Nintendo Switch 2 release window speculation – everything we know

Nintendo Switch 2 on its way? We check out the latest

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We’ve had a good number of years to enjoy the Nintendo Switch, but what about the Nintendo Switch 2 release date? Well, nothing is officially announced just yet, but the number of rumors has been ramping up recently. There are even some earlier leaks alluding to the Nintendo Switch 2 specs and performance, so we’re going to talk through everything we know so far! Rumors about a new Switch console have been doing the rounds ever since the release of the Switch, but now we’re closer than ever to the release date.

We cannot confidently confirm the existence of the new Switch console, or the Nintendo Switch Pro, which it is sometimes referred to as. The success of the console compared to the Wii U gives us plenty of reason to believe that a Switch successor on its way. Even though Nintendo are prone to a change in design, as seen with previous major console releases, we believe they’ve found the sweet spot with this hybrid handheld console and the next iteration seems like an obvious choice.

Nintendo Switch 2 release window speculation

The first thing to disclose is that Nintendo has no intention to launch any new hardware within the fiscal year ending March 2024, as mentioned in this Bloomberg report. That means something like a Switch Pro is not on the cards just yet, even with the release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom pushing the current hardware to its limit and having to opt for the 30FPS range. This has led people to push the limits of the game itself using emulators instead, reaching great 4K 60FPS performance with stunning visuals. Needless to say, the original Switch is becoming dated, especially since the OLED model doesn’t offer a performance boost.

However, it looks like the entirety of 2024 is off the table, the latest speculation places the Nintendo Switch 2 release window to some time in 2025 onwards. Much speculation points towards March 2025 according to Japanese outlet Nikkei, a pushback for the release date which was previously expected some time in 2024.

Relatively recent court filings between Microsoft and Activision Blizzard also provide us additional sources to back up the suspected Nintendo Switch 2 release date. There’s also mention of Microsoft’s commitment to bring Call of Duty to ‘an in-development Switch model’. The filings go on to reveal that ‘Nintendo is expected to release the successor to the Switch as early as next year’.

Are there any Nintendo Switch 2 specs leaks?

There are flutters of an upgraded and beefed up Nintendo Switch, which is sometimes called the Switch 2 or Switch Pro. The actual name is not confirmed however. One earlier leak was an interesting look into what could be to come. Around September of 2022, an Nvidia employee posted to r/GamingLeaksAndRumours supposedly confirming what kind of chip that will allegedly power the device. The chip in question, being the Tegra239 SoC (system on chip) — complete with an 8-core processor. This would be a massive upgrade over the current Switch’s Tegra X1 SoC, also manufactured by Nvidia.

Recently, Activision Blizzard offered further details about the upcoming Switch 2. CFO of Activision, Armin Zerza, has said that the company should be able to develop for the NG (new generation) Switch, as the power will be closer to that of Gen 8 consoles such as the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Specifically, he said that it would be ‘reasonable to assume’ that they ‘can making something compelling for NG Switch’. NotebookCheck reported on this reveal, and the information about the performance certainly matches close to the leaks about the SoC above.

With the prices of Switch games, fans will probably would something with backwards compatibility. This is not at all confirmed though, but a something fans expect from a new iteration of the popular console. Hardware leaks & speculation do give us a decent look into what could come, but this doesn’t clue us in much about other compatibility. Even if all this ends up being way off the mark, though, we still feel there could be an upgraded take of the Nintendo Switch on the cards. The current hardware isn’t the most modern, and some games are becoming more demanding.

What could the Nintendo Switch 2 price be?

While we’re still waiting on official details about the upcoming new-generation Switch, much is to be learnt about the device itself. Specific pricing tends to be a more closely-kept secret, especially as estimations may fluctuate over the course of the development and can differ per region. Let’s first see how much the current Switch line-up cost on release:

• Nintendo Switch: $299.99 / £279.99
• Nintendo Switch OLED: $349.99 / £309.99
• Nintendo Switch Lite: $199.99 / £199.99

We don’t yet know what kind of models the Switch 2 will be releasing with, but the current generation saw the original in 2017, followed by the Lite and OLED models in 2019 and 2021 respectively. Based off the original Switch price, we expect the true successor to also retail around the $300 mark, but we’ll have to wait and see.

Why do we need a Nintendo Switch 2?

Having been released in 2017, the Nintendo Switch was definitely one of the later ‘last-gen’ consoles to be brought out. When compared to the PS4 and Xbox One’s release in 2013, the Switch released more in-between gens – before the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S released in 2020. This game the Switch the benefit of profiting on last-gen success, whilst also being a formative new view of what consoles can look like, with its unique handheld hybrid form.

Whilst we’ve had updates such as the OLED variation in 2021, as well as the Nintendo Switch Lite prior in 2019, these cannot compare to the drive of console cycles. By this we mean that if you were to look at other console brands, you will see that the Switch is long overdue an update to its hardware. Resolution and portability are trivial when compared with things like processing power. Like we said earlier, some people are even favoring emulation to run their favorite Switch games more smoothly and at higher resolutions.

Looking at current-gen consoles, they will happily run at 120fps, whilst the Nintendo Switch will often have to drop down to 30fps in certain titles. One reply to the r/GamingLeaksAndRumours aforementioned thread says that “the CPU would be 6x as powerful as the current one” and in turn, this would put the Switch Pro’s chip at around the same processing power as a PS4.

Whilst we can’t be sure of anything, the Switch is indeed 5 years old, and struggles to run Xbox and PlayStation designed games. That’s why you may see Switch ports arrive a later date to give the developers a chance to optimize it more for the less powerful device. Perhaps, going off this alone, one might assume that the Switch is due an upgrade at the very least in the near future. Plus, with new Nintendo games that feature vast expansive maps and boast impressive graphics like Tears of the Kingdom, surely something new must be on the cards. Whilst fans wouldn’t mind a Switch Pro, we think a Switch 2 might put Nintendo in better stead for the future.

Should I buy a Nintendo Switch in 2024 or wait?

Whilst there’s some amazing games still being released to the Nintendo Switch, we cannot be certain for how much longer it will be the latest Nintendo console. Everything in our hearts is telling us that something new, or even an upgrade is coming soon, so if you can weather the storm, it might be more worthwhile to wait.

Will there be a Nintendo Switch 2?

Nintendo haven’t been afraid to switch up their console releases with a new direction in the past, but the massive success of the Nintendo Switch could mean that a plain and simple new iteration is on its way. This would be similar to what they’ve done with their long history of handheld devices.

So yes, we fully expect there to be a sequel to the Switch which builds upon its success – whether or not that will be called the Switch 2 remains to be seen.