Nintendo Switch 2 is coming in 2025. Here’s what we know | story

Trailer leaves some gamers underwhelmed

Eight long years after the release of the Switch, Nintendo is finally switching things up.

On Jan. 16, the gaming company released a first-look trailer for the Switch 2, which is set to drop sometime in 2025. 

The Switch series pioneered the hybrid console design, allowing players to switch with ease from playing on the TV to playing in the car or on the go in handheld mode.

Players are happy to see the Switch 2 follows mostly the same design, but some are wondering if that design may be a little too much like the previous version. 

The original Switch is the second best-selling video game console ever — only surpassed by the PlayStation 2 — so the anticipation for Switch 2 has been high. (Image credit: Nintendo) 

What do we know so far?

It’s still unclear when the Switch 2 will drop and how much it will cost. Nintendo says more details will come in a Nintendo Direct video on April 2.

But here’s what we know from the trailer:

• It looks very similar to the original Switch, but slightly larger.
• The detachable controllers appear to snap onto the main tablet. 
• There is a small new button on the right-side controller.
• Most, but not all, original Switch games will still work on the Switch 2. 
• The kickstand has a new design. 
• There are new downward-firing speakers on the back end. 
• There is a new USB-C port. 

Gamer reactions 

Reactions were mixed — and some might say premature — as there is very little we know from the trailer.

Brampton, Ontario-based game developer Charles Randall was struck by how similar the new console is to the original.

“I think it’s good in that it’s more of what people want, and I think it’s bad in that it opens the potential to fall into the trap of not differentiating itself enough from a predecessor to convince people to buy it,” Randall told CBC News.

Reacting to the trailer, gaming YouTuber Maximilian Dood also wondered if the new console will just be “the Switch again.” 

YouTuber Maximilian Dood said he was underwhelmed by the Switch 2 trailer. (Image credit: Maximilian Dood/YouTube) 

“It reminds me of an iPhone upgrade,” he said in a YouTube video. “Like when the [new] thing is just a little bit better than that previous thing you had. So it feels just safe.” 

That being said, Maximilian acknowledged that it’s too early to make conclusions and that the new Switch could still be “50 times better” than the original. 

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With files from Jonathan Ore/CBC News