Nintendo Switch 2 specs, social features, and more revealed in loaded live stream

By Patrick Hearn Published April 2, 2025

The Nintendo Switch 2 is officially announced, and it launches on June 5, 2025 for $450, or for $500 with the Mario Kart World bundle.

Nintendo’s latest console looks similar to its predecessor in many ways, but with a sleeker design and greatly improved functionality. Take the Joy-Cons: not only are they marked with colorful highlights around the base, but their overall size has increased. The SR/SL buttons have gotten bigger, too, and you can even flip the Joy-Con on its side to use like a mouse. The right Joy-Con has the much-discussed C button for controlling the new GameChat function. That includes muting/unmuting the built-in microphone, sharing your screen with friends, and a whole lot more. Oh, and did we mention they attach magnetically now? The slide-rail system from the original Switch is gone, replaced by a much more intuitive method.

And that’s just the start of the improvements. The Nintendo Switch 2 itself boasts a 7.9-inch display (a big leap from the original’s 6.9) that runs at 1080p in handheld mode, but can reach up to 4K resolution while docked. That’s right: the Nintendo Switch 2 can finally show off games in extremely high resolution and maintain higher frame rates. It also supports HDR, too, although that’s a per-game feature; it’s up to developers whether their title will support more advanced display options or not. While docked, the Switch 2 can run games at 4K/60fps, but it can reach up to 120fps at lower resolutions. It also has spatial 3D audio support for a more immersive gaming experience.

As for storage, the Switch 2 has 256GB of internal storage — a whopping eight times that of the original Switch platform. Unfortunately, architecture changes mean that memory cards for the original Switch won’t be compatible with the Switch 2. The new console uses microSD Express cards for faster read/write speeds and better performance, but this also means shorter load times in larger games (like Cyberpunk 2077, available at launch.)

The dock also has a built-in fan to help keep games cool and maintain more stable performance.

The Nintendo Switch 2 now has two USB-C ports: one on the bottom and one on the top. While this makes it easier to charge while playing in tabletop mode, it also allows players to attach accessories like the newly-announced Nintendo Switch 2 camera for streaming video in game chat. No other accessories have been announced yet, but there’s no doubt both Nintendo and numerous third-parties will come up with interesting options for better gameplay.

The Nintendo Switch 2 supports backward compatibility with select Nintendo Switch games and cartridges, and players will have the ability to transfer save data from a Nintendo Switch system to the new console. There’s also a slew of older Nintendo Switch titles that will be receiving Nintendo Switch 2 upgrades at launch, including beloved titles like Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. On top of that, the GameShare feature allows multiple people to play with a single copy of a game, but only select titles.

There doesn’t seem to be a consensus on game pricing yet, but Mario Kart World has a retail price of $80, while Donkey Kong Bonanza is currently listed at $70. That points to game pricing on-par with PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series.

Missed something? Check our live blog for full coverage of the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct.