It’s been almost seven years since the Nintendo Switch first launched with its revolutionary hybrid design. During its lifetime, the Switch revitalized Nintendo’s fortunes following poor sales of the Wii U and became one of the best-selling consoles of all time.
Latest figures show that the Switch has sold over 132 million units and is the third best-selling console of all time behind the Nintendo DS and PS2. But all good things must come to an end, and as the Switch approaches its seventh anniversary, attention turns to what Nintendo has planned next, with the console’s successor – which is tentatively called the Switch 2 – a widely expected launch in 2024.
If you want to know what to expect from the Switch 2, we’re here to help. We’ve rounded up all the latest rumors about Nintendo’s next console, including release date and spec leaks, expected price at launch, console design and games that could make it, and much more .
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Switch 2 release date and price
The Switch 2 is expected to launch in the second half of 2024. That’s according to a report from VGC, with our own sources indicating that a release date is also expected on that date. This timeline also matches previous comments from the Kyoto-based gaming giant, with Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa explaining during an investor call last year that Switch makers were not planning to release new or updated hardware. up to standard before April 2024.
Nintendo has reportedly planned the second half of 2024 as the release window for its next-gen console to have enough stock available at launch, aiming to avoid the type of stock shortages that hit the PS5 and Xbox Series when these systems hit the shelves.
If you were looking for a more definitive date to mark in your diary, there was hope that a narrower release window for Nintendo’s next console would be narrowed down at CES. During the event, a press release regarding an AI-based GameShark successor was shared, announcing it would launch alongside the Switch 2 in September 2024. Given that Nintendo hasn’t officially announced anything about the Switch 2, this news sent fans into a frenzy, who thought that some high-level information might have been revealed accidentally. However, it was later claimed that this information about the Switch 2 was just a guess.
In terms of price, the Switch 2 is expected to cost $400, while the games cost $70. So says Dr Serkan Toto, respected analyst and founder of Tokyo-based consultancy Kantan Games.
Switch 2 Specifications
In the aftermath of last year’s Gamescom, we got an idea of what the Switch 2 will be capable of. Nintendo’s next console was shown behind closed doors at the event, according to our sources and a report from VGC and is said to be capable of visuals comparable to those of the PS5 and Xbox Series of rays and the possibility of running Unreal Engine 5. .
The games that would have been featured on Switch 2 were an enhanced version of Breath of the Wild and The Matrix Awakens, an Unreal Engine 5 demo previously released to showcase the power of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.
While the Switch 2 may offer comparable visuals to the current generation of consoles, that doesn’t mean the specs will be of the same order. As VGC explains, the Switch 2 demo was thought to work with Nvidia’s DLSS upscaling.
This technology is expected to be a major feature of the custom Nvidia chip that leaks say will power the Switch 2. Digital Foundry took a deeper dive into this chipset and explained how DLSS can be used to upgrade native 720p visuals to 4K, among other things. other stuff.
In terms of raw power, it’s believed on paper that the Switch 2 could be closer to the specs of last-gen hardware like the PS4 than the current batch of consoles. Emails released during last year’s FTC lawsuit with Microsoft indicate that former Activision Blizzard boss Bobby Kotick spoke to Nintendo’s Shuntaro Furukawa about the Switch 2 near the end of 2022.
In the emails, Activision executive Chris Schnakenberg explained that the next Nintendo console is “closer to Gen 8 platforms in terms of performance.” So how could the Switch 2, as has been reported, be able to ray trace (even if its use is limited) and run Unreal Engine 5? As Digital Foundry explains, looking only at raw power “takes into account a lot” of what makes a piece of hardware unique. And a clear example of this is that the original Switch had similar power to the Wii U and Xbox 360, and we’ve all seen what that system is capable of.
It is important to point out that, for its part, Nintendo denied having informed external developers about the Switch 2 and presented its next console at Gamescom in 2023. The denial came after the publication of Activision’s emails during the FTC lawsuit, and following our report on the closed-door protest in Cologne. It’s also worth pointing out that while what we’ve heard about the Switch 2 sounds impressive, expectations need to be managed.
Switch 2 design and features
The Switch 2 should be a hybrid console, which can again be played in portable or docked mode. However, fans hoping that the next-gen console will feature an improved screen like the Switch OLED might be disappointed. According to VGC, the Switch 2 could have an LCD screen instead of an OLED panel to help reduce costs.
This extra wiggle room in the budget could then be used to add the extra internal storage the Switch 2 needs for modern gaming. As for what kind of storage the Switch 2 could use, Digital Foundry thinks Nintendo could opt for eMMC storage, which the entry-level 64GB Steam Deck uses and offers faster load times than the conventional hard drives (but not as fast as a conventional hard drive). SSD). Elsewhere, VGC also reports that the next Nintendo console will feature a cartridge slot for physical games, but it’s unclear if it will be backwards compatible.
In terms of other features, the Switch 2 could come with improved Joy-Cons that would make stick drift a thing of the past. As Laura Kate Dale points out, last year, Nintendo filed a patent for a new controller design featuring Hall effect joysticks. Unlike other configurations, these sticks use magnets to detect movement and do not cause wear on the stick’s sensor. If it ends up being used on the Switch 2, that should mean that the infamous stick drift issue won’t carry over to the next generation.
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Change 2 games
A key topic for the Switch 2 that hasn’t received too many leaks is the console’s lineup of potential games. As mentioned earlier, during the closed-door demo at Gamescom last year, an enhanced version of Breath of the Wild was shown off with The Matrix Awakens. There’s no indication that an enhanced version of BoTW will be released with the Switch 2, but the system capable of running Unreal Engine 5 should open the door for a whole slew of UE5-powered games coming to the console in the future.
VGC has reported that dev kits for the Switch 2 are already in the hands of key partners, so UE5 games could already be in the process of being ported. Speaking of Unreal, it has also been claimed that a PS5-quality version of Final Fantasy 7 Remake, powered by Epic’s UE4 engine, is operational on a Switch 2 development kit.
In terms of potential first-party releases, if we were to look into our crystal ball, one contender for the Switch 2 that jumps out is Metroid Prime 4. Samus’ highly anticipated new adventure was announced within the first year of the original Switch, but news on the project has remained quiet since Nintendo announced the restart of development. Retro Studios, the creators of the original trilogy, have taken the reins of the project which was previously led by Bandai Namco. We recently discussed the possibility of Metroid Prime 4 coming to Switch 2, as well as what we know about the console, in a newscast.
With the Switch 2 expected to launch this year, it also means Nintendo will have shiny new hardware in time for one of the most anticipated games of all time: Grand Theft Auto 6, which is due out in 2025. However, according to Digital Foundry, given what we’ve heard about the Switch 2’s specs, a port of GTA 6 seems “very, very difficult to achieve.” You can watch DF’s full analysis below.
For more Switch 2 coverage, check out how Nintendo stock prices have soared amid rumors of a new console in 2024. And, for anyone thinking about upgrading, it looks like the Nintendo Accounts system will help facilitate the transition to the next generation Switch.
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