Nintendo announced its next console, the Nintendo Switch 2, on January 16. The console will be released this year and will be showcased in depth on April 2.
The Switch 2 resembles a bigger Nintendo Switch with a different way to attach the joy-cons, the new way to attach them to the console is magnetically from the sides. For those unfamiliar with the Nintendo Switch, joy-cons are two controllers that can act like one or two separate controllers when flipped horizontally. @pirat_nation on X said that the way to attach the joy-cons would be a key failing point, hinting at the fact that the connector could easily break when that’s possibly not the case. Switch 2 will be backward and compatible with most of Switch’s physical and digital games library.
Nintendo showed off the kickstand for the Switch 2, it was in a U shape on the back of the Switch. They also showed that there are 2 USB-C ports, one on the top and one on the bottom. They showed off a few things with the joy-cons, like how they connect to the switch being attached from the side, 2 accessories for the joy-cons, and the joy-cons having an optical sensor like a mouse. The 2 accessories for the joy-cons are to hold them like a controller and straps to your wrist so they don’t go flying.
They also teased a new Mario Kart game after 10 years. Technically, the last new Mario Kart game for a console was Home Circuit. But if you don’t count that game as a proper Mario Kart game, then the last new game was Mario Kart 8 for the Wii U. Mario Kart 8 was also ported to the Switch 1, but that was essentially just the same game with some bonus content like new DLC that added double the original tracks. The Mario Kart game teased didn’t look like 8 Deluxe since the models were off, similar to their Super Mario Bros. Wonder models and Donkey Kong getting an entirely new model. GetMadz pointed out that Peach was riding a bike while wearing her dress in the footage used when typically she’s in a biker outfit.
Multiple rumors and leaks have been reported about the Switch 2. Recently, an NVIDIA system-on-a-chip (a combination of CPU and GPU) was leaked. The Switch 2 is rumored to have ray-tracing support, contradicting initial rumors that it would rival the PS4 Pro. The screen is rumored to be an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), which uses liquid crystals to display what’s happening on the screen. The rumored price is between $399 and $499, possibly making it between $100 and $200 more than the original Switch.
