There have been reports about the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 for a while now, but there have been no official confirmations from the brand. But Nintendo has put the will-they won’t-they speculation to an end and finally indirectly confirmed the next-generation Switch’s launch.
Nintendo’s president, Shuntaro Furukawa, made the announcement. Here’s what you need to know about the Nintendo Switch 2 launch.
Nintendo Switch 2 Set to Launch Before March 2025
Furukawa took to Twitter to announce a Nintendo Direct event scheduled for June. The event will be intended for the Nintendo Switch software lineup for the latter half of 2024. The top executive clarified that the next-generation Switch console will not be mentioned at the upcoming event.
社長の古川です。2015年3月にNintendo Switchの存在を公表して以来9年ぶりにSwitchの後継機種に関するアナウンスを今期中に行います。また、2024年後半のSwitchソフトラインナップをお知らせするNintendo Directを6月に実施しますが、そこでは後継機種を扱いません。誤解のないようお願いいたします。
— 任天堂株式会社（企業広報・IR） (@NintendoCoLtd) May 7, 2024
However, Furukawa seems to be aware of the buzz around the Switch 2. The announcement post started with the statement that the successor to the Nintendo Switch 2 will be announced within this fiscal year before March 31, 2025. While there is an official confirmation regarding the next Switch console, it won’t be here anytime soon.
The post mentions that there will be an announcement and not a launch. The brand announced the original Nintendo Switch in 2015. However, the handheld gaming console did not go on sale until 2017. This means the successor to the Nintendo Switch might take a couple of years to launch after the official announcement this year.
Nintendo Switch 2 Rumoured Specifications and Price
Past rumours have suggested that the Nintendo Switch 2 will likely come with a custom NVIDIA processor, an upgrade over the Switch’s Tegra X1 chip. Moreover, a tipster claimed that Switch 2 might offer PS5 and Xbox-level graphics that support DLSS 3.5 and AI Ray Reconstruction for ray tracing.
Nintendo Switch 2 is rumoured to have an 8-inch LCD display, with an OLED variant coming later, just like the original Switch. The brand is expected to boost the refresh rate to 120Hz from 60Hz on Nintendo Switch.
Other rumoured features include backward compatibility with original Nintendo Switch games and support for the physical game card slot. The Nintendo Switch 2 is expected to be priced around $400 globally.
