Nintendo Switch 2: Potential Announcement and Rumored Features
With CES 2025 concluded, the gaming community is shifting its attention to potential new hardware announcements. Among the most anticipated is the next generation of Nintendo's groundbreaking hybrid console, the Switch. Speculation has intensified, suggesting that an official announcement might occur as soon as this week.
Expected Announcement This Week
According to whispers in the industry, notably from Eurogamer, Nintendo might unveil details about the Switch 2 on January 16—this Thursday, to be precise. If the reveal happens as rumored, it's likely that the company will opt for a staggered information release through their series of Nintendo Direct events, rather than a single, comprehensive keynote.
Confirmed Features and Compatibility
Officially, Nintendo has indicated that they aim for a Q1 2025 announcement, ideally before March concludes. Moreover, it has been confirmed that the new console will support backward compatibility with the first-generation Switch, a comforting assurance for the approximately 150 million owners of the original device.
What to Expect in Terms of Upgrades
The scale of the upgrade posed by the Switch 2 remains a topic of interest. Historically, Nintendo has opted for dramatic changes with each console release, with the Wii U being a notable deviation. This history makes it plausible that the Switch 2 will expand upon, rather than revolutionize, its predecessor. Nintendo's strategic rehabilitation post Wii U was significantly driven by the Switch's versatile design and its strong lineup of games.
Though the Switch 2 is expected to surpass the existing model in terms of specifications, Nintendo's pattern suggests that expectations for cutting-edge hardware akin to their competitors should remain modest. The company has not prioritized competing on hardware specifications, such as GPU power, for quite some time.
Speculative Features and Tech Upgrades
Several features remain speculative at this point, including magnetic Joy-Cons and an increased screen size—potentially stretching from the current 6-inch standard on the classic Switch and 7 inches on the OLED model, to 8 inches. The Switch lineup has seen varied adaptations, from the cheaper, portable-only Switch Lite to the more advanced OLED model released in late 2021.
As we wait to see which of these rumors holds true, the gaming industry and fans alike remain eager to see what Nintendo has in store for its celebrated Switch series.