Nintendo unveiled new details on Wednesday about its hugely anticipated Nintendo Switch 2 gaming console, which will be the company’s first new console since the Nintendo Switch was introduced in 2017.
The Nintendo Switch 2 will be released on June 5.
As its name suggests, the Switch 2 is an upgrade on the Nintendo Switch. It builds upon the existing design of the Switch, which can be played both on the go and at home on a TV screen.
At the outset, Nintendo already confirmed that there will be a new, exclusive Mario Kart game launching on the same day as the Switch 2, called Mario Kart World.
Mario Kart World seems like it might be Nintendo’s interpretation of an open world Mario game. There’s a large map of various regions and courses, but in a free drive mode, you can drive around wherever you may please — in single or multi-player — without the threat of a red shell lurking around every corner.
What will the Nintendo Switch 2 look like?
The Switch 2 will be a larger-sized console with a bigger screen (though there is still a bezel on the edges) and heftier Joy-Con controllers, which will also attach magnetically to the sides of the screen. The device has a 1080p LCD screen that supports up to 120fps, as well as HDR — that could be a disappointment for users who got accustomed to their upgraded OLED Nintendo Switches. The dock will support 4K, however.
Nintendo Switch 2 will have 256 GB of storage, which is 8x more storage than the previous model, where even casual gamers usually had to buy a microUSB chip to get more storage. The Nintendo Switch 2 will only support microSD express cards for additional storage, however, which are a new kind of microSD car.
The back of the device has a sturdier stand for positioning the device upright. The body has USB-C charging ports on the top and bottom of the device — the top seems intended for the Nintendo Switch Camera, but it’s also a better located charging port.
The classic colorway for the Nintendo Switch 2 is matte black with light red and blue accents on each respective Joy-Con, nodding to its previous design but in a more sleek format. But we’re willing to wager that Nintendo will let you buy as many Joy-Cons as you want in every color you can imagine — and hopefully this time around, there’s not a drift issue.
The Joy-Cons will also function like a computer mouse for compatible games. With the gyroscope features, players can have more control over motion controls.
To get users acquainted with the new Nintendo Switch 2 functions, there will be a Welcome Tour game that explains the device… and it’ll cost money, which is probably better spent on Mario Kart World.
What is the C button on the Nintendo Switch 2?
Many fans theorized about a C button that appears on the Joy-Cons, which Nintendo confirmed today to be GameChat, which allows you to communicate with friends while playing the game.
Your voice is recognized by a microphone in the system, which supposedly will make it possible to hear people even if there’s a loud room around them. Users can also share their game screens within the console, even if they are playing different games — watch out, Discord. But even in the demo, the footage of another player’s game screen appears a bit choppy.
The right Joy-Con has another C button that can be used for other chat functions, including muting your microphone if you need to do something else.
GameChat will be available for all users until March 31, 2026, but after that, you will need to have a paid online membership to use it. Nintendo briefly mentioned that parental controls will be accessible on GameChat, but didn’t provide further details.
What other hardware launches with the Nintendo Switch 2?
Nintendo announced the Nintendo Switch Camera, which can attach to the console and transpose your face on top of your game, perfect for GameChat.
Nintendo showed an example of the camera in which people play Mario Party together, and players’ faces appear in speech bubbles next to their characters, showing their reaction to the games. These new features will be backwards compatible with certain games, including Mario Party Jamboree.
Of course, there will also be a Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller, which includes the new C button.
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