Featured Columnist IVJanuary 16, 2025
Photo credit: Nintendo
Nintendo provided a first look Thursday at the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 console, which is set for worldwide release this year.
In a YouTube video, Nintendo showcased some of the upgrades from the Switch to the Switch 2, including a larger and clearer screen, bigger and more advanced joy-cons, and a built-in stand that can be used while utilizing the Switch 2’s handheld feature:
Nintendo also revealed in the video that the Switch 2 will be able to play Switch 2 exclusive games, as well as physical and digital games from the original Switch, although some original Switch games may not be compatible with the new system.
In order to showcase the Switch 2, Nintendo showed how the hugely popular Mario Kart video game franchise looks on the console.
While no official release date for the Switch 2 has been announced by Nintendo, gamers will get a chance to try it out in the coming months at the Nintendo Switch 2 Experience.
The Nintendo Switch 2 Experience will be held in cities across the world, including New York City (April 4-6), Los Angeles (April 11-13), Dallas (April 25-27) and Toronto (April 25-27).
Multiple European cities will play host to the Nintendo Switch 2 Experience in April and May as well, plus Melbourne from May 10-11, Tokyo from April 26-27 and Seoul from May 31-June 1.
The original Switch released in March 2017, succeeding the Wii U, which was largely a commercial failure for Nintendo.
Nintendo desperately needed a bounce-back product, and the Switch has proved to be precisely that.
According to IGN’s Jordan Siriani, the Switch was the third-highest selling video game console of all time as of November with 146.04 million units sold.
That placed it behind only the Sony PlayStation 2 (160 million units sold) and the Nintendo DS (154.02 million units sold).
The Switch was a revolutionary console in that it gave gamers the ability to play at home or on the go, and the Switch 2 figures to build upon that novel concept.