Nintendo has finally revealed it’s next console.
The Switch 2 is here. We all knew the Nintendo Switch successor was on its way. There have been leaks and rumors all over the internet for the last week, month, and year honestly. On January 16th 2025 (a date that will go down in Nintendo history) the date we got trailer for the Switch 2. Let’s dive into the details!
The trailer is 2 minutes and 22 seconds long – I see what you did there Nintendo. It is a teaser and first-look trailer so it’s showing off the hardware. Sadly, no one is playing it at all those rooftop parties we have been taking our Switchs to over the last 7 and a half years.
Backwards Compatibility
It’s backwards-compatible with digital and physical Switch games. YAY! If Nintendo hadn’t done this I would have been truly baffled because of their huge player base and most people’s massive libraries on their Switch. It would’ve been a waste. Although there are going to be some exceptions to this, my guess would be Labo, and maybe some third-party games but again these specifics are a GUESS. Most original Switch games ARE compatible with the Switch 2.
Name Reveal – Nintendo Switch 2
After much speculation and predictions about the next console’s name, it is simply Switch 2. With Nintendo’s history of console names I assumed Switch 2 was a pipe dream of a name, I had guessed it would be the Super Nintendo Switch or something not Switch-related at all.
Honestly, I am happy to see Nintendo learn from it’s mistakes with the likes of the WiiU that got ignored by casual consumers because it seemed like an add on to the Wii rather than another generation of Nintendo hardware. The WiiU era was hard for us Nintendo fans. I couldn’t go through it again, and probably neither could you. I am happy to see them leaning into the Switch’s success and sticking with what’s worked. I know Nintendo is known for their crazy hardware choices, and I look forward to crazy choices in the future. I need this normality and consistency in the console’s success and I think Nintendo and its investors do too.
Physical Features
The screen is bigger, the Joy-Cons are bigger and it’s going to be bigger overall. This is what many people online have been wanting, the console in handheld is too small for adults’ hands. What’s important to remember here is that Nintendo makes family consoles, there is an intention of children playing on these consoles as well as the adult audience. As an adult with child-sized hands, I am wondering how big this is going to sit in my hands. And how the size increase will affect the weight of Switch 2 when played in handheld mode. I know Nintendo will have factored this in but from watching the trailer about 20+ times now, I am wondering how much the size will effect the weight. Look at the steam deck, they’re great but bulky and heavy.
The main body has 2 USB-C charging ports, Finally solving the problem of having your screen stand or resting on something when you want to charge it. There is also a 3.5mm headphone jack and generally, it is assumed the Micro-SD will be underneath the kickstand for safekeeping. There are no official Nintendo confirmed specs on the screen yet but the estimate is a 31% increase according to IGN.com.
No more sliding Joy-Cons! You have never known fear like watching someone slide a Joy-Con in the wrong way round, that is TOUGH to get back out. These brand-new Switch 2 Joy-Cons attach magnetically! While Switch 2 is going to be compatible with the last generation of controllers they won’t be able to be attached from what we can tell from the trailer.
The colors! Every so often Nintendo loves to do an inverse highlight color. The pastel red replacing the blazing original red Joy-Con I am here for. It’s so gentle with the black matte Joy-Con body. The blue is a little bit lighter, maybe more of a sky blue but they’re similar. The inside sides of the Joy-Cons still have the bumper buttons and lights to indicate the player number. Never doubted they’d leave but happy to see that these controllers are keeping what has worked for Nintendo with couch Co-op and multiplier games.
For any of you who was dreaming of a D-Pad, I am sorry to tell you we once again have directional buttons. I know a big ask in the Switch 2 from people was a proper D-Pad but I never had much of a problem with the directional buttons, the console, and its games, understood when you pressed more than one down at once. Let me know in the comments why I am wrong about directional buttons.
Very funny to see the joystick animation on both controllers where they are making a point that these won’t have Joy-Con drift. Joy-Cons released later in the Switch’s life cycle did not have this problem so I am semi-confident we won’t have the same issue with this generation of them. (I am prepared to eat my words on that one though.)
The clips on wrist-straps are back (in the matching pastel colours), and appear to have rollers and make the Joy-Cons work like mice. Not the cheese-eating kind, the other mice. This was my favorite moment from the trailer, seeing the two Joy-Con slide along the table confirming all the rumors about them having mouse functionality.
Timestamp: 1:14
Let’s talk about the extra button. It’s been rumored to be a C button. In the trailer, there is no outline of a letter or a shape pressed into it.
On the right or red Joy-Con on the Switch 2, there is a little extra square button below the Home button. There is nothing in the Trailer that indicates what it does. In the many Switch 2 rumors and apparent ‘Leaks,’ this is going to have a C impressed into it. Online theories suggest it could be a chat or community platform button. When it comes to Nintendo my rule of thumb is to wait and see, we can theorise all we want but they will do what they want to do even when it doesn’t make complete sense to the consumer.
Mario Kart 9?
The end of the trailer we see a glimpse of a potential release game. Mario Kart 9, after 11 years of adding to and re-releasing Mario Kart 8, we’ve just had a GLIMPSE of Mario Kart 9.
How do we know it’s a new game? Well we don’t but there are some hints if you look closely.
- It’s a course we haven’t seen in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe even with all of the extra courses in the membership bundle.
- Donkey Kong looks weird. Not weird but more closely resembles The Super Mario Bros. Movie and the original design from the Donkey Kong arcade game.
- There are 24 racer starting lines on the track. That’s double the current 12 racers.
Is that all we have to go on? Yes. But surely Mario Kart 8 cannot be about to join us on a third Nintendo console generation. But also you never know, Nintendo does crazy things and this could just be the Switch 2 edition of the game with extra updates so we all spend £60 on a game for the 3rd time?
I am choosing to believe this is a snippet of Mario Kart 9.
Timestamp: 1:41
We are getting more information on the Switch 2 on April 2nd 2025, in a special Nintendo Switch 2 direct. A specific time has not been announced as of yet. You’ve got almost 3 months to brew some good predictions.
What do you think the mystery button will do?
If you want to go watch the trailer or you haven’t seen it yet – you can check it out here!
This breakdown of the Switch 2 trailer is fantastic! The details on the hardware improvements, like the magnetic Joy-Cons and potential Mario Kart 9 reveal, are exciting. It’s great to see Nintendo learning from past mistakes and focusing on what worked. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing more in April!