Watch today’s Nintendo Direct right here, with all the details laid out in our story below.
THE BASICS: The Nintendo Switch 2 Has 4K Support, HDR, Joy-Cons with mouse controls, 256 GB of on-board storage, Red cartridges, GameChat with a standalone camera, and a lot more!
Mario Kart World is real!
Today’s Nintendo Direct video opens with the Mario Kart game, now known to be called Mario Kart World.
The video also confirms, at last, that we’ll have an incredible open-world environment, allowing us to drive off course and explore the space around the tracks.
Think Forza Horizon or Grand Theft Auto, in Mario Kart form!
Today’s news also brings confirmation of what we’d been speculating for a while: 24 characters on screen at once!
That’s not all, but it looks like we’ll be learning more at another Nintendo Direct on April 17, specifically dedicated to Mario Kart World.
Gallery
The C button? GameChat!
Another mystery confirmed: the C button on the new JoyCons is for a new GameChat feature, enabling audio chat through microphones and speakers directly in the controllers. No headset required, even if the console is in its dock.
It also has background noise cancellation, demonstrated by a gamer chatting with his friends while a food blender is working away in the background.
There’s also a new online screen share feature, allowing you to share your view with your friends no matter where you are.
You’ll eventually need a Nintendo Online membership to use GameChat, but Nintendo says it’ll be free for all users until March 2026. That ain’t bad!
An official Nintendo Switch 2 camera!
The chat feature is fleshed out further with a new standalone Nintendo Switch 2 camera with background cutout.
This feature allows your face and upper body to float over your screenshare window – or just show you in a little box without any game background.
At this stage, it looks like – as its name suggests – the Switch 2 Camera will only support… the Switch 2. Surprise!
The video does, however, say “a compatible camera is required”, so it looks like third-party camera support will also be available. Could we use our phones? That’d be cool.
GameShare confirmed
As first revealed in the Nintendo Today app, there’s a new GameShare feature that will allow you to loan digital games to others, over the internet.
This feature comes with a load of conditions, however, including that you’ll be locked out of the game (understandably) for 14 days, rather than being able to set the loan period yourself.
Screen size confirmed: 7.9 inches!
The console’s thickness is also unchanged – but there are a couple of details that might disappoint. 👇
The good news is that the console screen is 1080p rather than 720p, and it allows up to 120Hz.
But, as suspected, it’s LCD rather than OLED – but it at least has HDR for a more vidid image.
The really good news? The dock will enable 4K!
Battery life
No surprises, given the device is no thicker than before: its battery life is worse than the original Switch.
According to Nintendo, the Switch 2’s battery life should last between 2 to 6.5 hours. That’s a big window, but of course it depends on the type of game you’re playing and how demanding its features are.
By comparison, the most recent Switch and Switch OLED builds offer between 4.5 to 9 hours (for models with serial numbers starting with either XT or XK).
Get used to carrying a powerbank, I guess!
Two USB-C ports
We saw this in the earlier reveal, but Nintendo now confirms there are two USB-C ports.
This means we’ll finally have easier charging in tabletop mode, but the port will also be useful for connecting the Switch 2 camera.
Which gets me to wondering… when the Switch 2 is in its dock, does the camera connect via the dock itself or will it still use the top port on the console?
JoyCons
As we’ve seen already, each JoyCon controller is also a mouse, although the specifics of how this will work is still to be revealed.
Another earlier revealed detail re-confirmed today is that the JoyCons connect to the console with magnets, and they’ll also have bigger SL and SR buttons for easier accessibility.
The SL and SR buttons are also the point where the console’s magnets attach to the Joy-Cons, so they’re made of metal – and so it’s no surprise they’re now as big as they are!
Pro Controller 2
Confirmed: Two back buttons, named GL and GR! And there’s an audio jack!
More…
Game cards are now red instead of grey, and they’re faster. The MicroSD cards are also upgraded for greater access speeds, meaning your existing MicroSD card won’t work in a Switch 2. Damn!
On the plus side, there’s now 256gb of onboard storage – up from 32gb – although that’s likely to fill up just as quickly with these bigger new games.
Also revealed
Mario Party Jamboree upgraded for Switch 2
The upgrade adds new features like mouse controls (of course), audio recognition, “more expressive rumble”, and gameplay that can use the Nintendo Switch 2 Camera.
New modes include Mario Party Mode with single-camera support for four players in one room, called Mario Party TV.
Bowser mode will again use the camera and microphone, competing in games hosted by Bowser himself.
The mouse-controlled Carnival Coaster will let you shoot down enemies avbove the rollercoaster, climb a bouldering wall, play a spray-painting game, and more.
A load of other minigames will make use of the camera and audio system, but that’s all still to be detailed. You can see quite a bit in the video, though!
Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom upgraded for Switch 2
Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom will have HDR on the Switch 2 – but if you already own the Switch version of these games, you’ll need to buy an upgrade pack to access the enhanced versions.
A new Zelda Notes mobile app will also be offered, guiding you to locations in the game (even undiscovered ones) and giving you tips on what to build in Tears of the Kingdom.
What else?
Other new or upgraded Nintendo first-party games include Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Metroid Prime 4 Beyond (with 4K 60fps and HDR!), Pokémon Legends Z-A, Kirby Air Riders, and… Donkey Kong Bananza!
Drag x Drive looks like another fun game, using the mosue features to control what appear to be paralympian robots in wheelchairs, playing basketball. Okay!
Third-party titles for Switch 2
It’s a big spread.
Partner games include Elden Ring Tarnished Edition, Hades II, Street Fighter 6 (and new Amiibos!), Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion, Split Fiction, EA Sports FC, EA Madden NFL, Hogwarts Legacy, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 & 4, Hitman: World of Assassination Signature Edition, James Bond ‘Project 007’ (unnamed for now I guess?), Bravely Default Flying Fairy, Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut, Borderlands 4, Civilization VII, WWE 2K, NBA 2K, Survival Kids, Enter the Gungeon 2, StarSeeker: Astroneer Expeditions, Star Wars Outlaws, Cyberpunk 2077 Ultimate Edition (nice), and Final Fantasy VII Remake Integrade (whaaaat!).
A lot of other games were listed too, which we’ll add into this list shortly.
And, “a game being developed in collaboration with nintendo” by Koei Tecmo Games, “the story leading into Tears of the Kingdom”: Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment. That one is “coming this winter”.
GAMECUBE ON SWITCH ONLINE!
Finally confirmed, the 2002 icon will finally be available on Switch Online through the Switch 2 exclusively.
It’ll launch with Zelda Windwaker, Soulcalibur II and F-Zero GX. More are confirmed to come soon after launch.
Up to four players will be able to play locally or online, and a dedicated GameCube controller will be offered – with a C button for chat!
That’s it! For now…
What about pricing?
Okay, so we know the Switch 2 will go on sale on June 5, presumably with dates aligned around the world. Pre-orders, however, will begin on April 9 – so don’t miss that date, or you could be waiting a while!
In the US, the Switch 2 will be priced from $449 USD. In Australia, the below pricing is confirmed.
- Nintendo Switch 2 Console – $699 AUD
- Nintendo Switch 2 Console + Mario Kart World – $769 AUD
It’s a massive jump in price over the original, which launched in Oz at $469 dollaridoos.
