Nintendo has finally peeled back the curtain on its highly anticipated Switch 2 console.
After opening the April 2 Direct presentation with Mario Kart World, the company offered an extensive look at its successor to the massively popular Switch. Most importantly, the company confirmed that the Switch 2 will launch worldwide on June 5, 2025 for $629.
Outside of that, Nintendo provided more detail about the hardware itself, following a brief tease in January. As previously confirmed, the Switch 2 will sport a design that’s largely similar to the original Switch, with some key changes. First, it’s a 7.9-inch 1080p mini LCD screen that supports HDR and up to 120fps, a marked bump from the Switch. Games also support up to 4K resolution/60fps when docked.
On top of that, the Switch 2 has an adjustable U-shaped kickstand, an additional USB-C port on the top as well as the standard one on the bottom. The Switch 2 also comes with 256GB of internal storage, eight times what the original Switch supported. MicroSD Express cards are the only supported method of external storage; existing Switch microSDs aren’t compatible.
Additionally, the Switch 2 features magnetic Joy-Cons, versus the ones that slide into the first Switch using a rail system. These new Joy-Cons also feature bigger trigger buttons and the previously rumoured mouse-like functionality. That latter feature means that you can put the Joy-Con on a flat surface and scroll it around like a mouse. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, which is releasing on Switch and also getting a Switch 2 edition, will feature mouse controls for the first-person shooting.
Elsewhere, there’s a new ‘C’ button on the right Joy-Con that is centred around party features. This includes “GameChat,” which allows you to talk with friends and family while playing through a built-in mic on the Switch 2. On the current Switch, voice chat was limited to the Switch Online mobile app. You can also share your game screen with the C button.
To accompany these new social features, Nintendo will also release a standalone camera. The company teased that some games, like Super Mario Party Jamboree, will also offer unique features with the camera. This camera will be available on the Switch 2 launch day. Switch Online will be required for GameChat, but Nintendo will offer a free trial to Switch 2 owners until March 31, 2026. A new Pro controller will also be released with the C button as well as new customizable triggers on the back.
It should be noted, however, that Nintendo didn’t explicitly address whether the Switch 2’s new Joy-Cons have been designed to address the “drift” issues that plagued some of the Switch’s Joy-Cons.
Finally, another new teased Switch 2 feature is GameShare, which allows one user to share select games with up to three other systems. Some of the supported titles include Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, Super Mario Odyssey and Captain Toad’s Treasure Tracker.
For all of our Nintendo Switch 2 Direct content, follow this link.
More to come…
Update — April 2, 2025 at 10:40 a.m. ET: Adjusted the headline to clarify that the Switch 2 only supports up to 60fps in 4K. It does also support 120fps gameplay, but at lower resolutions. Also added Canadian pricing.
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