Nintendo saved a dying handheld console market back in 2017 when it launched the Nintendo Switch. The little hybrid console that could has had a great run, playing host to some all-time classic games – but its time is running short. Nintendo has a replacement in the warp pipe, and we’re learning more about the Switch 2 all the time.
Early whispers of a mid-life update called the Switch Pro (or, as a few renegades suggested, the Super Switch) have largely been silenced, with the Nintendo Switch OLED looking increasingly likely to be the current generation’s high point. Now we have proof that a Switch successor is in the hands of developers, and Nintendo itself has confirmed its existence – while stopping short of a direct reveal – it’s time to work out what we can expect from the fresh hardware once it arrives.
Nintendo Switch 2 name
Switch 2, Switch Pro, or no Switch at all… as far back as 2020 there were rumours about a new Nintendo console, with conflicting reports as to whether it would use brand-new hardware, or be mostly an upgrade. Digital Foundry reported that Nintendo did plan on releasing a mid-gen Switch at one point in time that everyone (including Stuff) called the Switch Pro. Those plans were reportedly scrapped by 2022, and the focus has been on a true successor ever since. That pretty much rules out the Switch Pro name.
In all of Nintendo’s (admittedly limited) official communication to date, it has referred to the upcoming hardware as “the successor to Nintendo Switch”. That doesn’t rule out the chance it will be called Switch 2, but equally doesn’t confirm it either.
Only a few Nintendo home consoles have ever been direct continuations – the NES to the SNES and Wii to Wii U, for example – but its handhelds have largely stuck to similar naming conventions. Think Game Boy, Game Boy Colour and Game Boy Advance, or DS, 3DS and New 3DS. With little else to go on, we’ll be calling the console Switch 2 until Nintendo spills the beans.
Nintendo Switch 2 launch date rumours
In 2023 Bloomberg reported that Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa had told investors the Japanese firm wasn’t considering new hardware for the 2023/24 financial year, which ruled out a Switch 2 until April 2024 at the earliest. That date came and went, and at the time of writing we’re in November 2024 with no new Nintendo hardware.
The firm is definitely working on a Switch successor, though. Whispers at Gamecom 2023, held in Cologne, Germany, suggested Nintendo had either discussed or shown off a new Switch “behind closed doors”.
Developers have started working on games for the new hardware, too. When asked “which platform are you developing your current project for?” in the 2024 GDC State of the Game Industry survey, around around 8% of the 3,000 developers surveyed replied they were working on titles for the “Nintendo Switch successor”.
Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa has now outright said the machine will be announced by the end of March 2025 – giving the firm just under five months (at the time of writing) for a reveal.
That doesn’t mean the new console will go on sale at the same time, but given OG Switch sales won’t be done any favours by the announcement of a replacement, it will probably aim to have units ready to ship as soon as possible after the announcement.
Nintendo Switch 2 hardware: Nvidia leaks and more
Seven years is a long time for any gaming hardware, but especially for a console that was hardly cutting-edge when it arrived. Nintendo has never made outright power a priority, but with the rest of the industry long having gone 4K, the Switch 2 will almost certainly have more potent internals.
In 2021 rumours suggested Nvidia was winding down production of the Tegra X1+ chip that powered the Switch, but that turned out not to be true. Other whispers pointed to the meatier Tegra Xavier chip as a possible Switch Pro powerplant, but that didn’t come to pass either. Nvidia is apparently still on the cards to supply the silicon, though – along with a version of the Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) upscaling tech used by its PC gaming graphics cards. This basically means it will utilise AI boost frame rates and resolutions beyond what the hardware could otherwise achieve natively.
Reports since Gamescom suggested that the Switch 2 was running Zelda: BOTW at 4K 60FPS. Nintendo insider, Nate The Hate, also described in a YouTube video how the new Switch has virtually no load times. That makes for exciting news, should the rumours be true.
It’s believed the Switch successor will keep the handheld/home console hybrid approach. The expectation is 1080p gaming while on the move (hopefully on an OLED display) an 4K gaming on a TV when docked.
Nintendo Switch 2 pricing: how much will it cost?
The first Nintendo Switch cost $300/£280 when it launched in 2017. The Switch Lite came in at $200/£200, while the Switch OLED will set you back $350/£310. As is the case with almost all things Nintendo, enduring popularity means these prices have stayed pretty consistent.
Pundits are expecting the Switch 2 to slot in around the same prices as the Switch OLED, if not slightly above. By what margin can only be a matter of guesswork until Nintendo makes things official. But with cost of living increases and higher component prices, a $399/£350 starting price might be the best case scenario.
