DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) – The Nintendo Switch 2 was announced early Wednesday morning, but the most important facts are $450, $500, June 5.
Respectively, that’s: the launch price of the base Nintendo Switch 2, the price of a bundle including the new console and a digital copy of the new “Mario Kart World,” and the North America launch date.
Nintendo revealed in January that a Switch 2 was forthcoming. On Wednesday, the company provided additional details during an hour-long presentation that began with a trailer for “Mario Kart World,” which had also been teased in January. Nintendo officials said the latest installment of the Mario franchise will launch exclusively on Switch 2.
Here’s a look at the other major announcements Nintendo shared on Wednesday.
One of the new features is the new Joy-Con controllers, which will have a new “C” button to launch a new “GameChat” feature.
The Switch 2 will have a built-in microphone and game-chat feature. This will help players speak to their friends and families while playing games. They do not have to be in the same game to use the feature. A Nintendo Online membership will be needed to use the feature. The console also has an additional camera option, the Nintendo Switch Camera.
The Switch 2 can share games locally with other nearby consoles, including the Switch 2, Lite and the original Switch. It can share a game with three other consoles at a time. Currently, it can only be used with compatible games, which on launch will be the following:
- “Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker”
- “Super Mario 3D World / Bowser’s Fury”
- “Club House 51 Games”
- “Super Mario Odyssey”
- “Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain”
The LCD screen will be 7.9 inches, with a 1080p high definition display that will run at 120 frames-per-second (fps), and will support HDR. Other improvements touted by Nintendo include 3D sound support, a more supportive back stand, and eight-times the storage of the original Switch.
The new JoyCon controllers will attach to the console magnetically — currently, controllers slide into the Switch display. The new controllers will feature larger sticks and SL and SR buttons and can be used like a computer mouse.
There will be 256 GB of storage, which is 8 times the amount the original Switch has. In TV mode, the console can support 4K resolution, there is a new dock fan.
As Nintendo has done in the past, Switch 2 will be backlog-compatible, meaning the old Switch games can run on the new system.
Several already-available Switch games will receive some updates with the new Switch model.
Both “Zelda: Breath of the Wild” and “Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom” will have a companion app called “Zelda Notes,” meant to help players find locations in the games.
“Kirby and the Forgotten Land” will have a new story option, “Metroid Prime 4” will have new uses for the JoyCons with mouse control, and “Pokemon Z-A” will run at an enchanted frame rate.
If players already own a Switch Version of a game, they can buy an upgrade pack to make it into a Switch 2 edition.
There will be a new library of older Nintendo games featured in the new membership, highlighting GameCube games. There will be an exclusive GameCube-style JoyCon.
“Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment,” the next in the successful line of musou games based on “The Legend of Zelda,” will come out this winter. Taking place before “Tears of the Kingdom,” it is once again being developed by Koei Tecmo (likely its Omega Force team) with support from Nintendo.
To the surprise and delight of game developer Toby Fox fans across the world, two new chapters to “Deltarune,” the parallel story to his massive hit “Undertale,” were announced. The game follows the story of Kris, Susie, and their Ralsei journey to save the world. These new chapters will be available on Switch 2 launch day.
Hidetaka Miyazaki, director of “Dark Souls,” “Bloodborne” and many other Souls-likes, is leading the development of Switch 2-exclusive “The Duskbloods.”
The developer also unveiled a new James Bond game, dubbed “Project 007,” revisiting a classic Nintendo 64 console hit revered by many first-person shooter fans.
Many other games are expected to be available at launch. The new Switch 2 console will launch on June 5 and will cost $450 (the original Switch sold for $299.99 back in 2017).
Nintendo plans to host “Switch 2 Experience” events in several countries, where gamers can get a hands-on experience with the new system. Those events are planned for cities such as Los Angeles, New York, London and Paris beginning this month.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
