Nintendo Switch 2 leaked news is rolling in, and we can’t wait for an official announcement on this much-anticipated system. In September, we heard rumours that Nintendo Switch 2 Gamescom was demonstrating tech demos of their upcoming hardware to developers.
Nintendo is a notoriously secretive company. Therefore, it has disclosed almost nothing publicly regarding its future game console. As the Nintendo Switch celebrates its seventh birthday in March 2024, speculations about how long it will last are natural. A console generation typically lasts seven years. However, Switch sales are rapidly declining, and the technology that powers the device is showing its age.
It’s no surprise that Nintendo is treading lightly. The Switch has been a huge success — it’s the third-best-selling console ever, after only the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo’s own DS handheld. This poses both an opportunity and a risk. Nintendo has always struggled to follow its most popular formats: the Wii and DS were followed by the Wii U, which was a fiasco, and the 3DS, which was a relative disappointment in terms of sales.
Nintendo’s customary emphasis on hardware innovation has shown to be more likely to offend than attract new fans. They typically release entirely new systems that expand on the features and capabilities of their predecessors. Alternatively, the corporation may try something new.
So, are you wondering what might be in store for Nintendo fans? Here are all the latest speculations and rumours about the new Nintendo Switch 2.
What will the Nintendo’s Next-Gen Console be Called?
Regarding its name, we are not sure. It’s noteworthy that Nintendo has never called its consoles in number order, even when they’re direct sequels to earlier generations. Some examples include the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy Advance, and Nintendo 3DS. For now, “Switch 2” is a relevant name that we will use in this article.
Nintendo Switch 2 News
In a brief statement, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa admitted to the existence of “the successor to Nintendo Switch.” However, Furukawa has told fans that they will not reveal more information regarding the console during Nintendo Direct in June. Instead, it will focus on Switch’s 2024 portfolio. Furukawa stated that Nintendo will announce the new system “within this fiscal year”—before the end of March 2025. This is the first formal announcement that Nintendo is developing new hardware.
According to reports, the Switch 2 could sport an 8-inch screen and be backwards compatible with games and older Joy-Cons. Speaking about Joy-Cons, they might be magnetically attached to the Switch 2.
Nintendo Switch 2 Release Date
Brazilian video game writer Pedro Henrique Lutti Lippe first revealed the news of the delay until 2025. He claimed to have heard from several sources that developers were working on games intended to be released with the Switch 2. Similar allegations were relayed to VGC and Eurogamer by their respective sources.
According to a rumour by the prominent Japanese media site Nikkei, Nintendo’s follow-up to its best-selling handheld/home console hybrid will debut in March 2025 at the latest. It confirms a widely circulating allegation that the Switch 2’s debut date has been moved from 2024 to Q1 2025.
This original rumour stated that Nintendo had pushed the release date of its next system to ensure that its launch lineup was as strong as possible (rumours of Switch 2 coming with a new 3D Mario game continue). However, Nikkei provides another explanation for the delay.
According to the journal, one of the main reasons for the delay in the release of Switch 2 is that Nintendo wants to ensure it can fulfil predicted demand at launch. The corporation will no doubt want to prevent its own PS5 restocking horror.
Nintendo Switch 2 Specs and Potential Hardware Enhancements
Onboard storage has been estimated at 512GB, a huge increase above the 32GB and 64GB of the original Switch and Switch OLED, respectively. We may expect Nintendo to stick with an Nvidia system-on-chip, most likely a next-generation version of the existing Switch’s old Tegra X1 CPU. Given the Switch’s success and scope, we wouldn’t be surprised if Nvidia also provided Nintendo with a bespoke processor.
However, as shown with the Valve Stream Deck and Asus ROG Ally, AMD’s improvements may allow Team Red to provide chips for a next-generation Switch. But we would still recommend Nvidia.
In fact, following a chaotic rumour speculating on a Tegra chip based on Samsung’s 5-nanometer manufacturing node, we believe an Nvidia chip will power the new Nintendo Switch 2. This rumour was later rejected by the tipster who started it.
It would be difficult to estimate potential power or clock speeds. We hope that Nintendo uses enough CPU and GPU power to provide a next-generation gaming experience.
A Switch 2 spec sheet leak could lead to a system that isn’t as cutting-edge as we’d want. According to RedGamingTech, the Nintendo Switch 2 2024 will include an eight-core Cortex-A78AE processor, ten streaming multiprocessors (SMs), 8GB of RAM, and only 64GB of eMMC storage.
An improvement over the present Switch, it is nowhere near powerful enough to compete with the PS5 or Xbox X.
Nintendo Switch 2 Display and Dock Enhancements
According to Taiwan’s Economic Daily News, a Nintendo Switch successor could sport mini-LED screens supplied by Innolux.
There were rumours of a possible co-processor chip in the dock of a Switch 2 or the previously anticipated Nintendo Switch Pro. This additional chip would increase the console’s power and video output when docked and connected to a 4K television. Such a feature would be nice, but rumours about it have died.
Furthermore, according to Wccftech, a data miner named “SciresM” claimed to have discovered a reference to a new Nintendo Switch model, codename “Aula,” in the most recent firmware update for the Nintendo Switch. Although it is currently impossible to determine from the firmware code, this source contends that the hardware improvement may be located in a new dock rather than within the tablet.
Finally, a leaked Nvidia email has given rise to suspicions that the Tegra239 SoC was created especially for a forthcoming Nintendo Switch model. This might most definitely refer to the Nintendo Switch 2.
Will Nintendo Switch 2 Be A Hybrid Handheld Console?
The answer appears to be yes. VGC reported, citing numerous sources after dev kits arrived at partner studios, that the system “would be able to be used in portable mode, similar to the Nintendo Switch.” Nikkei later confirmed this.
Laura Kate Dale pointed out that Nintendo submitted a Nintendo Switch 2 patent application for a novel controller design with Hall Effect joysticks last year. In contrast to other configurations, these sticks don’t damage a stick’s sensor because they sense movement using magnets. This stick is already on the third-party Nyxi Wizard controller. Therefore, if Switch 2 uses it, the dreaded stick drift problem shouldn’t transfer to the next generation. Here are the best Nintendo Switch tips and tricks, so you can get the most out of your Switch. We might think that it can greatly improve your experience with the console.
There is no word yet on whether it will have a handheld-only edition, similar to the Switch Lite. However, early indications suggest that Nintendo intends to closely follow in the footsteps of the Switch, which has sold over 130 million units.
It might be a little bigger, though. According to a 2024 estimate from a Japanese analyst, the console’s screen will be 8 inches, up from 6.2 inches for the original Switch and 7 inches for the Switch OLED variant.
Will Switch 2 be Backward-Compatible?
This is the key question, with many fans hoping — or expecting — to take their game collections to Nintendo’s next console. This has been the case with the most recent generations of Xbox and PlayStation consoles. The solution remains uncertain, and it is difficult to predict as well.
VGC’s study stated that the machine’s backward compatibility “remains unclear.” Some third-party publishers have expressed concern about the potential impact on sales of next-generation titles if the machine is backward-compatible. For its part, Nintendo has (in a rare on-the-record comment) said it aims to migrate Switch customers over to the new platform with their Nintendo accounts; if the Nintendo account system remains, it will make it easy for users to access past purchases. However, this does not imply that the console is technically capable of it.
Additional reports from peripheral makers indicate that the Switch 2 will be backward compatible with Switch games (including physical cartridges) and accessories like the Pro Controller and Joy-Cons.
Nintendo has a solid, if not perfect, track record supporting backward compatibility. The Wii played GameCube games, while the Wii U played Wii games. The Game Boy Advance was backward compatible with the Game Boy, and the 3DS with the DS. However, the Switch demanded a clean break from the past due to its new game cartridge format. Nintendo has profited handsomely from rereleasing Wii U games on the console, particularly the 55-million-selling Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
The Switch 2’s backward compatibility will depend on whether it employs the same format for physical releases. There are still technical challenges to implementing backward compatibility. A lot will depend on the chip architecture Nintendo has chosen for the Switch 2, which is currently unknown. Various Nintendo Switch 2 leaks Reddit suggest mixed possibilities regarding this feature, adding to the uncertainty.
What Games will be Available for Switch 2?
Speaking of the enhanced Breath of the Wild demo, sources quickly stressed that there was no indication that an enhanced version of the entire game would be released commercially — though it wouldn’t be shocking if it did.
The most likely contender for a Switch 2 launch game is Metroid Prime 4. This is the only previously mentioned in-house Nintendo game with no release date, and Nintendo has been quite silent about it recently. Given this, releasing before the second half of 2024 appears implausible.
Perhaps Nintendo will create a cross-gen title for the Switch and its successor, as with Breath of the Wild for Wii U/Switch and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess for GameCube/Wii.
Aside from Metroid Prime 4, Nintendo’s roster has two major gaps: a new Mario Kart and a 3D Super Mario game. There hasn’t been a new Mario Kart in nearly nine years. Aside from adding content to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, the Mario Kart development team has been dormant since Arms was released in 2017.
Deluxe has sold so consistently over the Switch’s lifetime that Nintendo has had no motivation to release a sequel. However, a new platform appears to give the ideal opportunity for Mario Kart 9.
Similarly, no new 3D Mario game has been released since Super Mario Odyssey in 2017. It’s almost certain that one will appear on Nintendo’s future platform; the question is when. Like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Odyssey debuted within the Switch’s first year. Perhaps we can expect a similar experience with the Switch 2.
Prices & Comparison
The new Nintendo Switch debuted for $259.99 / £259.99 / AUD$435, with the updated Nintendo Switch OLED priced at $349.99 / £309.99 / AU$539.95. The Nintendo Switch 2 2024 is expected to have better hardware than both models. Therefore, the asking price will almost certainly be greater.
To put things in perspective, the PS5 and Xbox Series X are priced at $499.99 / £479.99 / AU$799.95 and $499 / £449 / AU$749, respectively. Nintendo frequently seeks to undercut its competitors by delivering lower-spec hardware at a lower price.
Considering this, we wouldn’t be shocked if Nintendo Switch 2 is priced around $399.99 / £399.99 / AU$699.95. The price might even be slightly cheaper to maintain its competitive edge. However, remember that this amount is currently only an informed estimation.
Battery Life Estimation
The Nintendo Switch 2’s battery life should improve when on the go. According to IGN, in a podcast interview with The Phawx and YouTuber Moore’s Law is Dead, the latter indicated that the Nintendo Switch 2’s battery life should be improved for users on the road because “it’s going to be clocked ‘crazy low’” while undocked.
On the good side, this could enhance the new Nintendo Switch’s power economy. Nevertheless, it will result in certain graphics trade-offs and less spectacular images.
According to IGN, the original Nintendo battery lasts up to 6 hours. However, the next Switch model, unveiled in 2020, increases runtime to 9 hours. The Nintendo Switch OLED has an identical runtime.