Nintendo Officially Announces Switch 2

After a few weeks Leaks and wild speculations, Nintendo Finally announced Switch 2The highly anticipated successor to its highly popular hybrid handheld console. The gamemaker released a two-minute teaser today with a first look at the console, a handheld that’s very similar to the original Switch but bigger.

Nintendo also announced on Thursday that it will hold a live presentation on April 2 to provide more details about the Switch. In the video announcement, Nintendo debuted a larger screen with a pair of black and pink and black and blue Joy-Cons. The video is also seen teasing the new one Mario Kart Games with footage shown for only a few seconds.

The handheld will play both Switch 2 and Switch games, Nintendo said in a press release, but added that “some Nintendo Switch games may not be supported or fully compatible with Nintendo Switch 2.”

D Original Nintendo Switch Launched in 2017, at a time when Nintendo was still recovering Poor sales On earlier consoles, Wii U. Where the Wii U failed to find an audience, however, the Switch soared. In 2023, it became Third best seller The console of all time, behind Nintendo’s DS and PlayStation 2, a position it still holds.

By 2024, it looks like the console will have peaked. was on sale plummetingAnd already there were rumors of a next generation entry About a year ago when Nintendo announcement Pokemon Legends: GO With its “system” coming in 2025, fans speculated that a new console was on the horizon. (Never mind that the plural “system” here can only refer to the Switch’s Lite and OLED models.)

In May last year, the company promised that it would release a new console by April 2025. Last month, details and alleged images of the device surfaced Leaks from the makersand later on the platform Like Reddit and X.

Nintendo diehards, at least, are having fun with the leak – whatever it is Using tarot card readings To divine the date of the announcement, or to be evasive about features such as “Imported Italian air“Or screw. “It has 10 grooves. So release Jan 10,” one Reddit user joked. another one constructed A “summoning circle” full of old games and Mario and Luigi figurines.

The next-gen Switch will be released on a much different console ecosystem than its predecessor. In 2022, Steam released its handheld Steam DeckWhich allows players to take more PC games on the go. During this year’s CES, Microsoft’s “next generation” VP, Jason Ronald, hinted The Verge That Windows gaming experience will be updated this year. Microsoft gaming chief Phil Spencer also hinted at a possibility Handheld Xbox device.