Switch 2 on the horizon: Nintendo confirms new console but saves reveals for later as June Direct will focus on 2024 Switch games
Will discuss Switch's successor during this fiscal year.
Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa finally admitted there is a Switch 2 in the works today, but the firm has no plans to discuss the new console anytime soon.
While Furukawa only referred to the console as the “successor to Nintendo Switch”, we’ll keep calling it Switch 2, for now, until the platform’s actual title is revealed.
The company president also stated that Nintendo will “make an announcement” about “the successor to Nintendo Switch within this fiscal year.” Just today, the firm released its fiscal results for the year ending March 31, 2024, so “this fiscal year” could mean an announcement anytime between now and March 31. 2025 - so don’t get too excited.
It was also announced a Nintendo Direct will take place in June, but the upcoming console will not be discussed. Instead, games coming to the current Switch for the latter half of 2024 will be the focus of the Direct.
When Nintendo finally announces Switch 2, or whatever it will be called, it will have been over nine years since the existence of Nintendo Switch was shared back in March 2015.
With Nintendo stating it won’t discuss the Switch successor until sometime during the current fiscal year, it’s safe to say the analysts predicting a 2024 launch weren’t on the money. But, to be fair, a report in February stated the console had been pushed into 2025 to ensure the console had a strong launch line-up. Maybe one of the launch titles will be Pokemon Legends: Z-A, but that’s obviously unconfirmed.
As far as what to expect out of Switch 2, various reports note the follow-up will be a hybrid with a larger screen, the Joy-Con controllers will also be larger and will magnetize to the console, and that the console body is larger than the current offering, but not as large as Steam Deck. It’s also said that Switch 2 is compatible with the current Switch Pro controllers.
Other reports previously stated Nintendo had demonstrated features of the new console behind closed doors at gamescom 2023 and let's not forget the documents that surfaced during the FTC vs Microsoft drama which claimed Activision was briefed on “Switch NG" in 2022, and that it would be similar in performance to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
It’s also rumored Switch 2 features a Nvidia Tegra T239 chip, an octa-core ARM Cortex-A78C CPU, a 12 SM Ampere GPU, and a 128-bit LPDDR5 memory. The console reportedly supports DLSS and ray tracing, and various development sources state a demonstration showed The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild running in 4K/60fps. It’s said that Sharp is manufacturing the 8-inch LCD screen.
Reports also claim Switch 2 will feature backward compatibility with digital and physical Switch games, and some will be supported with enhanced capabilities.