Despite the absence of an official statement from Nintendo, a plethora of leaks and rumors indicates that the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 is scheduled for release in late 2024. Though the concept and design of the console may ultimately resemble that of the current model, the market in which it is being released is significantly different and more hostile.
According to recent court documents included in the Activision Blizzard acquisition, Nintendo briefed Activision on the Switch 2 in late 2022. Although the email exchange was heavily redacted, there was one mention of the “NG Switch.” Earlier this year, Activision’s Brad Smith announced that Call of Duty will launch on the Switch “the same day as Xbox, with full feature and content parity,” and confirmed a 10-year deal for the game.
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In an interview with that was translated by the VGC, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa stated that the company will continue to support the current-generation Switch at least through March 2025. “While continuing to release new Nintendo Switch software for consumers to enjoy, we aim to maintain relationships across hardware generations through services that utilize Nintendo Accounts and by providing opportunities for them to experience our IP through other non-gaming channels,” he reiterated in this interview, pledging to concentrate on “building long-term relationships with our consumers (through Nintendo Accounts).” The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, one of the most popular Nintendo Switch games, was shown off in a “souped up” demo of the Switch 2, during Gamescom 2023.
There are also rumors of a potential redesign of the Joy-Con controller described in a patent application that was filed in May 2023 to the US Patent Office and published in September of the same year. This redesign is intended to address the infamous Joy-Con drift issue that the Nintendo Switch is notorious for. The patent outlines a magnetic field for controls as an alternative to plastic circuit boards, like the console of the current generation. On this front, since there’s no assurance that the updated Joy-Cons will be included with the Nintendo Switch 2, we’ll have to wait for Nintendo’s official statement as patents don’t always result in future releases.
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Early reports of the Switch hardware upgrade point to a Nvidia-designed processor called the T234, which uses an 8nm process with 12 ARM A78E CPU cores. Although not one to one, this proves that the purported Switch 2 could be on par with the likes of the Xbox Series S, Microsoft’s digital-only Series X counterpart. This goes against prior rumors made out of Activision, which claimed in the midst of its heated battle with the FTC that the Switch 2 would be more akin to the prior-generation hardware, such as the Xbox One and PS4. Thus, it’s generally a guessing game when it comes to what specifically the Switch 2 might be able to handle when officially unveiled.
Due to all these upgrade, uncontrollably high inflation has driven up the cost of everything, including making and shipping the video games. Zippo, a relatively well-known and trustworthy source for Nintendo, claims that Nintendo is raising the price of $60 games to $70. This implies that significant, core entries in franchises like Super Mario, Metroid, Animal Crossing, Super Smash Bros., Zelda, and more will run you an additional $10-15 each. Assuming this is accurate, this adds up quite quickly throughout a console generation, making it a significant, predictable development. Although it’s not news many want to hear, Zippo says it is happening. “Yes, Nintendo’s next-generation games will be priced higher than the last-gen by ten dollars.”
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A potential Nintendo Switch 2 game, Visions of Mana, was unveiled at The Game Awards; confirming the game’s launch in 2024 on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Zippo has also laid out possible development of a “traditional Sonic the Hedgehog game” for release in 2024 as well as confirmation for Visions of Mana, which had excluded the Switch in its preview trailer. Rumors suggest a new Mario Kart game is set to launch in its second year on the market, with concrete details about the unannounced Nintendo Switch 2 expected within months of release. According to Digital Foundry, the extensive raytracing and graphics of the upcoming GTA 6 may be too much for the Switch 2; however, the technical advancements and addition of cloud gaming might allow for a current-gen game, like Red Dead Redemption 2 or the remasters of GTA 4 and 5.
Although a possible demo device doesn’t guarantee it will be released anytime soon, it does suggest that Nintendo may be anticipating new developments and that game developers should brace themselves for what lies ahead.
Are you excited for a new Nintendo Switch? What are your favorite Nintendo games you’d like to see make the next-gen jump? Let us know in the comments!
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I’ll probably get one eventually. Remember how hard it was with the switch and scalpers? Even if it released next year, us peons out here won’t likely get hold of one until late 2025.