Before the year ends, we need to settle some accounts. Do you want to know more about Nintendo Switch 2? We know some things about Nintendo Switch 2. To be fair, nothing official. We know the things that have been mentioned here and there, but that’s our job: to bring you everything in an organized and sensible way, so you don’t go crazy. And that’s what we’re going to do. Tell you everything we know so far about Nintendo Switch 2, but emphasizing an important detail: practically everything we know is speculation.
Notice to navigators. Although it is impossible for this information to become outdated before the end of the year, as we are going to discuss, it is possible that in a couple of weeks some of these things may be confirmed or denied. We have no way of knowing. But we think it’s important to establish a point from which to have a picture of the current situation of all the information we currently have about the console. And what its possibilities are.
What is the name of the Nintendo Switch successor?
Officially, nothing is known. Nintendo still calls it “the successor to Nintendo Switch”. For now, everyone who has leaked any kind of information refers to it as Nintendo Switch 2. And given the resounding failure that all the abrupt name changes and strange experiments of the last generations have entailed, it seems like a sensible assumption.
What kind of hardware will it have?
Again, we don’t know anything officially. What we do know from leaks is that the console will have an 8-inch screen, 12GB of RAM, 256GB of hard drive space, a microphone, built-in stereo audio, and magnetic joy-cons. Additionally, it is expected that the drifting issues present in the current joy-cons will not exist in this Nintendo Switch 2.
What we do know for sure is that the console will have a Nvidia chip. And most likely, according to Digital Foundry, it will use a Nvidia T239 chip, a reduced and customized version of the Nvidia Orin T234. How did they find out? Thanks to a hack that Nvidia suffered, where they referenced this chip in relation to Nintendo.
What would this chip specifically contribute? Without going into too much detail, we would be talking about a chip that would have power equivalent to the PlayStation 4 Pro. It wouldn’t be a generational leap like that of Microsoft or Sony, but it would have 4K capabilities, or even make use of DLSS technology, if Nintendo so desires. It would be a considerable leap compared to what we currently have with the Nintendo Switch.
What does the console look like?
We have seen many leaks, none too credible. But what we have seen that we have no reason not to believe are the leaks of accessories for Nintendo Switch 2. The impression they give is that it will be a console very similar to the original Nintendo Switch, only larger, and perhaps with small changes in the button layout. But currently, except for a render of the console itself that may or may not be indicative of the console, we do not know its actual appearance.
When will the console be released?
Nintendo Switch 2, as of the publication date of this article, does not have a release date.
Will it be possible to play Nintendo Switch games on the new console?
According to what they have said at Nintendo, yes. Although they have not confirmed whether it will only be digital games or will also include physical games, or if there will be any kind of limitation, in principle, the software will be completely backward compatible. And given the similarities between the hardware of both consoles, there should be no reason for them not to be.
When will the console be officially presented?
According to Furukawa, president of Nintendo, the console will be presented before the end of the current fiscal year. This will happen on March 31. So before Tuesday, April 1, 2025, we should know, at least, the official existence of this console.
Now, it is possible that we do not have to wait until the last moment. A user of the social network Weibo, named 荷姆荷姆喼, has leaked the possible presentation date of the console. According to him, using the Fibonacci sequence to make things more exciting, the presentation would take place on January 8th.
How reliable is this? This user already revealed the games that would be presented at the Nintendo Direct in June 2024, so they have some credibility. Even so, it’s better to take it with a grain of salt. It’s possible it will be presented that day, but it’s also perfectly likely that it won’t. But what is certain is that, before the end of the first quarter of the year, we will know at least the first details of the new Nintendo console.
