Nintendo has officially released the Switch 2.
Nintendo started work on the console in 2019, two years after the release of the original Switch, and they confirmed this in 2020.
Rumors that Nintendo was making a Switch Pro with a slight hardware upgrade were debunked when Nintendo released a Switch OLED. While this SKU had a wider OLED screen and some smaller improvements, it used the same hardware as was seen in the base Switch console.
Subsequently, we got an unexpected confirmation that the industry was prepping for the Switch 2 in the FTC case vs. Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard King. Documents from this case that were made public confirmed that Activision was in the middle of making games for a platform codenamed “Switch NG.”
Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa officially announced the Switch 2 in May 2024, which was the proper start of rumors and hype for the console. A few months later, fans who were datamining started finding evidence that Nintendo was preparing for manufacture of the console.
Expectations for the console are sky high. DFC Intelligence claimed that it would be the most important product launch in video game history, and analysts estimated launch demand to be as high as 9 million consoles, or more. We know that this was more than speculation, after President Furukawa apologized to Japanese fans because they could not meet the overwhelming 2.2 million customer demand for pre-orders direct with Nintendo.
Subsequently, Nintendo also seemed caught in the crossfire in the middle of US Liberation Day tariffs, which could have potentially raised prices and/or made it harder to distribute the console in the US. At this time, Furukawa talked to investors about these tariffs hurting consumers’ ability to buy even the most basic goods, which would also affect leisure industries like video games. After the tariffs were at least temporarily held back, everything eased up for Nintendo’s console launch.
Nintendo and their partner Nvidia talked about the considerable increase in power for the Switch 2. Furukawa argued that this increase in power was a necessity, while Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang talked up how the console has “the most advanced graphics ever in a mobile device.”
Surprisingly, Huang also reminded us of how the Switch 2, by its connection to the original Switch, is still part and parcel of the late Satoru Iwata’s legacy. While Furukawa is clearly steering Nintendo and the Switch 2 in his own direction, it was a worthwhile reminder that the console is still inextricably linked to the past as it moves forward to the future.
You can watch the official Nintendo Switch 2 launch trailer below.
