Nintendo FINALLY officially unveils the Switch 2

The Nintendo Switch 2 has got to be one of the worst-kept secrets in video game history.

Rumours about the next-gen iteration of Nintendo’s ubiquitous handheld console have been circulating for what seems like an eternity and recent leaks have covered everything from the size of the screen to detailed specifications about its GPU and motherboard.

With the volume of those leaks increasing daily, Nintendo has finally broken its silence by releasing a first-look trailer showcasing the console. Many of the burning questions we have about it remained unanswered; the trailer hints at a lot while confirming very little. Mark your calendars for 2 April, however, as there’s going to be a Nintendo Direct dedicated to the Switch 2.

That’s quite a way off, so expect the leaks to reach dam-breaking critical mass, but until then, let’s look at the nuggets of information that can be gleaned from Nintendo’s reveal.

The Nintendo Switch 2 has a larger screen

Nintendo hasn’t stated the size of the Switch 2’s display but it’s definitely bigger than those found on its predecessors. The trailer shows the screen component of the modular console alongside a pair of original Joy-Con controllers and it’s notably larger.

Reports suggest that the Switch 2’s display will measure 8in across the diagonal – up from 6.2in on the original Switch and 7in on the Switch OLED – and that looks to be about right. We still don’t know whether the display uses LCD or OLED panel technology; the smart money is on the former, with a more expensive OLED model to follow down the line.

The reveal trailer also shows the display to have a curvier rear. We see plastic magically dissipating from the top edge of the console, which may help compensate for the additional weight that the larger display will likely add.

The Nintendo Switch 2’s Joy-Cons have had a makeover

A bigger screen naturally means larger Joy-Cons but that’s not the only change to the Switch 2’s detachable controllers. While the button layout remains very similar, the Joy-Cons are no longer attached to the console by sliding them down into grooves on each side of the display.

Instead, they clip in from the sides via proprietary pin connectors and, if the snap sound effect in the trailer is anything to go by, are aided by a magnetic force. Clips located on the rear of each of the Joy-Cons, near the trigger buttons, appear to be the release mechanisms for the controllers.

This new design means that you won’t be able to attach Joy-Cons from the original and OLED Switch to the Switch 2, though there’s still a chance that you’ll be able to use them as wireless controllers.

There are a few other things to note about the new Joy-Cons, the first and most obvious of which is that they’re far less colourful than those that came before them. Their main housing is black, with colour (light blue on the left and peach on the right) reserved for a ring around the thumbsticks and the sections that clip into the screen that house the SR and SL shoulder buttons you use when holding the Joy-Cons in a horizontal grip.

It very much looks like you’ll be able to use the Joy-Cons as a wireless mouse, too. About halfway through the trailer, we see the right and left controllers connected by a strap, gliding over a smooth surface. This would be a very welcome and much-requested addition.

Have the Switch 2 Joy-Con’s joysticks been improved?

Joy-Con drift, whereby the thumbsticks register inputs when the controllers aren’t being touched, is a problem that’s plagued Switch owners since release and there’s a very brief section of the trailer in which we see the left stick being rotated.

We may be reading too much into this, but could it be a hint that Nintendo has sought to address this maddening issue? The aforementioned coloured rings around the thumbsticks certainly suggest it’s doing something a little different with the sticks this time around.

There’s a mysterious new button on the Nintendo Switch 2’s right Joy-Con

As noted above, the button configuration on the Switch 2 Joy-Cons closely matches that of those used by the Switch and Switch OLED. However, the eagle-eyed among you will have noticed that the right controller has a small, square button located directly underneath the circular Home button.

There are various theories about what this might do, including those involving screen sharing, casting to another device and engaging mouse mode – if that is indeed a new feature of the Joy-Cons.

Nintendo has added a second USB-C port to the Switch 2

Both the Switch and Switch OLED make do with a solitary USB-C, port located in the middle of the bottom edge of the console. This has been joined by a second USB-C point alongside the headphone jack on the top edge.

The air vents along this edge have been shifted more centrally to accommodate the additional port, while the vent covers found on the rear of the console look larger and are positioned slightly differently from how they were previously. A second USB-C port is a big win in our book but we don’t know anything about its specifications or the accessories it will support.

The Nintendo Switch 2 has a new kickstand

The original Switch had a small, clip-out piece of plastic that was able to hold the console up on a flat surface but could barely be considered a stand.

The OLED model addressed this by introducing a much larger flap running along the back of the console that could be adjusted to achieve various viewing angles. It worked a lot better than the original’s flimsy effort, but the Switch 2’s stand looks to be an even bigger step up.

It’s a lot more elegantly integrated into the console, and tilts back much further, giving you a greater range of viewing angle options.

We still don’t know how much the Switch 2 will cost or when it will be released

Nintendo is keeping tight-lipped about when the Switch 2 will be available to pre-order or buy and it’s keeping its cards close to its chest about pricing, too. We’re expecting it to cost somewhere between £300 and £350 when it does eventually arrive, which may not be until the summer, based on the timing of a series of hands-on events in the coming months.

The public will have the opportunity to experience the Nintendo Switch 2 in action in cities across the world, with events in New York and Paris kicking off proceedings between 4 April and 6 April. The Nintendo Switch 2 roadshow will be in London from the 11th of April to the 13th, with the final confirmed event (Hong Kong and Taipei are TBA) scheduled to take place on the last day of May and the first day of June.

It would make sense for the official release date of the Switch 2 to come after these events have concluded and the hype train has built up a full head of steam but Nintendo loves to keep us guessing, so who knows?

But we do know that Mario Kart 9 and exclusive Switch 2 games are on the way

Towards the end of the Nintendo Switch 2 trailer, we got a glimpse at what can only be the ninth instalment in the Japanese manufacturer’s iconic kart racing franchise, Mario Kart.

Household names including Bowser, Peach and Yoshi zipped around a desert-themed track on the Switch 2 in handheld mode as the console was slowly lowered into its dock and the action moved to a connected TV screen. That was the only glimpse we got of the dock, so we’re no closer to knowing whether the Switch 2’s graphical capabilities when docked have received an upgrade or whether the dock itself houses any new connection options.

We did, however, get confirmation that the console “Plays Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive games, as well as Nintendo Switch games”. Games made exclusively for the new console were pretty much guaranteed given that leaks suggest that it will be more than ten times more powerful than its predecessor and we’re excited to see what Nintendo has in store.

Some may find the caveat that “Certain Nintendo Switch games may not be supported on or fully compatible with Nintendo Switch 2” a little troubling, but we’d be surprised if the brand hasn’t ensured the best and most popular titles in its back catalogue are available from day one.

Nintendo is unlikely to officially announce anything more about the Switch 2 before its Direct presentation on 2 April, but rest assured we’ll be covering it if it does.