The Switch 2, successor to Nintendo’s extremely successful Switch console, has a new, separate camera attachment, among other new features. It will launch June 5 for 449.99. (Nintendo)
Nintendo’s Switch 2, a souped-up successor to the company’s massively successful hand-held console, will release June 5 at a base price of $449.99, the company announced Wednesday.
Nintendo’s presentation confirmed many of the rumors swirling for months ahead of its full reveal. The console will allow mouse controls through its magnetic Joy-Con controllers and a new “C” button for chat features with friends. It also features a built-in microphone with noise cancellation and supports a separate camera attachment for chat and gameplay.
In the Nintendo Direct presentation, three of the Nintendo Switch 2’s developers detailed its upgraded graphics, better performance and a more social multiplayer experience — alongside some surprise game announcements.
One of the bigger surprises in the console’s tech is that it offers 120 frames-per-second performance, a faster rate than that on integrated displays of advanced PC handhelds such as the Steam Deck. This is also the first Nintendo console featuring 4K resolution (while docked). The hand-held 7.9-inch screen is larger than the original’s and offers 1080p resolution.
The Switch 2 also supports HDR for higher-contrast visuals and offers more internal storage, at 256 gigabytes, eight times that of the original Switch. Current Switch owners can transfer their profiles and play much of their game library on the new model.
With more than 150 million units sold since its release in 2017, the original Switch — the third-best-selling console in history and the second-best-selling gaming device ever in the United States — led Nintendo to its most profitable era in video games. That success was driven in part by hugely popular game releases in the Legend of Zelda and Mario Kart series.
Fittingly, Wednesday’s presentation kicked off with a look at Mario Kart World, a new launch-day title that, in a twist, allows “seamless” driving between courses in a connected world. Mario Kart World is the sequel to the fifth-best-selling game of all time. Nintendo will also sell a launch bundle including the game.
Mario Kart World offers an open-world twist on the franchise with its “seamless” driving between courses. It will launch June 5 with the Nintendo Switch 2. (Nintendo)
They also announced Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, another Zelda game releasing this winter depicting the events leading to the last mainline title, Tears of the Kingdom.
The console will host some of the most seminal games of recent years, including Elden Ring, Cyberpunk 2077, the Hitman trilogy and Final Fantasy VII Remake.
The Duskbloods is a shocking new announcement by FromSoftware, the makers of Elden Ring. The mood of the multiplayer game, out in 2026, seems to match that of Sony’s Bloodborne, a beloved action-role-playing title that has left players clamoring for more since its release in 2015. The shock is that Nintendo, not PlayStation, is hosting it.
Nintendo is known for trying out bold new gameplay and hardware ideas, and the gaming world wondered whether the Switch’s successor would take as big a leap as past consoles such as the Wii. But the Switch 2 mostly sticks to improving what worked with the Switch.
“Just like we did with Switch, we’ve made having unique hardware features less of a priority for this console,” producer Kouichi Kawamoto said in a translated interview released by Nintendo, adding: “After considering various new ideas, we decided it would be best to keep the Switch system’s design and not make any changes for changes’ sake.”
Kawamoto, director Takuhiro Dohta and hardware design lead Tetsuya Sasaki walked through some of those tweaks Wednesday, including a larger stand on the back of the console, and introduced new online services.
The “GameChat” feature tied to the “C” button allows a Discord-like voice chat with friends, with screen-sharing, while playing a game. It can include a camera feed, as well, and sometimes incorporates it into gameplay.
“GameShare” allows local play with one copy of a game, making it easier to temporarily share games with friends who have a Switch 2 or Switch.
A new tier of Nintendo Switch Online with “Expansion Pack” will include a classic GameCube game library featuring titles from the console originally released in 2001. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Soulcalibur II and F-Zero GX will be among the first games added to the library, with clearer image quality and higher resolution than that of their original versions.
The addition of GameCube games to the Switch Online offerings has been a wish list item for Nintendo fans since the launch of the original 2017 console.
The company will also release a new pro controller featuring the “C” button for chatting, an audio jack and two new assignable buttons on the back.
Switch 2 users will be able to play three types of games: Nintendo Switch 2 games, compatible games for the original Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games, which are upgraded copies of games such as Super Mario Party Jamboree, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.
Other updated titles include Kirby and the Forgotten Land, the Switch game released in 2022 that will feature an additional story on Switch 2, and Pokémon Legends: Z-A, releasing on Switch and Switch 2 this year.
Nintendo also teased a James Bond title using the name “Project 007” and rereleases of Hogwarts Legacy, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 and Kirby Air Ride, called Kirby Air Riders. Donkey Kong Bananza, a 3D action adventure game, will be released July 17.
