The Nintendo Switch 2: First Teaser and Spectacular Unanswered Questions from the First Day of Nintendo’s Switch
After weeks of leaks and wild speculation, Nintendo has finally announced the Switch 2, the highly anticipated successor to its wildly popular hybrid handheld console. The gamemaker released a two-minute teaser today with a first look at the console, a handheld that appears very similar to the original Switch but bigger.
The second USB-C port is at the top of the switch. It is likely that there will be a way for you to connect your headphones with a charging port. But perhaps it might have some other mysterious function. Has native Bluetooth support been improved? It would be nice to connect more than one controller if you were using a headset. What about the UI? Can we expect a homescreen similar to that of the original Switch? What about the UI for the eShop? Can you still post screenshots and clips directly to Facebook? Will Nintendo add an ability to post on other platforms?
There is some information we can glean from the reveal trailer, but more is still to be learned. Is it possible they attach via magnets? Is it possible that they still have 3D rumble? Will the original Joy-Con and Switch Pro controllers be supported by the Switch 2?
There’s a new button on the Switch 2 directly below the home button on the right Joy-Con. Does it have something to do with a new chat functionality like rumors have suggested?
The most important unanswered question we have about the Switch 2 is the simplest: when can we buy it? Nintendo didn’t share much beyond saying that it will launch in 2025. Much like with the original Switch, it will take the Switch 2 on a world tour starting in April. It’s likely that the console’s release date will follow the tour’s conclusion, which looks to be in June. Here’s hoping Nintendo shares that critical information, along with answers to at least some of these questions during its Switch 2 Direct on April 2nd.
The Wii U failed to find an audience, so Nintendo launched the original Nintendo Switch at a good time. In 2023, it became the third best-selling console of all time behind Nintendo’s DS and the PlayStation 2, a position it still holds.
What flavors are we expecting from the Nintendo Switch 2 cartridges? The hope for something better than insecticide, and a hint of something new in 2025
Oh, wait, there is one more burning question… what flavors can we expect for the Switch 2 cartridges? I’m hoping for something better than “insecticide.”
Nintendo also announced on Thursday that it will be holding a Direct presentation to provide more details on the Switch on April 2. Nintendo showed a larger screen with a pair of Joy-cons in black, pink and blue. There is a new Mario Kart game shown in a few seconds in the video.
By 2024, however, it appeared the console had peaked. Sales were plummeting, and already rumors were spreading of a next-gen entry. Fans speculated about a new console being on the way when Nintendo announced that Pokmon: Z-A would be arriving in 2025, but it wasn’t a reality. (Never mind that the plural “systems” here could have just referred to Switch’s Lite and OLED models.)