Nintendo reveals Switch 2 console, but no price or release date

Nintendo reveals Switch 2  console, but no price or release date
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Nintendo A black Nintendo Joycon controller and console displayed  on a bright red background. The  center panel  features a Nintendo Switch logo with a large  number 2  next to it. One of the  Joycon has detached from the main joypad unit, showing a red  connection border. Nintendo
Nintendo has finally revealed a  sequel to the Switch, one of the best-selling  game consoles of all  time.
After months of  rumors and speculation, the Japanese company has confirmed  that the new machine will officially be  called Switch  2.
It looks a lot like its  predecessor - including  similar and detachable  controls - but  has a  bigger screen. In a short video showing off the new console, the Japanese company  didn't confirm its release date,  price, or  specs, but promised to  provide more information  in early April.
The company also confirmed that the new console will be  backwards compatible, meaning existing Switch games  will be  playable.
A disclaimer  stated that not all titles  will be  compatible with  each other, with more information to  follow.
The Switch 2 will remain a hybrid console, allowing users to play the machine  "connected" to a TV or as a  handheld device.
A preview of what appeared to be a new Mario Kart game was  revealed, and the video hinted that  the rumors about magnetic controller  mounts and  improved joysticks were  true. But Nintendo said  more details  will be provided during a  live presentation on  April 2.
Nintendo's screenshot shows  an overhead view of Princess Zelda wearing a navy blue  cape and  lying on a dirt path surrounded by grass  by a river.  She's surrounded by Tri  — a floating, yellow, ball-shaped companion.  She's looking  up at the sky,  her arms  outstretched in a celebratory pose, and an icon of a  human-like pig enemy  floats above her head to  indicate that  she's just been  captured. Nintendo
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom was one of the  Switch's last major  franchises
The first Switch  was a huge success for Nintendo  — as of September  2024, it had sold 143 million units, making it one of the best-selling home consoles of all  time.
The Switch's sales marked a massive  turning point in  Nintendo's hardware  fortunes. The Wii  U, the highly successful successor to the  Wii, was widely  considered a  failure, with some analysts even  predicting that the company could follow former rival Sega into becoming a software publisher at  some point.
But the  Switch's hybrid  mechanics have won over gamers.
Although the console  is less powerful than the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, Nintendo  has produced a number of  "must-have" games  for the home, including new  installments in the Mario and Legend of Zelda  franchises.
And, like other  gaming companies, it  has had a boost during the Covid-19 pandemic, with  the cute escape-life simulation Animal Crossing: New Horizons proving  to be a  mixed bag.
Is the Switch 2 a guaranteed  success? Nintendo suffered from "second album syndrome" with the Wii  U in 2012, where its  successful console was followed by a  relative failure.

BBC Newsbeat previously spoke to George Osborn, consultant and author of the Video Games Industry  Newsletter Memo, about his predictions for the Switch  2.
He said  that many eager gamers  will rush to buy the console  once it  launches.
But, he said: "Nintendo has managed to  create a very strong audience of families buying consoles."
If the Switch 2  is not seen as a significant technological  advance, George said, the challenge will be convincing the more casual audience to upgrade  to a higher-end version of the  original console.
"I think  there will be a lot of families who  will say, 'Well, I'm perfectly happy with this family device, it  meets my needs, I can keep  doing it,'" he  said. Nintendo A Nintendo Switch console  on a white background. The screen displays the words "Nintendo Switch" and two icons representing the console's detachable controllers against a background of colorful circles  that create a rainbow effect. The console's controllers are gold and printed with green and white patterns to represent the Legend of Zelda game  series. Nintendo
Variants of the original Switch have been released  in physical form since  2017.
The Switch's immense popularity  has fueled people's desire to be able to take their games  with them on the  go, inspiring other companies to follow Nintendo's  lead.
Valve, owner of the  massive PC  games store Steam, has sold millions of its Steam  Deck "portable PCs," and Sony and Microsoft are also  said to be  considering portable gaming  devices.
Analyst George says  there's more competition for the core gaming audience than in  2017. "So the question is whether the Switch 2  could be enough of a step  forward to convince people  who might have used a Steam Deck to  say, 'Yeah, I want to buy a Switch 2 to go  with it,'" George said.
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Comparing sales of the original Switch will be a  difficult task, but it's  pretty safe to assume  that demand will be high when  it hits the market.
The launches of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles - during a global  chip shortage - were  hampered by  retailers getting their hands on the few consoles  available.
Nintendo President Shuntaro Furakawa previously told investors  that the company  delayed the release of the Switch 2 to ensure  that enough launch units would be  available.
It remains to be seen whether you'll be able to get your hands on  a Switch.

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