Nintendo Switch 2 (5th June 2025)

[Ike]

I was hoping the C button was a Cast button that cast to the dock, in a reverse Wii U situation. Would enable games like WWHD to work with the second screen.

Cool that they used the tech like that though.

[Dcubed]

That means that DS/3DS/Wii U NSO are now all on the table!

We can get games like Nintendo Land, Spirit Tracks and Star Fox Zero again!!

Fuck yeah!! Gimme all the map and inventory second screens!

Edited 22 hours ago by Dcubed

[Jonnas]

3 hours ago, Dcubed said:

That means that DS/3DS/Wii U NSO are now all on the table!

We can get games like Nintendo Land, Spirit Tracks and Star Fox Zero again!!

Fuck yeah!! Gimme all the map and inventory second screens!

I know it's easy to get excited at the possibility of a second screen + microphone + a way to potentially recognize when two screens are smacking each other (old-school fans know what I'm talking about).

But we're still missing a decent stylus. I ain't (re)playing Elite Beat Agents or Spirit Tracks without one.

[Julius]

Digital Foundry reaction is up: 

Elsewhere, worth highlighting that in one of the Ask the Dev pieces for Switch 2, they nearly did call it the Super Nintendo Switch...but totally wussed out 

Quote

Kawamoto: There were a lot of ideas for the name, and we really struggled to find the right one.

We even considered ideas like "Super Nintendo Switch." However, Super NES, which came out after the NES, couldn't play NES games. Since Switch 2 can play Switch games, it didn't feel right to use the same naming convention as Super NES. Switch 2 is a new system with improved performance, but we'd like players who get their hands on it not to focus on the specs, but rather to think of it as the latest system developed by Nintendo.

So, in the hope that it becomes the new standard for Nintendo Switch, we named it Nintendo Switch 2.

Something else I thought was worth mentioning and was kind of glossed over in the Direct: the Switch 2 Pro Controller will have two mappable rear buttons (GL/GR), as well as HD Rumble 2 and an audio jack. 

[Glen-i]

Mappable back paddles is great because it means you can use them to replace the worst controller input ever devised.

Clicking the Stick

I hope whoever came up with that idea was fired.

However, no mention of Hall Effect Control Sticks anywhere. Which concerns me...

[Cube]

Another concerning omission is the lack of any mention of analogue shoulder buttons. Without them, then you'll need to use a GameCube controller to play games like F-Zero GX properly.

I'm not sure the in built remapping (at least it's pet game now, great for N64 games) will be good enough to take full advantage of what you need.

[Glen-i]

1 minute ago, Cube said:

Without them, then you'll need to use a GameCube controller to play games like F-Zero GX properly.

Oh don't worry, even with a GameCube controller, I can't play that game properly.

Far too difficult...

[Dcubed]

41 minutes ago, Cube said:

Another concerning omission is the lack of any mention of analogue shoulder buttons. Without them, then you'll need to use a GameCube controller to play games like F-Zero GX properly.

I'm not sure the in built remapping (at least it's pet game now, great for N64 games) will be good enough to take full advantage of what you need.

Good thing we have a wireless GameCube controller and the GCN Controller Adapter then!

That also means full DK Bongo support BTW

Edited 12 hours ago by Dcubed

[S.C.G]

30 minutes ago, Dcubed said:

Good thing we have a wireless GameCube controller and the GCN Controller Adapter then!

That also means full DK Bongo support BTW

Good point, I originally had all the DK bongo games in the original bundles, I sold them a few years back when they were going for a decent price, in boxed condition.

Recently, I've obtained another set of DK bongos and... they don't sell for a lot, so I might as well just hold onto them now in case we ever do get to use them on Switch 2, as I can't imagine Nintendo making a special Switch 2 set of bongos... but who knows at this point?

Also, no e-mail from Nintendo yet, but they seem to be rolling them out in stages, plus I need to sell some stuff to get the funds together, so I'm not too concerned, but I'll definitely be selling a few more classic Nintendo games to pay for the new console.

Oh, and assuming I get the e-mail, I'll be pre-ordering the standard console, with Mario Kart World as a standalone physical game for sure.

Edited 12 hours ago by S.C.G

[Will]

15 hours ago, Julius said:

Honestly, that + the prices vs digital + the silly "Switch 2 Edition" branding being inconsistent (and being a step down in terms of branding from DX versions on OG Switch?), just...yeah, it feels that way to me as someone who likes to buy physical

Same here. I went physical only with the Switch and I’m a bit torn on what to do here.

The game prices seem totally crazy to me, way above what I’d expect. With how this is looking I’ll probably just get the Mario Kart bundle with a GameCube controller and that will be it for a good while.

[Cube]

Third party cameras will be available, such as this detachable camera with a cover (from HORI). 

[Julius]

3 hours ago, Glen-i said:

However, no mention of Hall Effect Control Sticks anywhere. Which concerns me...

No mention of Hall Effect outright, but it sounds to me like they've either gone with Hall Effect or have come up with their own solution. It's Nintendo, so goodness knows, but they keep referring to this "smoother movement" for the sticks of both the Joy-Con 2 and the new Pro Controller. 

From Chapter 2 of Ask the Dev for Switch 2:

Quote

...how about the Joy-Con controllers, which are symbolic of Switch? Did you also make changes or enhancements to them?

Kawamoto:

We redesigned everything from scratch for Joy-Con 2, the controllers for this console. Compared to the Joy-Con controllers for Switch, the control sticks are larger and more durable, with smoother movement.

Quote

In terms of controllers, is it just the Joy-Con 2 controllers that have been redesigned? How about the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller?

Kawamoto:

[...] the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller may look indistinguishable from the previous controller at first glance, but it was also redesigned from scratch. In particular, the left and right control sticks are quieter and don’t make noise, even when they’re moved quickly to the edge. Also, they glide very smoothly, so we've taken to calling them "smooth-gliding sticks". (Laughs)

Quote

Ah, now you mention it, I don’t feel any kind of drag when I move them.

Sasaki:

As they’re calling them "smooth-gliding sticks", we made efforts to reduce the feeling of bumping when you tilt them. In fact, there's been a long-running project at Nintendo with the grand ambition of developing the "pinnacle of all controllers", and we’ve been researching it hard for a long time now.

Love this idea of trying to create the "pinnacle of all controllers" – I wonder how close they think they've come with this new Pro Controller? 

As for the new GL/GR buttons, as something of a screenshot fiend, think I've already learned how I'm going to assign it 

Quote

For example, if you assign the Capture Button to the GL Button, you can use it to take screenshots without taking your thumb off the L Stick.

I was also going to ask if we thought they'd have profiles we can save for different games - you know, to save swapping around GL/GR and other buttons around each game - but they've confirmed profiles which can be saved on a per game and per profile basis! 

Quote

What's more, the assigned button inputs are saved for each game as well as each player. So you can easily customise them by assigning button inputs that you frequently use to them, or buttons that are hard to reach at the same time.

I'm liking the sound of that 

[Ashley]

3 hours ago, Dcubed said:

That also means full DK Bongo support BTW

Paging @Josh64

[Will]

1 hour ago, Cube said:

Third party cameras will be available, such as this detachable camera with a cover (from HORI). 

Something I don't want nor need just got added to my shopping list.

[Ike]

So are you able to use the Game-Key Cards on multiple systems/accounts/sell the game if you need to insert the cart in order to play it, or does the first internet check lock it to your account?

[Ike]

Not sure if this was shared, but you will be able to upload screenshots & videos to the Switch app.

Quote

You can send screenshots and videos from your Nintendo Switch 2 album over to the Nintendo Switch App.

Save your favourite screenshots or videos on your smart device. You can also share them on social media.

Compatible consoles: Nintendo Switch 2

Also available to those who are not members of the paid Nintendo Switch Online service.

Only the latest 100 screenshots or videos from the last 30 days can be viewed in the Nintendo Switch App.

https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/Hardware/Nintendo-Switch-2/Nintendo-Switch-2-Nintendo-Switch-App-2788395.html

[Julius]

1 hour ago, Ike said:

So are you able to use the Game-Key Cards on multiple systems/accounts/sell the game if you need to insert the cart in order to play it, or does the first internet check lock it to your account?

I could be wrong on this, but my read on it is that's it's essentially Nintendo's version of discs essentially serving as license keys on other platforms? I think this is more to save them from giving out pieces of paper which can't be shared easily and have an expiry – but someone please correct me if I'm wrong here. 

So for multiple systems, I imagine you'll be able to share the Game-Key Card, but every system will require a full install of the game granted by the license of the Game-Key Card. 

Multiple accounts on the same system, I imagine you'll just need the game installed on the system and the Game-Key Card in the system – should be like a typical install, every account should be able to use it. 

Selling the game should be fine, I think, too – next user would then need to install the game as usual. 

I'll dig around a bit later to see if I can find any clarity on it. 

3 minutes ago, Ike said:

Not sure if this was shared, but you will be able to upload screenshots & videos to the Switch app.

https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/Hardware/Nintendo-Switch-2/Nintendo-Switch-2-Nintendo-Switch-App-2788395.html

Finally! 

It's the smart move after Twitter went to hell and everyone gave up on them a little while ago, PlayStation does a similar thing and while it's not perfect, I'll take it over needing to faff around with the microSD/internal storage and go hunting for pics on my PC. 

[Nicktendo]

10 minutes ago, Julius said:

I could be wrong on this, but my read on it is that's it's essentially Nintendo's version of discs essentially serving as license keys on other platforms? I think this is more to save them from giving out pieces of paper which can't be shared easily and have an expiry – but someone please correct me if I'm wrong here. 

So for multiple systems, I imagine you'll be able to share the Game-Key Card, but every system will require a full install of the game granted by the license of the Game-Key Card. 

Multiple accounts on the same system, I imagine you'll just need the game installed on the system and the Game-Key Card in the system – should be like a typical install, every account should be able to use it. 

Selling the game should be fine, I think, too – next user would then need to install the game as usual. 

I'll dig around a bit later to see if I can find any clarity on it. 

Finally! 

It's the smart move after Twitter went to hell and everyone gave up on them a little while ago, PlayStation does a similar thing and while it's not perfect, I'll take it over needing to faff around with the microSD/internal storage and go hunting for pics on my PC. 

I'm seeing a lot of misreadings of the Game-Key Cards online. Some people claiming ALL games will be a key card. Clearly not. But yes, it does seem that this is replacing the slip of paper, code-in-a-box physical we got with some Switch OG games. It seems Key-Card does not register the game to your account, hence needing the cartridge to be inserted. I do think this means resale, trading, lending to friends etc will be possible, which is obviously a much better system than Switch 1. 

[Dcubed]

The Game Keys are not really any different from the current crop of retail games that don’t include the full game on the cartridge.

Only real difference is in the branding.  At least it’s much more transparent to the user than on Switch 1.

Given the increased cost of cartridge manufacturing on Switch 2, I expect the vast majority of 3rd party games to resort to Game Key carts in order to cheap out and pass the storage costs onto the user.  The fact that even a game as small and overpriced as the BD HD Remaster is resorting to this is very telling.

I simply just won’t buy any physical game that doesn’t include all the content on the cart.  Simple as.  No change from Switch 1 in that regard.

Edited 6 hours ago by Dcubed

[Julius]

First round of impressions from the press on the console itself are coming in:

Just going to throw the Switch 2 Edition and generic third-party port videos in here too: 

 

[Dcubed]

https://www.ign.com/articles/nintendo-confirms-switch-2-uses-dlss-and-ray-tracing-but-is-being-super-vague-about-the-details
 

Official confirmation that Switch 2 uses DLSS and supports Raytracing.

Nothing earthshatteringly surprising, but nice to have confirmation

[Cube]

In the product listings for Breath of the Wild S2E, there seems to be an omission. It doesn't mention the DLC anywhere, so it's presumably not included.

And it's £66. 

[Julius]

11 minutes ago, Cube said:

In the product listings for Breath of the Wild S2E, there seems to be an omission. It doesn't mention the DLC anywhere, so it's presumably not included.

And it's £66. 

Oof, it doesn't. That's super scummy. 

Looking at the pages for the games on the official site, I didn't realise the Switch 2 Editions unlocked a second save slot. Kind of crazy that it's locked behind a Switch 2 Edition to begin with, but starting fresh rather than picking up my story-but-otherwise-only-mostly complete adventures does sound kind of appealing...

[Ike]

3 hours ago, Dcubed said:

I simply just won’t buy any physical game that doesn’t include all the content on the cart.  Simple as.  No change from Switch 1 in that regard.

So your physical Switch 1 game collection must be pretty small?

[Dcubed]

3 minutes ago, Ike said:

So your physical game collection must be pretty small?

It is pretty small.  I went all digital and have been waiting till the end of the Switch 1’s life so that I can just buy the exclusive physical games that I want for my collection that have all of the updates on cart and at a cheaper price (limited time prints like Bayonetta 1 being the exception).

I… wasn’t expecting my gamble to have paid off like this though!

Edited 3 hours ago by Dcubed