Earlier this year, back in May, Nintendo’s president, Shuntaro Furukawa, announced on X . “It will have been over nine years since we announced the existence of Nintendo Switch back in March 2015,” he wrote. “We will make an announcement about the successor to the Nintendo Switch within this fiscal year.”
The Kyoto-based game company has sold only 2.1 million Switch consoles in the last quarter, although it has optimistically maintained its full-year sales forecast of 13.5 million. ” They just reported Q1 numbers that missed analyst estimates. Still unsure how they want to sell 13.5M Switch units this fiscal ,” said Serkan Toto, founder of game industry consultancy Kantan Games.
In the wake of dwindling console sales, Nintendo has continued to license its intellectual property for use in a variety of settings, including movies and theme parks. The firm is developing an animated Super Mario film, which will be created by Illumination and has been scheduled for release in 2026.
Nintendo has hinted at but not officially stated when it plans to introduce a succesor to the Switch, but there has been speculation that an announcement could be soon considering Nintendo’s new fiscal status.
On September 7, 2023, Eurogamer reported that Nintendo unveiled the Switch 2 to developers behind closed doors at Gamescom 2023. According to the publication, the company displayed a number of technical demonstrations, including a higher resolution and frame rate version of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Nintendo will not be exhibiting at the upcoming Gamescom 2024 in August so it is unlikely there will be any Switch 2 announcement in the coming months. Eurogamer has also reported a date of Q1 2025 for the Switch 2.
Although Nintendo has remained tight-lipped about the specifics, various leaks and gaming industry speculation have painted a picture of what fans might expect. Some of the most prevalent rumors include the following:
The Nintendo Switch 2 will feature significantly upgraded hardware. Reports suggest that the new console will be powered by an advanced NVIDIA chipset, possibly utilising the company’s latest Tegra technology.
Switch 2 will feature a new Joy-Con design. The Joy-Cons for the Switch 2 will be redesigned, potentially larger and bulkier with additional buttons. They may use electromagnetic attachment instead of the traditional rail system.
The upcoming Switch 2 is expected to use Nvidia’s T239 chip with 8GB RAM, 64GB storage, a 120Hz screen refresh rate, improved battery life, and a price of around $400. It will likely support DLSS2 and FSR3 for enhanced graphics.
The Switch 2 is expected to feature an 8-inch screen, compared to the 6.5-inch screen on the base model and 7-inch screen on the OLED model of the original Switch. It may use a newer type of LCD called mini-LED. The handheld mode will support 1080p resolution, while docked mode will support 4K, thanks to the Nvidia chip and AI upscaling technology.
There is speculation about a possible Nintendo Switch 2 Pro or an OLED model with slightly better specs. Rumors have suggested a possible future Pro model with 12GB RAM and additional SMS, as with all leaks though this is uncertain.
The Switch 2 will most likely have full backward compatibility with existing Switch games and accessories.
While the rumors about the Nintendo Switch 2 paint an exciting picture of a more powerful, versatile, and feature-rich console, it’s important to take these speculations with a grain of caution. Nintendo’s official announcements will ultimately confirm what the new console will bring to the table.
Nintendo will likely continues its strategy of not competing directly with high-end consoles like the PS5 or Xbox Series , focusing instead on their unique, successful approach of producing great hardware that has led to high sales and strong game attachment rates.
