Be honest, who had a surprise YouTube unveiling on their Nintendo Switch 2 bingo card? The eagerly anticipated games console might’ve leaked worse than a colander in the last few weeks, but it was still a shock to see Nintendo show off the new hardware in its entirety – and confirm rumours that the bigger, badder Switch successor would also be backwards compatible.
The Switch 2 looks a lot like the Switch OLED, only with a much larger screen and matching joy-con controllers – which now fix in place magnetically, and are black instead of red and blue, but keep coloured accents around their analogue sticks in a nod to the original machine. The right joy-con also has a new C-button, whose purpose is unknown.
The console itself is still a hybrid, working in handheld mode and slotting into a dock for playing on a bigger screen. The built-in kickstand has been redesigned, and everything looks that little bit more rounded and smooth than the existing Switch.
Nintendo also confirmed that Switch 2 will play both physical and digital versions of OG switch games, with a slot for inserting Switch 1 cartridges.
That doesn’t mean Switch 2 games will also come on those carts – but it does all but confirm the underlying hardware will be an evolution of the first Switch, rather than anything PC-based like Valve’s Steam Deck. The firm isn’t actually talking specifics just yet, with the official Switch 2 web page rather devoid of info. A caveat saying “certain Nintendo Switch games may not be supported on or fully compatible with Nintendo Switch 2,” also flashes up onscreen during this section of the video, suggesting you won’t be able to play every Switch game ever released.
The last part of the trailer shows what might just be the first footage of Mario Kart 9. Mario, Luigi, Bowser, Toad and Peach are all seen racing on what looks like a desert-themed version of Mario Bros. Circuit (with starting grid boxes for 24 drivers, up from the series’ usual 12), before moving onto what looks like a long stretch of highway – making me wonder if the series might be attempting some kind of open world connecting its iconic tracks together. Donkey Kong looks more like the version seen in the Super Mario Bros Movie, too.
Nintendo will properly spill the beans in a Nintendo Direct stream on the 2nd of April. We’re expecting full hardware details, along with first looks at the launch line-up – which according to leakers, could include ports of one-time Xbox exclusives like Halo: The Master Chief Collection.
The Switch 2 will go on tour from April to early June, with stops in Europe, North America, Oceania and Asia. Tickets will be available for free in a randomly selected draw. No clues as yet if the console will go on sale once the tour wraps up.
Read the full article here
