Perhaps one of the worst kept secrets on the planet right now, Nintendo has officially unveiled Nintendo Switch 2, due out in 2025.
The Kyoto-based company released a two-minute teaser showing off new magnetically-attaching Joy-Con on hardware that largely looks like the first Switch, but in a refined enclosure.
We know nothing of what’s inside, but Nintendo has now confirmed USB-C ports on both the top and bottom of the device, an additional square button on the right Joy-Con (which has unannounced functionality at this point), a new kickstand design, and new splashes of colour under the joysticks that are reminiscent of the pale blue and red from the original launch Switch model back in 2017.
The rumours have largely been true about the design of the Joy-Con themselves as well, with what appears to be optical sensors on each side so that they can be used as some sort of movement or pointing device (Mario Paint 2, anyone?) but this also remains to be seen.
This is the first time Nintendo is simply appending a new digit to signify a new console generation. This is likely due to the massive commercial success of the Switch, and wanting to ride the momentum of that moving forward for the next eight years, or however long it takes them to release their next console.
The company no doubt remembers that their last wildly successful console, Nintendo Wii, was followed-up by Wii U, which caused market confusion, didn’t signify to non-gamers enough that they were getting a new console generation, leading many to believe this was perhaps an accessory for the original console.
Nonetheless, the Nintendo Switch 2 moniker shows that Nintendo is continuing the trend of the Switch, as the vast majority of Switch digital and physical titles will still be compatible on the new console.
Nintendo has announced a Nintendo Direct for Switch 2 will take place on April 2nd where presumably more details about the console and games will be revealed.