The bigger and better Nintendo console will arrive later this year.
The era of the Nintendo Switch 2 is officially about to begin.Nintendo‘s announcement, though light on details, confirmed that the follow-up to the wildly popular Nintendo Switch console will arrive this year. Nintendo also took the opportunity to share this reveal video that shows off the upcoming Switch 2.
Gleaning details from the video, the Switch 2 appears to feature both a larger screen and larger Joy-Cons than its predecessor. The new Joy-Cons also use magnets to attach to the console instead of the slide-in track used on the original. Like the Switch, the Switch 2 will also feature a dock for charging and television gameplay compatibility. The video ends with confirmation that the Switch 2 will indeed be backward compatible with Switch games, a huge perk that means no one has to give up their Switch library when making the move to the next console generation.
Internet sleuths have also picked up on the fact that the Mario Kart footage featured in the video is from a never-before-seen track and includes 24 racer. Those clues indicate that, 11 years after Mario Kart 8 debuted, Mario Kart 9 will feature as a launch game for the Switch 2.
While speculation swirls about specs like resolution, framerate, pricing and the specific launch date, Nintendo has announced a Nintendo Direct episode that will reveal further details about the Switch 2 on April 2. Nintendo also has hands-on events scheduled around the world starting in early April in the U.S., with other events at international locations slated for as late as June. All fingers seem to point to an April launch, but only Nintendo can say for sure.
