Image: Nintendo
More information on the Nintendo Switch 2 will be revealed this April.
Nintendo has officially - and chaotically - unveiled its successor to the Nintendo Switch at long last. This week, the company dropped a reveal trailer showing off the upcoming handheld console, now officially dubbed the Nintendo Switch 2. The device’s design aligns almost exactly with previous industry leaks: it's a handheld gaming console that can be docked much like its predecessor, and offers backwards compatibility with Nintendo Switch video games.
Additionally, the reveal trailer showed off an all-new Mario Kart game coming to the Nintendo Switch 2. Watch it below:
The Nintendo Switch 2 has finally been revealed
The Nintendo Switch is officially eight years old, and Nintendo is finally ready to release a follow-up to its massively successful gaming console. Without any prior warning (save for an abundance of rumours and leaks), the company dropped a trailer for the Nintendo Switch 2 this week, showcasing its sleek new design.
The trailer confirms most leaks that have circulated the gaming sphere leading up to this reveal. The Nintendo Switch 2 has a larger screen and comes with all-new magnetic Joy-Cons, which snap onto the sides of the device conveniently, rather than sliding into them. These Joy-Cons can also apparently be placed down on their sides to function as makeshift mice.
The trailer also confirms one key feature likely to make most Nintendo Switch owners breathe a sigh of relief: the Nintendo Switch 2 will be backwards compatible with Nintendo Switch games. While the successor will boast its own exclusives with time, users can carry over their current-gen game cartridges to the next-gen device. Digital Nintendo Switch games will also work on the Nintendo Switch 2.
However, the device’s website notes that certain games may be exempt from backwards compatibility. Existing Nintendo Switch Online subscriptions are still set to carry over seamlessly. If you’d like to try out the new console early, you can also sign up for a series of hands-on events happening in Paris, London, Berlin, Milan, Amsterdam and Madrid on Nintendo’s website here.
The Nintendo Switch 2 is slated to launch sometime in 2025. We’ll learn more about the device when Nintendo holds its upcoming Nintendo Switch 2-themed Nintendo Direct presentation on April 2, 2025, which promises a closer look at the device.
