Nintendo has announced a launch date for its long-awaited sequel to the Switch gaming console: the Switch 2 will arrive on June 5, bringing with it new features such as interactive chat and screen-share functions to connect gamers — but also a steeper price tag.
At its 60-minute Nintendo Direct presentation, the company revealed a more vibrant display on the Switch 2, a larger screen and several games that will launch with the console.
Central to its updated portable gaming console is a new “C” button on its Joy Con controller, which will launch a new “GameChat” that allows you to “communicate with friends and family while playing a game,” and let you share your game screen with other players, according to Nintendo developers who presented the new features. The chat function will only be available to users who subscribe to Nintendo’s Switch online service. A built-in microphone at the top of the system will also allow you to talk to other gamers.
“When you think about some of the biggest titles on [the Nintendo Switch], it’s like Mario Kart, Super Mario Jamboree, even though that’s quite a new title, has cracked the Top 10 of most play games on the console. So, it does make a lot of sense that the sort of headline feature is geared primarily towards that sort of [multiplayer] use,” said Hannah Cowton-Barnes, a London-based video game industry expert for Tech Advisor.
WATCH | Nintendo Switch 2 first-look trailer:
Perhaps the most contemporary function yet for the Switch 2 is the ability to use the Joy-Con controllers like a computer mouse. The developer displayed multiple ways to use the new function in games, such as angling a club in a golf game.
The new portable console features a 7.9 inch (20 centimetre) LCD screen that displays in 1080p. Nintendo also revealed in the live stream that, when docked, the system will be able to support 4K resolution for compatible games.
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Nintendo will sell the Switch 2 for $449.99 US at launch, according to a company media release, a big jump from the Switch’s $299.99 US price tag upon its launch in 2017. Canadians are being asked to pay $629.99 when they go to pre-order the console on Nintendo’s website, compared to the $399.99 price tag for the first Switch in 2017.
A separate Switch 2 bundle that includes the new Mario Kart World game will also be available for $499.99 US and $699.99 for Canadians.
New games revealed
Wednesday’s presentation started with an extended look at Mario Kart World — the console’s launch bundle game — which adds a bit of flare to the series with in-game characters doing tailwhips, flips, rail grinds and other tricks.
The developer also unveiled a new James Bond game, dubbed Project 007, revisiting a classic Nintendo 64 console hit revered by many first-person shooter fans.
Nintendo also announced two more Switch 2 exclusives featuring its marquee characters. Donkey Kong Bananza, a 3D adventure with the big ape punching his way through a huge underground world, arrives July 17. Kirby Air Riders, a racing game from the director of the Super Smash Bros. series, is due later in the year.
Third-party exclusives likely to create some buzz include Koei-Tecmo’s Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, a hack-and-slash prequel to The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, coming this winter. FromSoftware’s The Duskbloods, a baroque multiplayer title from the creators of Dark Souls and Elden Ring, is scheduled for 2026.
Miss the GameCube? Nintendo said Switch Online subscribers will be able to access a limited selection of GameCube titles such as The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and F-Zero GX.
The new console will be backwards compatible — able to play physical and digital Switch games — but users will need to purchase a microSD express memory card for the Switch 2. The presentation revealed that normal SD cards will not be compatible with the system. However, data from the original Switch can be transferred to the new console using a transfer feature.
“I think there was a lot there that speaks to fans directly, including sequels to games that we love and we’re surprised to see, like Kirby Air Ride, which is sort of a cult favourite from the GameCube era,” Allegra Frank, a reporter with The Atlantic covering games media, told CBC News.
When the Switch first debuted, it brought a lot of innovations, like having docked and portable modes for one console. The emphasis on voice chat for the Switch 2 might be one way the sequel is looking to differentiate itself, Frank said, and perhaps appeal to younger gamers used to Discord and more social gaming.
The company’s previous Nintendo Direct presentation on March 27 announced games would continue to be made well into 2025 for the first-generation console, which debuted in 2017.
Nintendo plans to host Switch 2 Experience events in several countries, where gamers can get hands-on experience with the new system. Those events are planned for cities including Los Angeles, New York, London and Paris beginning this month.
