-Cons will feature a refreshed design, and that older Joy-Cons may not be compatible with the main chassis of the Nintendo Switch 2.”
When is the Nintendo Switch 2 release date?
While Nintendo has said we’ll see the Switch’s successor released in this fiscal year, that may not be the case. Journalist Christopher Dring said during a recent GamesIndustry.biz podcast, “No developer I’ve spoken to expects it to launch in this financial year, in fact, they’ve been told not to expect it in this financial year.”
Further, in August 2024, a report from Japanese analyst Hideki Yasuda (translated by Automaton Media) indicated the Switch’s successor will launch in the first half of next year. Given Nintendo’s fiscal year will end in March 2025, speculation online has led to an assumed release date between April 2025 and June 2025 – though there’s no word as yet about how legitimate those rumours may be.
Will the Nintendo Switch 2 be revealed at Nintendo Direct?
If there’s one thing Nintendo is good at, it’s keeping the public informed, especially when it comes to whether we will or won’t be hearing any news about its next console. For the past few Nintendo Direct broadcasts, posts have gone out on Nintendo’s official X/Twitter accounts making it very clear to fans that they’re not quite ready to share more.
The upside of this candour is that the chances of a surprise drop of information are slightly lower. Eager fans should keep an eye on Nintendo’s social channels for any insight.
For the Nintendo Direct showcase in late August, there will not be any mention of the Switch successor, as per a tweet from the Nintendo main account.
How much will the Nintendo Switch 2 cost?
While we’re still waiting on any details of the console’s release, specs and price, we do know that when its predecessor released in 2017, it retailed for around AUD $469.95 in Australia. Nowadays, you can purchase a Nintendo Switch for just over AUD $400, with OLED versions retailing for closer to AUD $500.
Given inflation, demand, and the fact that there’s so much hype surrounding it already, we wouldn’t be surprised if the Nintendo Switch 2 has a higher starting price point on release.
According to analyst Dr. Serkan Toto in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, “I believe the next hardware will drop next year for $400 [USD]. There is a high chance that games will cost more, too: $70 [USD].”
If that holds true, then in Australian dollars, we’d be looking at a price somewhere about the AUD $600 mark for the console.
Read: Pokemon Legends: Z-A: What is the next Pokemon game?
What are the launch titles for the Nintendo Switch 2?
While we’re still waiting on any concrete information about the Switch successor, we can have a little fun hypothesising about which titles are likely to come along with it. There are some clear frontrunners – a new Luigi’s Mansion is our top pick – but there’s actually a pretty good rationale behind some games over others, and some we can rule a few out.
It’s unlikely to be a Legend of Zelda game, given the upcoming release of Echoes of Wisdom. It’s unlikely to be anything that hasn’t yet been announced. But you know what is likely? According to VDGMS, “7 out of 11 times (64%) that Nintendo launched a console, there was a new Mario game to go with it.”
Chances are high that Pokemon: Z-A will feature as one of the first games in the line-up, and thanks to the above statistics, there’s a decent chance there will be a Mario instalment.
Will the Nintendo Switch 2 be backward compatible with Switch games?
The honest answer around backward compatibility is that nobody knows for sure yet, but given the slew of titles that were announced during June’s Nintendo Direct, chances are reasonably good. Tentpole releases like Metroid Prime 4 deserve a strong, long lifespan, so exclusively releasing on the original Switch could be quite limiting – although, you never know.
