Nintendo officially announces the Switch 2

After weeks of leaks and wild speculation, Nintendo has finally announced the Switch 2, the long-awaited successor to its wildly popular hybrid handheld console. The gamemaker released a two-minute teaser today with a first look at the console, a handheld similar to the original Switch, but bigger.

Nintendo also announced Thursday that it will hold a live presentation to provide more details about the Switch on April 2. In the video announcement, Nintendo presented a larger screen with a pair of black and pink and black and blue Joy-Cons. The video also appears to tease a new one Mario Kart play with footage displayed for just a few seconds.

The handheld will play both Switch 2 and Switch games, Nintendo said in a press release, but added that “certain Nintendo Switch games may not be supported on or fully compatible with Nintendo Switch 2.”

The original Nintendo Switch launched in 2017, at a time when Nintendo was still recovering bad sales of its previous console, the Wii U. Where the Wii U failed to find an audience, however, the Switch soared. In 2023 it was third best seller console of all time behind Nintendo’s DS and PlayStation 2, a position it still holds.

By 2024, however, it looked like the console had peaked. The sale was skydivedand already rumors were spreading about a next-gen entry. Almost a year ago when Nintendo announced Pokémon Legends: ZA would come to its “systems” in 2025, fans speculated that a new console was on the horizon. (Just as the plural “systems” here could just have referred to the Switch’s Lite and OLED models.)

Last May, the company promised that it would unveil a new console in April 2025. Last month, details and alleged images of the device leaked from the manufacturersand later on platforms like Reddit and X.

At least Nintendo diehards have had fun with the leak – be that as it may using tarot card readings to guess the announcement date or make fake features like “imported Italian air” or screws. “It has 10 grooves. So reveal on January 10,” one Reddit user joked. Another constructed a “summoning circle” full of old games and Mario and Luigi figures.

The next generation Switch will be released into a very different console ecosystem than its predecessor. In 2022, Steam released its handheld Steam Deck, which allows gamers to take multiple PC games on the go. During CES this year, Microsoft’s “Next Generation” VP, Jason Ronald, hinted The edge that there would be updates this year to the Windows gaming experience. Microsoft Gaming boss Phil Spencer has also hinted at the possibility of a handheld Xbox device.