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Title: Nintendo Switch 2: Release date, price, new Switch games and
everything else you need to know

Date: Fri, 04 Apr 2025 15:18:41 +0000
Link: https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nint...

After months of anticipation and years of speculation, Nintendo is finally
spilling all the beans about the Switch 2. In a Nintendo Direct presentation,
the company is filling in questions we've had about the console since it was
first officially revealed in a short teaser this past January.

Switch 2 launch date and pricing

We finally know when the console will be available: June 5, 2025. It'll cost
$450 at launch. Pre-orders were planned to start on April 9, but on April 4
the company announced they were on hold indefinitely because of the newly-
announced tariffs in the United States.

Switch 2 hardware

The Switch 2 console has the same thickness but has a much larger display ΓÇö
7.9 inches at a 1080p resolution, versus the 6.2-inch 720p screen on the old
console. And it runs at up to 120fps. It is an LCD display, rather than OLED,
but it supports HDR at least.

As expected, the new Joy-Con controllers attach magnetically and have much
bigger SL and SR buttons for when you're playing on a single Joy-Con
controller. The sticks are also bigger, and each Joy-Con can be used as a
mouse on compatible games.

The built-in stand looks much better than the ones on older Switch systems,
and there are two USB-C ports on the console as well. Nintendo also
highlighted 3D audio when using compatible headphones, and the speakers on
the console itself should be a lot better as well. The console has 256GB of
storage, far surpassing the 32GB on the original model. The Switch 2 dock
outputs at up to 4K with compatible games and the dock has a built-in fan to
keep things cool when running at higher resolutions.

Switch 2 is using similar game cards to the original Switch, but Nintendo
notes that they're faster; you'll have to use microSD Express cards for extra
storage this time though. Standard microSD ones won't be compatible with the
new hardware.

A new Nintendo Switch 2 Pro controller will also be available with the C
button to activate GameChat, and it also has GL and GR buttons on the back
that you can assign to any specific actions. There's also a headphone jack,
too.

One of the most important specs on a portable console is battery life ΓÇö and
unfortunately, the Switch 2 might not be great in that department. Nintendo's
spec sheet says it is rated between 2 and 6.5 hours of gameplay, depending of
course on the game. Even the original Switch promised a slightly better 2.5
to 6.5 hours of battery life. Either way, it's far beyond what the current
Switch models offer. As for networking, the Switch 2 has been upgraded to Wi-
Fi 6.

Voice and video chat

The first new feature Nintendo highlighted on its updated Joy-Con controllers
was the C button. The C button lets you enter the new GameChat features. You
can voice chat while playing using a built-in microphone, even when the
console is docked. It's the first time that a Nintendo system has had voice
chat, and you can also share your game screen with friends as you play as
well. For example, in Mario Kart this gives you more of a feel like you're
all playing connected to a TV even though you're remote, because you can see
everything that your friends are doing as well.

And the chat and screen-share features work even if you're all playing
different games, so you can just get a group together to hang out while
playing different titles. There's also a Switch 2 camera that enables video
chat that'll show you on screen while you're playing. These features will
require a Nintendo Switch Online subscription, but Nintendo will offer it for
free to everyone until March 31, 2026.

Mario Kart World

As expected, we're finally getting a new entry in the venerable Mario Kart
series, Mario Kart World. It looks looks familiar while also showing off some
wild new tricks, like skateboard-style grinds on rails and wall jumps. The
courses also look much larger and wider than any we've ever seen before. For
the first time, it looks like there's an open world connecting all the
various courses, and weather and time of day will change.

Nintendo also says that you can go off-course and drive "virtually
everywhere." And fitting those huge tracks, the Grand Prix will have 24
competitors in one race. Overall, it's a massive update which feels
appropriate ΓÇö the last Mario Kart game arrived way back in 2014 for the Wii
U and was updated for the original Switch. It'll be out the same day as the
Switch 2, June 5.

Other games coming to Switch 2

Nintendo ran down a handful of other games coming to the Switch 2, including
Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition, a new title called Drag x Drive that uses the
Switch 2 mouse controls in what looks like an extreme wheelchair sporting
event, Hades II, Street Fighter 6, Split Fiction, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3
+4, Hitman: World of Assassination and Daemon x Machina.

Nintendo is also working on Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, which will
be out this winter; it's being developed in with Koei Techmo games and will
have the same combat-focused vibes as other Dynasty Warrior-style titles.

From Software is also releasing a new game exclusively for the Switch 2
called The Duskbloods in 2026. It feels a lot like Bloodbourne at first
glance.

Perhaps the biggest first-party game to be revealed today besides Mario Kart
World is a new 3D platformer starring Donkey Kong: Donkey Kong Bananza. It
definitely has similar vibes to 3D Mario adventures, but in a totally new
context.

There's a laundry list of games that were mentioned today; Nintendo has
helpfully pulled them together in this press release.

Finally, Nintendo has announced that the Switch Online service will host
another classic console, the GameCube. The initial game library includes The
Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, F-Zero GX and SOULCALIBUR II. For the first time
on Nintendo's classic consoles through the Switch Online service, GameCube
games will run at higher resolutions than the original titles.

Nintendo Switch 2 edition games

In addition to games expressly designed for the Switch 2, Nintendo will also
be releasing a "Switch 2 edition" for selected titles, like The Legend of
Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. Those titles will have
improved resolutions and frame rates as well as new features that'll show up
in a companion smartphone app. Nintendo didn't say how much these upgrades
would cost yet.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land is also getting a Switch 2 edition that adds an
additional world to explore, while Metroid Prime 4: Beyond will have both a
Switch and Switch 2 edition; the Switch 2 edition can run in 4K at 60fps or
up to 120fps at a lower resolution.

Update, April 4 2025, 11:18AM ET: Added details about pre-orders being put on
hold indefinitely.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at
https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nint...
new-switch-games-and-everything-else-you-need-to-know-133105613.html?src=rss

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