The Switch has shifted over 146 million units since landing in 2017, making it the third best-selling console of all time. But all good things must come to an end, and Nintendo’s workhorse is being put out to pasture this year as the company attempts to bottle lighting again with the Switch 2.
But its sequel arrives in a world where the Steam Deck is pumping out high-end handheld gaming (though much like the Switch, it’s only really pocket-sized if you’re a clown) and both Microsoft and Sony are eyeing up the portable market.
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While we know Switch 2 is on the way, all we have from the horse’s mouth is that it’ll be unveiled before March 31. But Nintendo have been dragging their big plumber’s feet on a reveal for so long that the entire project has seen more leaks than a Tena Lady ad. The internet is awash with more rumours than a Fleetwood Mac album, and last week we even caught a glimpse of dummy hardware. Unless Nintendo are hiding something up their sleeves, it seems the official reveal will be met with as much surprise as when Larry Grayson came out.
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So what do we know? In terms of horsepower, it’s believed the Switch 2 will be closer to the PS4′s grunt, but with ray tracing and upscaling tech delivering visuals closer to PS5 and Series S. It’ll be another hybrid console that can be played on the go or docked under your telly, with an eight-inch LCD screen that dwarfs the original’s.
Leaks this week, however, already dispute this, suggesting it will indeed have a fancier OLED screen coming in at a girthy 8.4 inches. What’s certain is that it’ll be backwards compatible with the Switch and boast upgraded Joy-Cons that connect to the console with magnets rather than finicky rails. Best of all, its Hall effect Joy-Cons will cut down on wear and tear, making the dreaded stick drift a thing of the past.
The closest thing we’ve had to a reveal came last week when a dummy unit of the Switch 2 was shown off by an accessories manufacturer at the CES trade show in Las Vegas, though Nintendo is keen to stress this is “unofficial”.
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Known leaker Average Lucia Fanatic (who was on the money with their PS5 Pro scoops) recently shared on Discord that “launch day is March 3”, with the console due to be revealed on Friday January 17 - so today, then.
While the safest bets have been on Metroid Prime 4 being Nintendo’s big launch title, the source says Switch 2 will land with Mario Kart 9, a new 3D Mario platformer and Red Dead Redemption 2.
Another reliable tech tout even claims Microsoft will be supporting the Switch 2 with versions of Flight Simulator and Halo: The Master Chief Collection (which I guess on the portable would be Junior Master Chief).
Of course, we should take all this scuttlebutt with a Saxa factory-sized pinch of salt. What we know for sure is that Switch 2 will be more of the same but more powerful, with backwards compatibility and less rubbish controllers. Anything else is gravy.
We now just need Nintendo to put a ring on things and make it official.
