Nintendo Switch 2: everything we know so far

Rumors of a Nintendo Switch 2 person been circulating for years. Whispers of nan next-gen Nintendo console first started erstwhile The Legend of Zelda: Tears of nan Kingdom was initially teased successful 2019, past gained steam erstwhile the Switch OLED launched successful 2021. Now that Nintendo has decently confirmed that it’s moving connected a caller console, rumors person only gotten much frequent. We’ve moreover deed nan constituent wherever we’re seeing much reliable photos and spec leaks trickle out.

There’s nary uncertainty that nan Nintendo Switch is simply a awesome console — it has a unsocial and awesome crippled library (with more upcoming games slated for this year), nan number of features included pinch Nintendo Switch Online is perpetually improving, and it’s still our favourite portable console — but it isn’t without its flaws. There’s capable room for betterment to warrant an wholly caller console successful nan adjacent future.

Looking astatine nan Switch’s lifespan and nan existent gaming landscape, here’s what we deliberation nan Nintendo Switch 2 needs to bring to nan array to beryllium a worthwhile upgrade and compete pinch different platforms.

Switch 2 merchandise day speculation

Nintendo

After years of rumors, Nintendo has yet confirmed nan beingness of its Switch successor and that we’ll study much astir it earlier nan extremity of nan company’s fiscal twelvemonth successful March 2025. While we’re nearing nan extremity of 2024, Furukawa did restate successful its latest forecasts that nan scheme to uncover nan Switch successor by March 2025 is still successful effect.

This is Furukawa, President of Nintendo. We will make an announcement astir nan successor to Nintendo Switch wrong this fiscal year. It will person been complete 9 years since we announced nan beingness of Nintendo Switch backmost successful March 2015. We will beryllium holding a Nintendo Direct…

— 任天堂株式会社（企業広報・IR） (@NintendoCoLtd) May 7, 2024

It’s unclear if nan caller console will motorboat soon aft successful outpouring 2025 aliases if it will simply beryllium unveiled and released later. The latest leak from nan GamesIndustry.Biz Podcast suggests that developers are being told nan strategy will not beryllium released this fiscal year. If true, that intends nan Switch 2 will not travel retired earlier April 2025. Tokyo Security expert Hideki Yasuda released a study that could constrictive that model down. He claims nan Switch 2 will motorboat successful nan first half of 2025 betwixt April and June.

Switch 2 rumors and news

Nintendo

Aside from nan merchandise date, a fewer different reliable rumors astir this caller strategy are floating around. Take everything present pinch a atom of salt, of course, because Nintendo has yet to admit that a caller console is successful nan works. These whitethorn besides contradict nan features we want, but since they are still conscionable rumors, our wish database tin still beryllium answered.

Backward compatibility

This is Furukawa. At today's Corporate Management Policy Briefing, we announced that Nintendo Switch package will besides beryllium playable connected nan successor to Nintendo Switch. Nintendo Switch Online will beryllium disposable connected nan successor to Nintendo Switch arsenic well. Further accusation about…

— 任天堂株式会社（企業広報・IR） (@NintendoCoLtd) November 6, 2024

It was heavy suggested that nan Switch 2 would beryllium backward compatible, but Furukawa officially confirmed it during Nintendo’s Corporate Management Policy Briefing and pinch nan supra station connected X successful November 2024. Not only will Switch titles beryllium playable connected nan Switch 2, but your Nintendo Switch Online relationship will transportation complete arsenic well. More accusation is promised soon, and we don’t cognize if existent Switch games will get immoderate benignant of capacity aliases ocular benefits connected nan Switch 2, but this is simply a awesome confirmation for nan caller console.

Design

A summary of today's alleged Switch 2 images 'leak'. (1/3) pic.twitter.com/Z4rfSGz4WQ

— Andy Robinson (@Andy_VGC) September 18, 2024

A monolithic Switch 2 leak appeared connected nan GamingLeaksAndRumors Reddit that featured images of what nan Switch 2 prototype apparently looks like. It mostly appears identical to nan existent Switch model, but does show a noticeably larger surface and nan antecedently leaked magnetic Joy-Con controllers. The only different notable alteration we tin glean from these mock-ups is what looks for illustration a overmuch much sturdy kickstand. Note that while immoderate users person debated nan validity of nan CAD renders of nan systems, existent photos of nan console besides leaked, which look a spot much plausible.

Price

Coming from nan aforesaid study by Hideki Yasuda mentioned earlier, it is claimed that nan Switch 2 will costs $500 astatine launch.

Internal specs

According to Centro Leaks, a celebrated root for Pokemon-related rumors, nan next-gen Switch will person 12GB RAM and 256GB of soul storage.

That aforesaid leak we sewage nan expected creation images from corroborates those anterior specs, but besides provides galore much details. Besides nan 12GB of RAM (over nan original’s 4GB) and 256GB of retention (the original had only 32GB), this leak outlined that nan Switch 2 will travel pinch an 8-inch display, HDMI 2.1 support, 2 USB-C ports, magnetic controller attachments, upgraded SL/SR buttons, dual cooling fans, a SoCL CPU + GPU exemplary GMLX30-R-A1, MT62F768M64D4EK-026 (6GX2 dual channel, LPDDR5X, 7500 MT/s) memory, Ruiwu ALC5658-CG audio chip, built-in microphone, and Gigabit Ethernet chip.

Screen quality

In position of tech, nan biggest disappointment is regarding a Bloomberg study stating nan Switch 2 will motorboat pinch an 8-inch LCD surface alternatively than OLED. In position of power, nan Verge reported during nan Microsoft-Activision acquisition that Activision executives were informed astir nan imaginable powerfulness of a Switch 2 and compared it to being akin to nan PS4 aliases Xbox One. While Digital Foundry does opportunity we cognize that Nvidia’s T238 chipset will powerfulness it, it isn’t clear if it will beryllium capable to usage DLSS 2 to perchance upscale graphics to 4K.

Joy-Con improvements (and problems)

According to aggregate reports, but originating from video crippled website Vandal, nan Joy-Cons for nan Switch 2 will link magnetically alternatively of utilizing a integrative obstruction system. While this is awesome news for anyone who has ever struggled to region a Joy-Con from their Switch (it tin beryllium surprisingly difficult), it’s unclear if aged Joy-Cons will beryllium compatible pinch nan Switch 2 pinch this swap. The existing Nintendo Switch Pro Controller will reportedly activity pinch Switch 2.

Vandel recovered this accusation done sources astatine peripherals manufacturers.

Wireless dock

One personification connected nan Famiboards site who claims to person seen shipping manifests for nan Switch 2 claims that “the main gimmick would beryllium a wireless dock Stream/Switch which could explicate nan fans successful it.”

Assassin’s Creed Shadows + ports

Editor successful main of Universo Intendo Nash Weedle, who has been a reliable leaker successful nan past, has stated that some nan upcoming Assassin’s Creed Shadows and ports of erstwhile entries successful nan bid are owed to person Switch 2 ports astatine aliases adjacent nan console’s launch.

Features we want successful a Switch 2

4K solution and faster processing

While nan Switch surely wasn’t built to compete pinch nan Xbox Series X aliases PS5 successful position of earthy horsepower, it tin consciousness woefully underpowered moving moreover Switch exclusives, fto unsocial multi-platform titles. Trailers for upcoming Nintendo titles are often met pinch “that looks awesome … for nan Switch,” and caller launches don’t ever tally arsenic smoothly arsenic fans hoped. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet were unusually buggy astatine launch, Sonic Frontiers couldn’t deed precocious framework rates connected Switch, and games for illustration Hogwarts Legacy and The Lord of nan Rings: Gollum are coming to nan Switch good aft first motorboat dates arsenic those ports require other activity to fresh them connected nan system. While nan upcoming Legend of Zelda installment looks great, we can’t thief but dream astir really good it’d tally connected different console aliases PC.

Nintendo has surely carved retired its ain portion of nan gaming marketplace for players who don’t need improved graphics aliases processing powerfulness (do we really request high-res Kirby aliases Pikachu?), but nan Switch’s limitations surely clasp it back, and that rumor is only going to get worse moving forward.

The existent Switch tin deed 720p to 1080p solution and has a 60fps framework complaint limit. We’d emotion to acquisition afloat 4K gaming connected nan Switch 2 and bump up that framework complaint imaginable (so it can, astatine nan very least, consistently deed 60fps). We aren’t going to get into nan ins and outs of processing powerfulness and preferred chipsets here, but we decidedly request much powerfulness from Nintendo going forward.

Make nan OLED surface nan caller standard

Nintendo

The Nintendo Switch has ever been afloat of bright, colorful gaming experiences compared to different consoles that attraction connected mature titles that thin to inclination darker (visually and content-wise), and its successor will request a surface to bespeak that content. When nan Switch OLED model launched successful 2021, nan modular Switch’s LCD surface immediately looked washed retired by comparison. OLED screens are steps up of their counterparts, boasting improved achromatic levels, brightness levels, and colour accuracy while utilizing little powerfulness overall.

We’d beryllium really disappointed if Nintendo walked backmost connected specified a awesome update and didn’t standardize nan OLED surface connected its adjacent console, astatine nan very least.

More built-in storage

Image utilized pinch support by copyright holder

Any longtime Switch owners person tally into retention issues and person been forced to archive crippled information to make room for caller games regularly. The modular Switch and Switch Lite travel pinch 32 GB of soul storage, while nan Switch OLED exemplary bumps up retention to 64 GB. With caller games becoming much demanding and needing much abstraction pinch each passing year, nan thought of fitting much than a fistful of premium titles wrong 64 GB is laughable. And moreover immoderate of that constricted retention is reserved for usage by nan system!

Switch users tin easy grow nan retention connected immoderate of these consoles by purchasing a ample microSDHC aliases microSDXC paper up to 2TB, but those are sold separately and tin costs arsenic overmuch arsenic a caller crippled if you spell pinch a ample one. This a weird costs to walk disconnected to players erstwhile it’s going to beryllium 100% basal to support a decent integer room of games.

Nintendo should make nan move complete to an soul solid-state thrust erstwhile nan Switch 2 comes out. An SSD would let for greater soul retention and drastically improved load times compared to nan Switch’s modular flash representation aliases outer SD paper information transportation times. Current games would execute amended and faster, while developers would person a batch much to activity pinch erstwhile processing caller games. It’s a triumph for everyone.

Improved Joy-Cons

Shutterstock by saksorn kumjit

Everyone loves nan expertise to move nan Switch backmost and distant betwixt docked and handheld modes. What’s amended than doling retired Joy-Cons to each your friends for a crippled of Mario Party Superstars aliases Mario Kart 8? The simplicity of nan Switch’s controller creation useful — we’re not asking for thing analyzable — but their value conscionable isn’t up to manufacture standard. Joy-Cons consciousness inexpensive for really overmuch they cost, aren’t nan astir ergonomic style for comfortable agelong gaming sessions, and will inevitably suffer from drift issues. This is erstwhile a Joy-Con thumbstick will move without a subordinate rubbing it, causing evident gameplay problems.

Joy-Con drift is nan large rumor present because it has existed since nan console’s motorboat and Nintendo really hasn’t done thing astir it pinch newer models. The institution has been repairing out-of-warranty Joy-Cons since 2019, but nan process isn’t precisely smooth, and Switch owners shouldn’t person to nonstop their very basal controllers disconnected for problems pinch nan design.

Color customization options

Nintendo

Nintendo has released immoderate spectacular typical version Switch models for games for illustration Splatoon 3, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of nan Kingdom, but location aren’t a full batch of customization options extracurricular of buying an wholly caller console aliases a abstracted group of Joy-Cons that you mightiness not need. There are respective colour schemes disposable for nan Switch Lite and a fewer different colour first-party Joy-Con colors, but extracurricular of that, location are a batch of third-party accessories that mightiness not meet Nintendo standards.

Obviously, location needs to beryllium a colour strategy for nan guidelines model, but wouldn’t it beryllium cool if you could bid a Switch 2 online and prime your ain styles for nan console, dock, and Joy-Cons? That level of personalization could make a Switch successor consciousness a spot much special, giving players a bully logic to upgrade. It’d beryllium awesome to spot that power extended to its UI arsenic well, bringing backmost nan Nintendo 3DS’ themes and adding caller ways to customize nan existent Switch’s barebones paper screen.

And please, Nintendo, bring backmost translucent controllers.