After weeks of leaks and wild speculation, Nintendo has finally announced the Switch 2, the highly anticipated successor to its wildly popular hybrid handheld console. The game maker released a two-minute teaser today with a first look at the console, a handheld device that looks very similar to the original Switch, but bigger.
Nintendo also announced on Thursday that it will hold a live presentation to provide more details about the Switch on April 2nd. In the video announcement, Nintendo debuted a larger screen with a pair of black and pink and black and blue Joy-Cons. The video also seems to tease a new one Mario Kart game with visuals that are shown for just a few seconds.
The handheld will play both Switch 2 and Switch games, Nintendo said in a press release, but added that “certain Nintendo Switch games may not be supported on or fully compatible with Nintendo Switch 2.”
The original Nintendo Switch was launched in 2017, at a time when Nintendo was still recovering from poor sales of its previous console, the Wii U. However, where the Wii U failed to find an audience, the Switch soared. In 2023, it became the third best-selling console of all time behind Nintendo’s DS and the PlayStation 2, a position it still holds.
By 2024, however, the console seemed to have peaked. Sales have fallen, and rumors have already spread of a next-gen entry. Almost a year ago, when Nintendo announced Pokemon Legends: SA would come to its “systems” in 2025, fans speculated that a new console was on the horizon. (Never mind that the plural “systems” here could have only referred to Switch’s Lite and OLED models.)
In May last year, the company promised that it would reveal a new console by April 2025. Last month, details and alleged photos of the device leaked from manufacturers, and later on platforms such as Reddit and X.
Nintendo diehards, at least, have had fun with the leaks – whether it’s using Tarot card readings to predict the announcement date, or spoofing about features like “imported Italian air” or screws. “It has 10 grooves. So reveal January 10,” joked one Reddit user. Another built a “calling circle” full of old games and Mario and Luigi figurines.
The next generation Switch will be released in a very different console ecosystem than its predecessor. In 2022, Steam released its handheld Steam Deck, which allows players to take more PC games on the go. During CES this year, Microsoft’s “next generation” VP, Jason Ronald, hinted to The Verge that there would be updates to the Windows gaming experience this year. Phil Spencer, head of Microsoft Gaming, also hinted at the possibility of a portable Xbox device.