Nintendo lifted a (very small) part of the veil this Thursday, January 16 on the Switch 2, confirming in passing most of the leaks of the last few months: yes, the Switch 2 will indeed be a larger Switch 1, and yes Nintendo is keeping the "hybrid" concept that made the current generation successful. But now, when we said that, we didn't say much. Many other questions are pending like...
Do we have a release date and a price?
These are the main unknowns of this presentation! Nintendo has not revealed anything for the release date, even if an appointment has already been made for April 2, the manufacturer organizing a Direct with more information. We can nevertheless hope that the actual marketing will begin shortly after.
Retailers are in any case in the starting blocks: the American retailer Best Buy is already offering to register to "receive information on pre-orders for the new system”. With a bit of luck, they could start soon after the Direct…
In addition, Nintendo is organizing hands-on events all over the world. In Paris, this “Nintendo Switch 2 Experience” will take place at the Grand Palais, from April 4 to 6. These events run at least until the beginning of June (June 1 in Seoul): does this mean that we will have to wait until this summer before getting our hands on the console?
As for the price, it is still a secret. Rumors suggest a price around €400, which would be quite good news. Nintendo will probably want to avoid PS5 Pro-style controversies... The future customs duties that Donald Trump will impose very quickly on imports from China (and which could increase the price of the console) may also explain why Nintendo has not wanted to reveal anything on the subject, the American market being obviously essential for the company.
What is this "mouse mode" on controllers?
Here too, rumors had revealed this new function for Nintendo controllers. However, this wouldn't be the first time that the manufacturer has taken an interest in mice: in 1992, it released the Super NES Mouse! The accessory was compatible with a good selection of SNES games.
The Switch 2 presentation video shows the Joy-Cons sliding on their edges. Nintendo certainly has an idea in mind, one or more in-house games could take advantage of this gimmick. We can also imagine that for certain genres, such as strategy games or shooting games, a mouse will offer more precision.
What will the extra button on the right Joy-Con be used for?
The right Joy-Con has a button under the one that lets you return to the home page. Called "C" by rumors, we still don't know what it will be used for. A rumor recently announced that it will allow you to start a live discussion, or even a voice chat — on the current Switch, discussions with friends are a real pain, it's done through a mobile application... "C" for "Contacts" or "Chat"?
Will Switch 1 games work on the Switch 2?
Nintendo had already announced that Switch 1 games will be compatible with the Switch 2. The presentation video gives some additional details that confirm that dematerialized games (sold on the eShop) and first-generation cartridges will be playable on the new console.
But not necessarily all of them. The manufacturer specifies that "some Switch titles may be incompatible or not fully compatible with the Switch 2." That's not very promising, but there's every reason to believe that Nintendo is mainly trying to cover its own costs: the company can't guarantee that all the games in the eShop (and there are a lot of them) will be playable on the new console.
What are the technical specifications of the Switch 2?
Along with the price and release date, the technical specifications are the other big unknown in today's presentation. Nintendo has remained particularly discreet on the subject, ultimately only revealing the existence of a second USB-C port on the upper edge.
The screen will be larger, but the precise diagonal has not been revealed. No idea either of the technology of the panel (OLED? LCD?) or its resolution. As a reminder, the Switch OLED has a 720p (1280 x 720) screen, and it can display 1080p in HDMI via its dock. Can we reasonably hope for better for the Switch 2? It will depend on the chip used!
Logically, Nintendo is once again calling on Nvidia for the chip, and this time the manufacturer could rely on Nvidia's very effective DLSS upscaling technology to improve the display without compromising performance. Let's hope so!
What games will the Switch 2 have?
Nintendo only showed one game in the video, but not just any game: it's Mario Kart, the best-selling game on the Switch 1 (over 60 million copies!). The new episode for the Switch 2 is eagerly awaited, as the current version was originally released on the Wii U before adapting to the current model. It doesn't make us any younger!
For the rest, it is quite easy to imagine that Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, announced for 2025, will be one of the pillars of the launch (even if the game was originally developed for the Switch 1). Many players are also hoping to see a new 3D Mario, the last of its kind, Super Mario Odyssey, dating back to 2017 (there was the Bowser’s Fury expansion in 2021, of course).
Third-party publishers are also most certainly on the warpath. Microsoft, Ubisoft, Electronic Arts, Square Enix and others have reportedly had the development kit long enough to adapt their games to the new console. Enough to seriously beef up the Switch 2 launch!
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