The Nintendo Switch 2 is real, having been finally officially announced by Nintendo. This doesn’t mean we’re quite out of the speculation woods yet, though, as we’ll have to wait until April 2, 2025, for a deeper dive into what makes the new console tick.
That April date is when we can expect the Switch 2’s very own Nintendo Direct, as confirmed in the console’s reveal trailer. I’m expecting it to be a longer Direct presentation than the usual 40-or-so minutes, given that it will probably be a big hardware deep dive.
Specs and features aside, I also hope Nintendo makes some time in the Direct for Switch 2 games launching in 2025, as well as what we should expect in terms of both pricing and release date. There will be a lot to cover, so here are five things I hope to see shown at the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct.
A demonstration of new features
It might look very similar to the original Switch, but the Nintendo Switch 2 has plenty of new tricks up its sleeve that I’m very eager to learn more about. Chiefly, I want to learn more about the new Joy-Con controllers’ mouse-like features. What kind of gaming experiences will this offer? I imagine it could be used for general menu and eShop navigation, but could we also see a new Super Mario Maker title that fully uses this mouse-style control?
The feature is a pretty smart play. Plenty of Switch users have their console on a desk hooked up to a monitor, largely due to the smaller display size better suiting the console’s relatively lower resolution output. A mouse-like Joy-Con would be better suited to a flat surface like a desk, which will undoubtedly convince many to keep that desktop setup for their new console.
I’m also curious about this still-rumored ‘C’ button. It wasn’t immediately obvious as to where this button might be in the reveal trailer – leading me to wonder if it’s even going to be a thing. But if it is indeed – as rumors have stated – a portal to a new ‘Campus’ social media feature, I’m very much keen to learn more about that and how it compares to, say, Miiverse.
Hardware specs
There’s been no shortage of speculation on the power of the Nintendo Switch 2. Previous rumors have reported everything from 8GB of RAM and 120Hz refresh rate capability to the console still relying on a custom Nvidia Tegra system on a chip. But at present, nothing is concrete, not even Nintendo’s own apparent development of AI upscaling technology.
Nintendo typically doesn’t get too down in the weeds with spec breakdowns – at least not during its widely viewed Nintendo Direct presentations. And that’s for good reason – the average not-very-online gamer won’t care too much about the hard numbers; they’ll just want to know it’s a marked improvement over the original Switch.
Still, a look at specs – however brief – should be a priority for Nintendo to consider. There’s so much speculation that the company should be keen to put to bed before the Nintendo Switch 2 launches if only to give those interested the hard facts and combat any sort of misinformation in the run-up to launch.
As for myself, I’m not expecting the Nintendo Switch 2 to be on par, performance-wise, with current-generation competitors like the Xbox Series S. I’d much prefer Nintendo to be focused on smoothing out the major issues with the original hardware to provide a more reliable experience for the console’s more demanding games.
A concrete release date and pricing information
Nintendo has officially confirmed that the Nintendo Switch 2 will launch in 2025, but we don’t know exactly when. The upcoming Direct will almost undoubtedly narrow that release window down to a month or even a day. Looking at the timeline of Nintendo Switch 2 events, including those hands-on experiences, I don’t think we’ll have to wait too much longer after the Direct has aired.
If you haven’t heard, Nintendo will be hosting in-person Switch 2 Experience events that are free to sign up for, and participants will be selected on a random basis. These events will be held in major cities across the world between April and June. As a result, I think we could be looking at a late June or early July launch window for the Nintendo Switch 2, but that’s obviously pure speculation.
As for pricing, this is something Nintendo will absolutely need to nail. The rising costs of consoles in recent years have left plenty of consumers feeling sour, not least of all with the PS5 Pro’s absurd $700 / £700 price tag.
The original Switch launched at $259.99 / £259.99, with the Nintendo Switch OLED coming out a few years later at $349.99 / £309.99. I think it’s reasonable to expect the Nintendo Switch 2 to be more expensive than this, given the (likely) overall improvements to hardware and performance. I’m estimating a price of around $400 / £400 for the Switch 2, which is slightly more expensive than the base Steam Deck model.
More details on the handheld’s display
As per the official reveal video, we know the Nintendo Switch 2 will feature a larger screen size on the handheld itself. However, while leaks have posited a size of around eight inches, Nintendo is yet to come out with a more concrete number. I think we will learn this during the April Direct showcase, but if it is indeed eight inches wide, is that maybe a bit much?
The Nintendo Switch OLED’s display clocked in at seven inches, and this was already a sizable bump from the original model’s 6.2-inch display. If the Switch 2’s handheld display is an inch wider still, that could impact its portability factor. It does appear that the Switch 2’s bezel takes up a bit less real estate, however, so that could also have a more positive impact on the overall size of the device.
We’re also in the dark as to what screen technology the Switch 2 will employ. As TechRadar’s own Matt Bolton stated in our Nintendo Switch 2 live blog coverage, going back to an LCD display – a la the original Switch – would be a downgrade compared to OLED. LCD is, however, more cost-effective and could allow Nintendo to produce more units (up to 20 million, according to a recent Bloomberg report).
An IPS screen could be a good middle ground to shoot for, then. While IPS displays can’t quite reach those truly deep blacks that OLEDs are capable of (and have comparatively slower response times to boot), they offer an improvement over traditional LCD screens and have a lower risk of screen burn than OLED displays, too.
Games, obviously
It simply wouldn’t be a Nintendo Direct without a whole bunch of new games to be excited for, and it seems reasonable to expect the Switch 2 Direct to deliver on this front. I’m expecting a good number of new game reveals that’ll make up the Switch 2’s launch line-up and a look at those arriving later in 2025 and beyond.
Speaking of, it seems like a safe bet to expect a deeper look at Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. Officially revealed at the previous Nintendo Direct, Prime 4 is slated for a 2025 release and would make an excellent launch title for Switch 2. But, not necessarily one that’ll shift consoles.
There’s no better game positioned to do that than the next Mario Kart title, which was briefly teased in the Switch 2 reveal video. It’d be an incredibly smart play as a launch title given the monumental success of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which, as the Switch’s best-selling game, has racked up well over 60 million units sold.
But what other games could we realistically expect to see? On the first-party front, it seems unlikely that we’ll get another full-blown Zelda title any time soon. A 3D Mario game could be on the cards, but like Super Mario Odyssey, it seems unlikely to be a launch game if the new Mario Kart is taking that slot. Personally, I’d love to see a new F-Zero game. The long-dormant series has always been a powerful graphics and performance showcase for each console it’s landed on and could be a great fit to show off the Switch 2’s improved chops.
I think there’s a chance that Pokémon Legends Z-A will be a Switch 2 game and will undoubtedly be another system shifter if it manages to arrive in the console’s launch window. It is also currently billed for a 2025 release, but we haven’t seen hide nor hair of it since its initial teaser. Unfortunately, there have been rumors that the game won’t get a dedicated Switch 2 port, but there’s nothing official on that front just yet.
Over to third-party games, we’ve heard rumblings about titles like Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater making the jump to Switch 2. I’ll believe it when I see it, as these games are visually pretty demanding. Still, reliable third-party support will be a must on Switch 2, and the console will need to up its game here, especially as ports on the original Nintendo Switch were pretty reliably the worst version of any given game.