Nintendo unveils its console but no price or release date

Nintendo has revealed its next console after weeks of rumors and leaks about the machine.

Purported images and details about the successor to the Switch – one of the best-selling games consoles of all time – have been increasingly appearing online since the start of the year.

The Japanese video game giant has finally broken its silence with a short video presenting the new console this confirmed some, but not all, unofficial information.

As expected, the new machine will be called Switch 2 and will look a lot like its predecessor, with similar, detachable controllers but with a larger screen.

No pricing or release date has been revealed, but the company will release more details during a showcase on April 2.

The company also repeated one of the few official pieces of information known before the reveal: that the new console will be backwards compatible.

This means that existing Switch games can be played on the new machine, but there is a warning that not all titles will be compatible with each other.

The Switch 2 will remain a hybrid console, allowing users to play the machine “docked” to a TV or as a portable device.

A preview of what appeared to be a new Mario Kart game was also shown, and the video hinted that the rumors about magnetic controller attachments and improved joysticks were true.

But Nintendo said further details would be provided during a live presentation on April 2.

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.

Sales of the Switch marked a massive turnaround in Nintendo’s hardware fortunes.

The Wii U – the sequel to the hugely successful Wii – was widely considered a failure, and some analysts even predicted that the company could follow old rival Sega in becoming a mainstream software publisher. era.

But the hybrid mechanics of the Switch appealed to players.

Although the console is less powerful than the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, Nintendo has produced a number of “must-have” games in-house, including new entries in the Mario and Legend of Zelda franchises.

And, like other gaming companies, it received a boost during the Covid-19 pandemic, with the cozy, escapist life sim Animal Crossing: New Horizons proving a runaway success.

Nintendo suffered from “second album syndrome” with the 2012 Wii U, where its successful console was followed by relative failure.

BBC Newsbeat previously spoke to George Osborn, consultant and author of Video Game Industry Memo Bulletin about his predictions for the Switch 2.

He said many avid gamers will rush to buy the console as soon as it launches.

But he said: “Nintendo has managed to establish a very strong audience of families buying consoles.”

If the Switch 2 isn’t seen as a significant technological advancement, George said, the challenge will be convincing the more casual audience to upgrade from the original.

“I think there will be a lot of families who say, ‘Well, I’m perfectly happy with this family device, it meets my needs, I can keep up with that,'” he said.

The popularity of the Switch inspired people’s desire to be able to take their games with them, prompting other companies to follow Nintendo’s lead.

Valve, owner of the massive PC gaming store Steam, has sold millions of its Steam Deck “portable PCs,” and Sony and Microsoft are also reportedly considering launching portable gaming devices.

Analyst George says there is more competition for the core gaming audience than in 2017.

“So there’s the question of whether the Switch 2 can be enough of a step forward to convince people who may have also dipped into a Steam Deck to say ‘yes, I want to buy a Switch 2 to go with it.’ ” said George.

Matching the sales of the original Switch will be a tall order, but it’s pretty safe to assume that demand will be high when it releases.

The launches of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles – during a global chip shortage – were spoiled by resellers hoovering up the few consoles available.

Nintendo President Shuntaro Furakawa previously told investors that the company delayed the release of the Switch 2 to ensure enough launch units would be available.

It remains to be seen whether you will be able to get your hands on such a model.

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