Nintendo Swap 2 updates: Launch date, worth, new video games and every thing else you should know

With Nintendo's April 2 Direct showcase over and carried out, we now know extra concerning the Swap 2 than ever earlier than, together with its launch date (June 5) and worth ($450!). We're additionally retaining a detailed eye on how the recently-announced tariffs in the USA are affecting Nintendo's launch plans — the corporate has already paused pre-orders in the US that had been set to happen on April 9.

Due to Nintendo's January 16 teaser trailer, we've lengthy identified what the Swap 2 will seem like, and that it’s going to arrive in 2025 — over eight years after its predecessor. The Nintendo Swap 2 seems similar to the unique system, albeit with a bigger show, magnetic Pleasure-Cons and a sleeker design. The corporate additionally reaffirmed that the upcoming console shall be backwards suitable with Swap video games.

Seeking to compensate for every thing we all know concerning the Swap 2? Learn on.

What are the important thing new options of the Nintendo Swap 2?

Show and dock

The Nintendo Swap 2 has a 1080p 7.9-inch show with a 120Hz refresh and HDR compatibility. It additionally helps as much as 4K output at 120Hz (with variable refresh charges) when docked.

Pleasure-Con and Professional Controller

The brand new Pleasure-Con 2 for Nintendo Swap 2 attaches magnetically with a button to launch them. They’ve bigger SL and SR buttons (those hidden when the Pleasure-Con are hooked up) to make enjoying multiplayer video games on particular person Pleasure-Cons extra possible. These buttons are additionally manufactured from metal and fasten to the Swap 2's magnets.

The analog sticks are not tiny nubs, and are nearer in dimension to those you may discover on a PS5 or Xbox controller. Nevertheless, they do not have Hall effect sensors, the usage of which might decrease the chance of the "stick drift" challenge that plagued the unique Pleasure-Cons.

The Pleasure-Con 2 have what Nintendo is asking “HD Rumble 2” inbuilt, which appears to be a refinement of the unique (and nonetheless excellent) vibration operate. Lastly, each Joy-Con 2 has an optical sensor that allows you to use it as a mouse, and a C button, which we’ll get to in a minute.

Nintendo

The brand new Professional Controller for the Nintendo Swap 2 comes with every thing you’d count on primarily based on the refreshed Pleasure-Con 2: Specifically HD Rumble 2 and the C button. There are additionally remappable GL/GR buttons across the again and a regular audio jack for connecting a headset.

Each choices include Amiibo help inbuilt. The Swap 2 comes with two Pleasure-Con 2, as you’d count on, and extra pairs are priced at $90. The Professional Controller will price $80.

The C button stands for “chat”

The brand new C button is a devoted technique to enter a chat session with associates. In addition to the usual options you’d count on from voice chat, Nintendo has constructed a Discord-like video-sharing function, which helps you to present your gameplay to others and see different individuals’s screens whilst you’re enjoying.

The GameChat function works with a mic constructed into the console, although headsets are additionally supported. Nintendo can even promote a $50 digital camera that plugs into the USB-C port on the highest of the console, which can will let you stream your face alongside along with your sport.

GameCube help

The Switch 2 will work with GameCube games through the Nintendo Swap On-line Enlargement Pack. The three titles accessible at launch shall be F-Zero GX, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and Soul Calibur II.

Improved specs

Maybe the most important function, although, is one you’ll be able to’t see: The Swap 2 has an all-new processor and GPU and considerably extra storage (256GB vs 64GB within the Swap OLED), together with help for quicker and extra capacious microSD playing cards. This may clearly result in higher first-party video games and upgraded Swap experiences, however extra importantly it would imply multi-platform video games that needed to skip the unique, underpowered Swap will be capable of be ported over. With games like Cyberpunk 2077 coming to the Switch 2 at launch, it looks like much more ports shall be possible than on the unique console.

One other main enchancment comes within the type of networking — the Swap 2 helps Wi-Fi 6, which can enhance the unique's typically glacial obtain speeds. Equally, the brand new dock sports activities an Ethernet port for a rock-solid connection.

What's it prefer to play?

Nintendo gave the press an opportunity to take a look at the Swap 2 and some of the video games it highlighted. You possibly can learn our impressions of Mario Kart World in addition to extra normal ideas on how the Switch 2 feels in person. Proper off the bat, Mario Kart World seems like an impressive launch title, with extra depth and higher visuals than we've ever seen from a Mario Kart sport. The core formulation is undamaged, however there are plenty of new options and play kinds to dig into.

As for the Swap 2 {hardware}, it seems like a serious step ahead from the unique Swap — it has grown up rather a lot and feels much more polished and refined. And whereas it might not have an OLED display screen, the 7.9-inch LED show Nintendo did use is excellent.

When will the Nintendo Swap 2 come out?

June 5, 2025.

When do pre-orders open for Nintendo Swap 2?

Pre-orders had been initially set to start on April 9, however on April 4 Nintendo announced it was suspending pre-order plans within the US "indefinitely" in response to the unique slate of tariffs imposed by President Trump. Nevertheless, Nintendo says that the discharge date for the console is unchanged.

How a lot will the Nintendo Swap 2 price?

On April 2, Nintendo introduced that the Swap 2 would price $450 standalone, or $500 with a bundled digital copy of the brand new Mario Kart sport, Mario Kart World. That’s considerably dearer than the unique Swap, which launched at $300, and has remained at that worth ever since. It’s additionally dearer than the entry-level current-gen consoles from Sony and Microsoft.

The comparability seems a little bit higher up in opposition to Valve’s Steam Deck, which prices $400 for the LCD mannequin or $550 for the essential OLED mannequin. The Steam Deck is extra inexpensive than most PC handhelds.

Inside 48 hours of the pricing announcement, nevertheless, Nintendo delayed the unique pre-order schedule "so as to assess the potential influence of tariffs and evolving market situations." With heavy US tariffs levied on Nintendo's Asian production centers, the implication was that might have little alternative however to move not less than a few of these prices on to American shoppers. However Trump's April 9 tariff pivot — reverting to 10 p.c throughout the board for 90 days for all nations besides China, which now will get a triple-digit hit — additional muddied the waters. That's as a result of it's unclear how a lot, if any, of the elements and meeting of US-bound Swap 2 consoles will originate in China.

How lengthy will the Swap 2's battery final?

Nintendo says that the Swap 2 will final between 2 and 6.5 hours on a single cost. That is just like the unique Swap, which was rated for two.5-6.5 hours, although later revisions upped that determine considerably. The corporate cautions that "this time is an estimate … battery life will rely upon the video games you play and utilization situations."

When can I strive the Nintendo Swap 2?

Nintendo is planning a worldwide roadshow to let avid gamers go hands-on with the console. These occasions began in New York and Paris on April 4-6, with others happening all through the next two months.

Ticket registration for most of the Nintendo Swap 2 Expertise occasions has closed, however waitlists are available. Nevertheless, provided that Nintendo is taking a primary come, first served method, your possibilities of attending the roadshow should you don't have already got a ticket (or except you signed up for the waitlist instantly) appear very small at this level.

The total checklist of Nintendo Swap 2 Expertise dates is as follows:

North America:

New York, April 4-6, 2025
Los Angeles, April 11-13, 2025
Dallas, April 25-27, 2025
Toronto, April 25-27, 2025

Europe:

Paris, April 4-6, 2025
London, April 11-13, 2025
Milan, April 25-27, 2025
Berlin, April 25-27, 2025
Madrid, Might 9/11, 2025
Amsterdam, Might 9/11, 2025

Oceania:

Melbourne, Might 10-11, 2025

Asia:

Tokyo (Makuhari), April 26-27, 2025
Seoul, Might 31-June 1, 2025
Hong Kong, To be introduced
Taipei, To be introduced

Is the Nintendo Swap 2 backwards suitable?

Nintendo confirmed in November 2024 that the Nintendo Switch 2 will be backwards compatible. It is going to additionally function entry to Nintendo On-line, so customers will be capable of play all of these outdated retro titles.

Within the preliminary Nintendo Swap 2 press launch, Nintendo reiterated that bodily and digital Swap video games will work on the brand new system. Nevertheless, it famous that "sure Nintendo Swap video games might not be supported on or totally suitable with Nintendo Swap 2." We now have extra info on which video games are working because of a guide Nintendo put together.

Nintendo Software Compatability Chart — Nintendo's software program compatibility chart on April 2, 2025.

As of April 1, the overwhelming majority of Swap 2 video games are marked as suitable, however many widespread video games are mentioned to have some points. Nintendo has marked most of those as “underneath investigation,” suggesting a repair could also be on the best way in time for launch. Nintendo says it’s manually testing each Swap sport for compatibility.

Just one title is marked as incompatible: Nintendo Labo Toy-Con 04: VR Package. This was a part of Nintendo’s Labo vary of video games that labored with Cardboard equipment, and is incompatible because the Swap 2 doesn’t bodily match within the VR headset.

Will outdated video games be enhanced in any approach?

The unique Swap has, to place it mildly, struggled to run some of the late-generation software that's come down the pike. Might these video games be enhanced to benefit from the elevated horsepower of the Swap 2? That’s unclear. In an “Ask the Developer” web page on its website, Nintendo says that outdated video games are working via a real-time translation system, which sounds just like how Rosetta permits fashionable Macs to run outdated software program. With that mentioned, the brand new and outdated Swap are a lot nearer in {hardware} than that.

In the identical developer interview, it’s mentioned that in its testing of outdated video games for compatibility, there have been some events “the place loading occasions grew to become quicker, or sport efficiency grew to become extra secure,” however we don’t have any element past that.

In addition to backward compatibility, Nintendo can also be providing up premium "Swap 2 Version" upgrades for a choose few video games. These have improved resolutions and body charges, and (in some titles) some bonus options and content material. What precisely meaning will fluctuate, however Nintendo did affirm that Metroid Prime 4: Past may have 4K/60 fps and 1080p/120 fps choices on the Swap 2.

Video games confirmed to have a Swap 2 Version thus far embody:

Tremendous Mario Occasion Jamboree
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Pokémon Legends: Z-A
Metroid Prime 4: Past

Within the case of the 2 mainline Zelda video games, these upgrades shall be included with a Swap On-line + Enlargement Pack membership or price $10 every. Upgrades for the opposite video games are additionally paid, however Nintendo has not mentioned how a lot these will price.

What is going to the cartridges style like?

You might do not forget that the unique Swap cartridges taste absolutely awful. This was on function, to discourage of us from placing the video games of their mouth.

Equally, the Swap 2 carts are additionally mentioned to style horrible, largely to cease youngsters or pets from by accident ingesting them. It isn’t but clear what substance Nintendo has coated the Swap 2 cartridges in to make them style foul, however Nintendo's Takuhiro Dohta suggested in opposition to licking all of them the identical.

"We don't need anyone to be vulnerable to any undesirable consumption," he informed GameSpot. "We have now certainly made it in order that if it enters your mouth, you'll spit it out."

What are the launch video games?

We count on this checklist to vary considerably over the approaching weeks and months, however the titles at the moment confirmed to be accessible on day one observe:

Arcade Archives 2 Ridge Racer
Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster
Cyberpunk 2077
Deltarune
Quick Fusion
Fortnite
Hitman: World of Assassination
Hogwarts Legacy
Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess
Mario Kart World
Nintendo Swap 2 Welcome Tour
Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S
Break up Fiction
Road Fighter 6
Survival Youngsters
Yakuza 0: Director's Minimize

That's every thing we all know concerning the Nintendo Swap 2 right now. We'll replace this text with any info we will collect straight from sources. Any modifications made to the article after its preliminary publishing shall be listed beneath.

Replace, January 24, 2025, 12:36 PM ET: This story has been up to date to incorporate hypothesis about worth, potential sport enhancements and the style of cartridges.

Replace, February 5, 2025, 9:30AM ET: This story has been up to date to notice the time when the April 2 Nintendo Direct begins.

Replace, February 24, 2025, 12:30 PM ET: This story has been up to date to incorporate hypothesis about storage and details about the brand new microSD Categorical commonplace.

Replace, March 6, 2025, 2:30PM ET: This story has been up to date to notice latest FCC filings to point the presence of Wi-Fi 6 and NFC help.

Replace, March 14, 2025, 12:15PM ET: This story has been up to date to incorporate pricing and gross sales hypothesis from analysts.

Replace, March 20, 2025, 12:45PM ET: Up to date to incorporate a observe concerning the Seattle Mariners new jersey patches that includes Nintendo and the Swap 2.

Replace, March 27, 2025, 3:50PM ET: Up to date so as to add particulars concerning the C button, Nintendo Right this moment! and Digital Recreation Playing cards.

Replace, April 1, 2025, 10:16AM ET: Up to date so as to add hyperlink to livestream and particulars on its size.

Replace, April 2, 2025, 4:40PM ET: Added particulars from the April 2 Nintendo Direct occasion, together with specs, worth, launch date and launch titles.

Replace, April 4, 2025, 11:17AM ET: Added particulars about pre-orders being placed on maintain.

Replace, April 7, 2025, 1:56PM ET: Added particulars concerning the Swap 2 cartridges nonetheless (reportedly) tasting horrible, the shortage of Corridor impact sensors within the controllers and sport improve pricing.

Replace, April 9, 2025, 5:41PM ET: Added context on how the altering guidelines on the Trump tariffs could or could not have an effect on Swap 2 pricing within the US.

Jeff Dunn contributed to this report.

This text initially appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-switch-2-updates-release-date-price-new-games-and-everything-else-you-need-to-know-175623042.html?src=rss

Trending Merchandise

Add to compare