After weeks of leaks and wild speculation, Nintendo has finally announced the Switch 2, the highly anticipated successor to its wildly popular hybrid handheld console. The gamemaker released a two-minute teaser today with a first look at the console, a handheld that looks a lot like the original Switch but is bigger. Nintendo also announced on Thursday that it will hold a Live presentation to provide more details about the Switch. on April 2. In a video announcement, Nintendo debuted a larger screen with a pair of black and pink and black and blue Joy-Cons. The video also appears to tease a new Mario Kart game with footage shown for just a few seconds. The handheld will play Switch 2 and Switch games, Nintendo said in a press release, but added that “certain Nintendo Switch games may not be supported or compatible with Nintendo Switch 2.” The original Nintendo Switch was launched in 2017, when Nintendo was still recovering from console sales. before, the Wii U. Where the Wii U failed to find an audience, however, Switch sored. By 2023, the console was the third best-selling console behind the Nintendo DS and the PlayStation 2, a position it still holds. Sales are down, and rumors have spread about the next generation entry. Almost a year ago, when Nintendo announced that Pokémon Legends: ZA would come to the “system” in 2025, fans speculated that a new console was on the horizon. (Don’t think that the plural “system” here can only refer to the Switch’s Lite and OLED models.) In May of last year, the company promised to unveil the new console in April 2025. Last month, details and alleged photos of the device were leaked from manufacturers, and later on platforms like Reddit and X.Nintendo diehards, at least, have had fun with leaks-whether it’s using a Tarot card reader to divine the date of the announcement, or making spoofs about features like “Italian air imported” or screw it up. “It has 10 grooves. So it opens on January 10,” one Reddit user joked. Others built a “calling circle” full of old games and Mario and Luigi figurines. The next-gen Switch will launch into a very different console ecosystem than its predecessors. In 2022, Steam released the handheld Steam Deck, which allows players to take more PC games on the go. During this year’s CES, Microsoft’s “next generation” VP, Jason Ronald, told The Verge that there will be an update this year to the Windows gaming experience. Microsoft Gaming boss Phil Spencer also mentioned the possibility of a handheld Xbox device.
