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NOW ALMOST A decade removed from its illustrious launch, the Nintendo Switch will go down alongside consoles like the SNES, Game Boy and DS as a near-mythical name in the Japanese company’s history. Selling over 135 million units, providing the platform with some of the greatest video games ever made, and in perhaps its greatest achievement during a time where only the DS was there to stand up to the graphical might of the PS4 and Xbox One, doing what then felt near-impossible: keeping handheld gaming relevant for a new generation.
All great stories, however, must come to an end. Now, Nintendo faces a harsh reality that, if we’re really being honest here, has been an issue for the company almost since the console launched in the first place: the Switch is a great console, but in a world of mega-powered consoles and mega-sized games, it’s no longer fit for purpose. The company’s suite of in-house developers has squeezed what it can out of the Switch’s now creaking hardware, but with the console now visibly struggling to run even Nintendo’s own flagship titles like Zelda and Pokemon and requiring vastly downgraded ports for other Triple-A games, the Switch is well overdue for, well, a switch.
As such, with reports that the Nintendo Switch’s successor is set to be announced sooner rather than later, we thought we’d compile exactly what we know so far.
Firstly, is a Nintendo Switch 2 coming?
All signs point categorically to yes, although with Nintendo generally opting not to name consoles as direct sequels of one another, it’s too soon to tell whether or not it’ll be called the Switch 2.
The bulk of the information we have so far on the Switch’s successor comes from renowned video game consultant and analyst Dr Serkan Toto, who confirmed that Nintendo does have plans to release a new console in the not-too-distant future. “The time is finally here for a Switch successor, even though I can say a ‘Pro’ model actually did exist and certain developers were already working with the dev kit,” he said.
What will the Nintendo Switch’s successor be like?
Toto said earlier this year, the Switch 2, if that’s what you want to call it, is likely to be an ‘iteration’ rather than a revolution, meaning it will likely combine the same handheld/plug-in functionality that the original Switch became so popular for, albeit with significant hardware upgrades aimed at bringing the successor more in line with powerful handhelds like the Steam Deck and ROG Ally. According to Japan-based Omdia analyst Hiroshi Hayase, it’ll reportedly have an 8-inch screen (a sizeable increase from the 6.2 inches of the old Switch). Graphically, Reuters reports that it’ll also have a significantly beefed-up chip, custom-made by Nvidia, who provides the chips for the current Switch. According to industry experts, this, combined with the advances in upscaling technology made in the last few years, means the Switch 2 will finally be able to play games at 1080p and potentially even 1440p, although 4k gaming is unlikely.
When is the Nintendo Switch 2 coming out?
Here’s where things get tricky. For much of late 2023, the prevailing thought was that Nintendo would likely release the Switch’s successor in late 2024, in time for the holiday period. However things changed in mid-February with reports emerging that Nintendo is now planning to release its new console in Q1 of 2025, meaning we’ll likely have at least another full-year’s wait until the console is in our hands. The reports sent Nintendo’s share price into a brief plunge, however, analysts still believe that an announcement is imminent.
How much will the Nintendo Switch 2 cost?
With the rising cost of consoles and chips hitting both consumers and manufacturers hard, it’s all but certain the Nintendo Switch’s successor will hit the market at a significantly higher price than its predecessor, however, it’ll still be cheaper than consoles like the PS5 and Xbox Series X, with Toto predicting it’ll likely debut in stores at around $400 USD (somewhere between $500-$550 AUD).
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