The Officially wait is over for Nintendo Switch 2 Price and Release Date
Officially, Nintendo says that a successor to the Nintendo Switch will be revealed “within the fiscal year,” hence we will see it before March 31, 2025. Though there is still very little specific knowledge on the console itself, the wait is on now that we have that announcement window.
With the release of the Nintendo Switch OLED on October 8, 2021, the last hardware refresh the Nintendo Switch got. Though the Nintendo Switch OLED has a better OLED panel, not to mention more internal storage or better speakers, the machine’s power capability was not much changed.
This is a little difficult as, although most of the finest Nintendo Switch games operate sufficiently, the Nintendo Switch is still driven by a little Nvidia Tegra X1 chip and just 4GB of RAM.
With fluctuating frame rates and significantly reduced visuals, recent third-party games like Kingdom Come: Deliverance and Biomutant have truly started to test this hardware to its extreme limitations.
Even in perfect circumstances, though, the console can only run games in up to 720p in handheld mode; in docked mode, the figure rises to up to 1080p.
Not to mention the forthcoming arrival of the PlayStation 5 Pro, it makes a lot of sense for Nintendo to take things back to the drawing board and improve its hardware to better keep up with the competition now the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X have been on the market for a few years and both consoles that can run games at a smooth 60 fps and high-fidelity 4K resolution.
But what might be in store for fans of Nintendo? Here are the most recent rumors regarding the Nintendo Switch 2, along with a ton of thoughtful conjecture.
Nintendo Switch 2
What’s that?
The Nintendo Switch console’s replacement
When will it be available?
Unknown, although it has been verified that an announcement will be made before the year is up.(Release date March 31 or April 2025)
What is the estimated cost?
TBD (Nintendo Switch retailed for Price $259.99 ), (Nintendo Switch OLED was subsequently Price $349.99)
What improvements can we expect?
TBA, but nearly guaranteed is more potent hardware with upgrades to RAM, CPU, and GPU speed. We should anticipate revamped Joy-Con controllers as well, according to recent sources.
Release Date: Nintendo Switch 2
Despite the fact that the Nintendo Switch 2 has not yet been formally introduced, Nintendo has stated that it would do so within the fiscal year, or by Release date is March 31 or April 2025. Regarding the arrival date of this news, we wouldn’t be shocked if it happened in September or October of 2024. Actually, it might happen at any time.
Based on the reveal and release timeframes of the first Nintendo Switch, it is safe to conclude that the system will then hit shop shelves in 2025. This is in line with past speculation that the console will ship in 2025, according to the Japanese newspaper Nikkei.
Price: Nintendo Switch 2
The original Nintendo Switch retailed for Price $259.99, £259.99, or AUD$435; the updated Nintendo Switch OLED was subsequently Price $349.99, £309.99, or AU$539.95. It’s highly possible that the Nintendo Switch 2 will cost more than those amounts because it will probably have better hardware than either of these variants.
To put things into perspective, the MSX Series X and PS5 retail for $499 / £449 / AU$749 and $499.99 / £479.99 / AU$799.95, respectively. Then, the astronomically expensive $699.99 / £699.99 / AU$1,200 is the more potent PS5 Pro.
Nintendo frequently attempts to undercut its rivals by providing devices with lower specifications at a cheaper cost. Given this, we wouldn’t be shocked if the Nintendo Switch 2 about Price $399.99 / £399.99 / AU$699.95, or even a little less, in order to maintain its competitive advantage.
To put it briefly, anticipate something more costly than the present Nintendo Switch but less expensive than the PS5 and Xbox Series X. That being said, keep in mind that, at this point, this is just an informed guess.
Specification: Nintendo Switch 2
The most current rumors about possible Nintendo Switch 2 specifications originate from a spec sheet made by “RedGamingTech,” also known as Paul Eccleston, a YouTube video maker.
Eccleston allegedly created the spec sheet using data from his own sources and an article from the Korean United Daily News, as Tom’s Hardware explains.
This spec sheet indicates that the Nintendo Switch 2 will have an eight core Cortex-A78AE processor, 64GB of internal eMMC storage, and 8GB of RAM.
This would still be a power gain over all of the current Nintendo Switch versions, even though it is not as remarkable as the PS5 or Xbox Series X.
According to the same source, the Nintendo Switch 2 may have a 7-inch OLED display with a refresh rate of 120 Hz and significantly longer battery life. Ecclestone adds that it is most likely going to have an overall design like to the Nintendo Switch OLED.
Fascinatingly, this defies previous claims that claimed the screen would be a mini-LED display. A rumor published in Taiwan’s Economic Daily News suggests that a Nintendo Switch replacement may use Innolux mini-LED panels.
Rewinding even farther, Wccftech revealed that a data miner going by the handle “SciresM” had asserted that the most recent firmware update for the Nintendo Switch contained a reference to a new model of the device, codenamed “Aula.”
The source suggests that the hardware enhancement of the Nintendo Switch “may be inside a new dock and not inside the tablet,” instead of being part of the device itself. They do acknowledge, though, that “there’s no way to tell from the firmware code yet.”
Thanks to a leaked Nvidia email that hinted to the existence of the Tegra239 SoC (system on a chip), we’ve also heard some Nintendo Switch Pro speculations. This was reportedly being developed especially for a future Nintendo Switch model, most likely the Nintendo Switch 2.
Latest News: Nintendo Switch 2
The Nintendo Switch 2 may have reached mass production
It was recently claimed by a financial analyst that the Nintendo Switch 2 would be going into mass production. Senior analyst David Gibson of MST Financial offered his thoughts on Hosiden’s (one of Nintendo’s main hardware assemblers) attempts to spend more on automation and production equipment “for its major customer in amusement” presumably Nintendo.
Gibson stated he anticipates “Sept news and March 2025 release” for the Nintendo Switch 2 in light of this information.
The Nintendo Switch 2 is unlikely to launch before April 2025
The Nintendo Switch 2 is expected to release no later than April 2025. This information comes from Chris Dring, the director of the industry website GamesIndustry.biz, who is said to have discussed the future console with developers. “I haven’t spoken to any developers that anticipate it launching this fiscal year.
They’ve actually been warned not to anticipate it for the [current] fiscal year,” he stated. Many individuals with whom I spoke hope it comes out in April or May, so it will be early rather than late next year.”
To stop Nintendo Switch 2 resellers, Nintendo has a straightforward strategy
During the 84th annual shareholder meeting, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa addressed a Q&A session about strategies to counteract possible Nintendo Switch 2 resellers. He stated that “as a countermeasure for resale, we believe that it is most important to produce a sufficient number to meet customer demand.”
In other words, if Nintendo produces enough Nintendo Switch 2s, consumers won’t ever feel the need to pay more for products from resellers.
While the effectiveness of this technique will have to wait and be seen, this should at least assuage concerns among individuals who may have to search out scarce inventory during the launch period.
Potential Nintendo Switch 2 release date for Final Fantasy 14
One of the third-party titles that could be coming to the Nintendo Switch 2 may have given us our first hint. Director of the massively successful massively multiplayer online role-playing game Final Fantasy 14, Naoki Yoshida, expressed in an interview that he wants the game to be playable “regardless of device” by everyone.
Yoshida stated, “We will try out best” to make the game available on the upcoming Nintendo system.
An announcement on a Nintendo Switch replacement will be made “within this fiscal year”
The corporation declared that an announcement of a “successor to the Nintendo Switch” will be made “within this fiscal year” in a message on May 7, 2024, to the official Nintendo X / Twitter corporate account. We can now be certain that we will receive an official statement prior to March 31, 2025, which is the conclusion of the Japanese fiscal year.
Nintendo has informed Activision on a Nintendo Switch replacement
According to an internal email discovered in September 2023 as part of the FTC complaint regarding Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard acquisition, Activision officials received a briefing regarding the existence of the “NG Switch,” a possible replacement for the Switch.
The lawsuit has since been resolved. According to the email, the Nintendo Switch 2 might have performance that is comparable to that of a PlayStation 4 or Xbox One, which would make sense if it kept the portable design of its predecessor.
An official from Nintendo alluded to backwards compatibility
Even further back, in June 2023, a Nintendo official made a passing reference to the potential for backward compatibility with the Nintendo Switch 2. The CEO said that “[Nintendo] will do our best to make the transition smooth for our customers” when new hardware is released during a shareholder Q&A session that was translated from Japanese.
Is it better to hold off till the Nintendo Switch 2?
A common thought among gamers in the run-up to the Nintendo Switch 2’s formal presentation and eventual release is whether or not to hold off on purchasing the device. The answer here, like with many other things, truly relies on your needs and what you’re looking for in a console.
The current Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch OLED, or Nintendo Switch Lite should be more than sufficient for you if all you’re looking for is a method to play the library of Switch titles that are already available.
Since the system is already very old, it can be found for a reasonable price and is frequently included in large bundles that include one or more excellent games at no additional cost.
Nintendo’s current system is also a great option if you’re shopping on a budget, as the Nintendo Switch 2 is expected to cost more than the original Nintendo Switch due to a combination of general price increases in many consumer tech products over the years and the high likelihood of significantly improved hardware underneath.
Since the Nintendo Switch Lite has occasionally fallen to under $160 / £190 during significant sales events, it is particularly easy to recommend in this regard.
However, if graphics fidelity is your top concern, I would say that waiting for the Nintendo Switch 2 is well worth it. The current platform has a lot of power, as seen by some incredibly beautiful titles like Super Mario Bros. Wonder and Splatoon 3, but it’s practically a given that the software on its replacement will look even better.
Additionally, I would argue that waiting is worthwhile if you play a lot of third-party games. Many of the most recent third-party games for the Nintendo Switch, such as Mortal Kombat 1, have very bad performance issues. If you plan to play games that weren’t created or released by Nintendo, you might want to wait for a more robust system.
Of course, if you’re the type of person that needs to have the newest and best version of a system, then you should definitely pass on the Nintendo Switch at this time. Everything we know suggests that the Nintendo Switch 2 will most likely launch in the upcoming year, so if you get a Nintendo Switch today, you won’t have to update for very long.
FAQ
When will the Nintendo Switch 2 be released?
It is now known that the Nintendo Switch’s successor would be formally launched “within the fiscal year”. This doesn’t necessarily indicate that the Nintendo Switch 2 will launch very soon, but it does indicate that more specific details will be available in the upcoming months.
Is there a backwards compatibility for the Nintendo Switch 2?
Since we are unsure of the solution at this time, it is difficult to answer. However, a few Nintendo execs have made hints that the business is considering backwards compatibility, which may portend good things to come.
It’s possible that the firm plans to continue this practice this time around because several previous Nintendo systems, such as the Nintendo DS and Nintendo Wii, also have backwards compatibility with their direct predecessors.
Could 4K be supported by the Nintendo Switch 2?
There isn’t really much of a motivation for Nintendo to follow suit as Sony and Microsoft continue to grow into the 4K market. 4K has “not been adopted by the majority,” thus it would be too early for Nintendo to get on board, according to Philippe Lavoué, General Manager of Nintendo France, in an interview.
Would VR be supported on the Nintendo Switch 2?
Nintendo has dabbled in virtual reality (VR) technology through Nintendo Labo, but a truly VR experience akin to Sony’s PSVR 2 would require some rather powerful gear. While it seems odd, it’s not completely out of the question that Nintendo may release a mobile gaming device that also supports virtual reality (VR).
Conclusion
- Nintendo officially confirms the successor to the Nintendo Switch will be revealed by March 31, April 2025.
- The Nintendo Switch OLED, released in 2021, featured improvements in display and storage but retained the original console’s hardware limitations.
- Current hardware constraints, such as the Nvidia Tegra X1 chip and 4GB RAM, pose challenges for newer third-party games in terms of performance and visuals.
- Competing with PS5 and Xbox Series X, Nintendo is expected to upgrade hardware significantly in the Nintendo Switch 2, potentially enhancing RAM, CPU, GPU, and Joy-Con controllers.
- Speculations suggest the Nintendo Switch 2 could retail for around Price $349.99, positioning it competitively between the current Switch models and higher-end consoles.
- Rumors point to the Nintendo Switch 2 featuring an eight-core processor, 64GB storage, 8GB RAM, a 7-inch OLED display with 120Hz refresh rate, and improved battery life.
- Analysts anticipate the Nintendo Switch 2 to enter mass production, with a likely release window between September 2024 and March 2025.
- Nintendo aims to counter resellers by ensuring sufficient supply at launch, potentially easing availability concerns.
- Gamers considering purchasing decisions should weigh between current Switch models, which offer affordability and established game libraries, versus waiting for the enhanced capabilities of the Nintendo Switch 2.
Good blog and very details analysis