Six years after the launch of the Switch, Nintendo is actively preparing a next generation console. A model currently called Switch 2, a 3D model of which has just leaked onto the Web.
The Nintendo Switch has enjoyed – and still enjoys – incredible success, with 129.53 million copies sold worldwide since its release six years ago, on March 3, 2017. It has thus become the third most popular console sold in the history of video games, behind the Nintendo DS and the PlayStation 2. Even today, many units continue to be sold and new titles continue to be a hit, like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomtipped to be elected game of the year (GOTY), or Super Mario Bros. Wonder. However, despite its many playful qualities, the weight of sans is felt on the Switch, especially in terms of power. And players can’t wait to discover what Nintendo is concocting to succeed it.
Numerous rumors have been circulating on this subject for over a year now, but nothing official to sink our teeth into. Not even a name: at the moment, everyone is talking about a Switch 2, but nothing says that Nintendo won’t opt for another name, obviously keeping the word Switch. But here is what should tell us more about the future console, which should be released more than seven years after the launch of the first Switch of the name.
It seems that the YouTube channel SwitchUp, as well as other YouTubers, were able to get their hands on a mockup 3D printed sent by a Chinese accessory manufacturer, who is working on the design of a protective cover for Nintendo’s future baby.
Nintendo Switch 2: a 3D model circulating
According to the 3D model, the Nintendo Switch 2 will generally have the same design as the first console, namely a large central screen surrounded by two Joy-cons with the same buttons, or almost. However, several changes can be noted. The Switch 2 is expected to be a little wider and taller than the classic Switch, with reduced screen borders. Despite its overall smaller size than the Steam Deck, known to be imposing, it would have an 8-inch screen, compared to 7 for the current OLED model. It therefore remains overall more compact than the Valve console.
As for the controllers, the Japanese manufacturer uses the same configuration, but adds an additional key with a C icon on the right controller. Hopefully Nintendo decides to improve the Joy-Con, which suffers from connection issues and Joy-Con Drift – the more controllers are used, the more the joystick sensors tend to get stuck in one direction, making the characters and the camera completely uncontrollable (see our article). A USB-C port would also be added at the top of the console, in addition to the one placed below for the dock. This would finally allow you to plug in the Nintendo Switch while playing it when it is placed on a table. Finally, the cartridge port is exactly the same, including the size, which guarantees backward compatibility with the first console, as Nintendo had already confirmed (see our article).
Nintendo Switch 2: a launch in 2025?
Information about the future console had already leaked before, allowing us to glimpse a sketch of what it will be. According to the two specialized sites Eurogamer And Video Games Chronicle (VGC), development kits would have been distributed to third-party studios in September 2023, so that they can begin development of future titles for Nintendo’s next console, currently nicknamed Switch 2. Better yet, during Gamescom 2023, the video game fair held at the end of August in Cologne (Germany), the Japanese manufacturer would have discreetly unveiled a first version of the highly anticipated Switch 2, well away from the gaze of the press. This news is not surprising, given that he had taken over a very large location in the professional area of the German show, an area reserved for confidential presentations.
Nintendo would have shown the new graphic capabilities of what we call the Switch 2 by running a more advanced version of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildthe game that accompanied the launch of the Switch in 2017. According to VGC, Nintendo also showed developers The Matrix Awakensthe technical demo of the Unreal Engine 5 – a sequence already used for the PS5 and the Xbox Series X, but that does not mean that the future machine will offer power comparable to the two home consoles. Unreal Engine 5 is the world’s most widely used game engine by third-party developers and publishers. Also, guaranteeing compatibility with it would be a real plus.
This demo would have used Nvidia’s DLSS (deep learning super sampling) upscaling technology – which is an exclusive feature of its graphics cards –, with advanced ray tracing enabled. On PC, DLSS uses AI to increase the resolution of games, allowing developers to achieve higher graphics settings and better refresh rates on weaker hardware.
The goal of this demonstration was to convince developers to request kits and prepare their games for the console launch. According to rumors, the Switch 2 would retain the same operating mode as the first of the name, with the possibility of using the console on the go or plugging it into your TV. However, we do not know the specific details about its equipment. All that remains is to hope that the Japanese manufacturer launches its new generation of games console for 2025.