UPDATE: Added overseas pricing for the Nintendo Switch 2
After years of eagerly awaiting the hand of Nintendo to bless the now eight-year-old Switch (1) with some new hardware, a bigger screen, and most importantly, some new games, it finally happened. During a special Nintendo Switch 2 Direct, which focused on the hardware, Nintendo spilled the beans on a release date: 5 June 2025.
“Bigger screen, same thickness”
Nintendo kicked things off with yet another look at Mario Kart World (not 9), launching “exclusively” on the Switch 2. Sorry, Switch 1 owners. Your time will come. That title change involves an extremely diverse set of maps, weather conditions, and the ability to drive anywhere on the map. You’ll even drive to your next race. Or, if you’re looking to ditch the competition, take a Sunday drive around the map. No worries.
Okay, now onto the good stuff. Nintendo showed off the bigger, magnetic joy-cons, emphasising the mysterious “C” button, which turned out to be… game chat? Whether you’re using the Pro controller, Joy-Con controllers, or even playing in handheld, the built-in microphone can pick up what you’re saying. It’s like Discord but Nintendo-flavoured. Or, if you have a camera on hand, you can video chat with your mates in-game. We’re not sure why you’d do that, but you can.
Easily one of the best features announced was Game Share, which allows players to share their games with up to three friends, and only one purchase is necessary. That means fewer copies of Mario Party, but a whole lot more people playing Mario Party. You see where we’re going with this, right?
Now for the real good stuff, the console itself. The moment we’ve all been waiting for. The Nintendo Switch 2 looks just how we remember it from that teaser trailer from January. It’s got a bigger 7.9in 1080p HDR display (no OLED, unfortunately) and retains the same thickness as the Nintendo Switch (1). It’ll hit 120Hz in handheld mode, assuming you’ve got a Switch 2 game that supports it.
Those sticks are bigger, too, with Nintendo finally confirming the long-rumoured mouse functionality, forcing players to flip their joy-cons onto the side to use them. A brief teaser showing off an upgraded Mario Party Jamboree teased new features using the mouse functionality, but it’s unknown how many developers will take advantage of what seems like quite a niche feature.
Expect improved speakers and 3D audio, alongside a mic on the console, designed for that Game Chat feature we mentioned earlier. Oh, and there’s a new kickstand that’ll stretch back further than your old Switch ever could. Two USB-C ports now adorn the bottom as well as the top, allowing for improved charging in handheld mode.
Oh, and the graphics? Whack the Switch 2 into the refreshed dock, and it’ll hit 4K res if you’re willing to sacrifice all those frames. Up them to 120Hz, and you’ll get 1080p performance. For a console touting Zelda, Mario, and Pokémon, that’s a pretty good deal. Nintendo’s also upped the storage to 256GB, a massive improvement over the original console’s 32GB beginnings.
The Switch 2 goes Pro
It wouldn’t be the Nintendo Switch without a Pro controller, would it? Nintendo has indulged us, hitting fans with a new controller that holds the same design language as the first, but with a few notable improvements. The first of those is an audio jack, as well as two additional buttons on the controller’s rear, perfect for a round of Call of Duty.
If you’ve been waiting on a price… so have we. Nintendo failed to announce a launch price for the Nintendo Switch 2 during the Switch 2 Direct, forcing potential customers to rip the band-aid off for themselves later. On the Nintendo website, the company confirmed a $450 (∼R8,500) starting price for the console and a singular pair of Joy-Cons, while the bundle featuring Mario Kart World will set players back $500 (∼R9,400).
Just… don’t get too excited for those prices. South Africa will want to add a couple thousand bucks to that figure to cover shipping and import fees, leaving eager South Africans paying a whole lot more than the original Switch 1, which launched with a R5,200 price tag back in 2017. We’ve reached out to Nintendo South Africa to try and confirm local pricing and availability for the Nintendo Switch 2, but have yet to hear back.
Also… Hollow Knight: Silksong. Stay tuned for the Nintendo Treehouse streams, starting tomorrow, Thursday, 3 April.
