After an eight-year hiatus, the Switch 2 has finally arrived, but...

Text by: Dried Fruit

On the evening of April 2nd, Nintendo held a special Direct presentation for the Nintendo Switch 2, revealing a lot of information about the new console, such as the most crucial release date - June 5th, 2025.

The release date announced at the Direct presentation

Among them, the Japanese version is priced at 49,980 yen (equivalent to 2,428 yuan), and the multi - language version is priced at 69,980 yen (equivalent to 3,399 yuan).

Compared with the Switch released 8 years ago, the Switch 2 has been improved almost comprehensively. In terms of appearance design, although there isn't much change in the overall look of the new console, the screen has been expanded from the original 6.2 inches to 7.9 inches, while the overall thickness remains the same. According to the official introduction, the Switch 2 can reach up to 1080p and a 120Hz refresh rate in handheld mode, and it supports HDR technology. In docked mode, the screen resolution can even reach 4K.

Comparison of the screen sizes between the Switch and the Switch 2

In addition, the Switch 2 uses a magnetic - insertion design for the controllers instead of the original slide - in method, which can effectively reduce the wear and tear caused by plugging and unplugging the Joy - Cons. Moreover, the new Joy - Cons can be detached and used as a mouse.

The usage is basically the same as a mouse

Besides the overall optimization, an additional Type - C port has been added to the top of the console, allowing the Switch 2 to adapt to more gaming scenarios. For the most common example, even when players are playing in handheld mode while charging and lying down, they probably won't have to hold the console with their hands all the time and end up with sore arms.

On the other hand, the multiple Type - C ports also make it more convenient for players to connect external hardware. For instance, Nintendo also plans to release the "Nintendo Switch 2 Camera" simultaneously. Players can combine it with the newly introduced GameChat function of the console to integrate their personal images into the game.

It's worth mentioning that the GameChat function is related to the newly added "C button" function on the controller. After pressing the button to bring up the conference window, players can use the built - in microphone in the Joy - Con for real - time voice chat and even synchronize their game screens at any time. However, judging from the effect shown at the Direct presentation, the lag in the synchronized screen is quite obvious, so its application scenarios may be relatively limited.

Playing together with the GameChat function enabled

As for the game content related to the new console, it's quite surprising in every sense - there are unexpectedly few first - party titles and unexpectedly many third - party titles.

Among them, Nintendo's first - party mainly announced new titles such as Mario Kart: World, Kirby's Air Rider, Donkey Kong Banana Mania and their related release times.

Judging from the content of the trailer, Mario Kart: World seems to have a bit of an open - world feel. Players can directly drive out of the track and reach the destination in another way. For more specific content and gameplay, we may have to wait for the special Direct presentation on April 17th.

Mario Kart: World

Based on the hardware upgrade of the Switch 2, the original Switch games can still be played normally, and some of them will also launch expansion packs that need to be purchased separately. However, currently only a few core games are supported, and the official may continue to add more in the future.

For example, both The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom have improved graphics quality. In addition, combined with the mobile app, a UGC community has been launched, which can be used for map navigation and item collection. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom also allows players to upload or apply online game design blueprints.

The usage is similar to the QR code in Animal Crossing

Super Mario Party: Superstar has introduced new levels and new interactive gameplay modes based on the microphone and camera.

Mario Party becomes even more interesting with the addition of the camera

During the rest of the presentation, Nintendo showed off a luxurious lineup of third - party titles without hesitation, such as Elden Ring, Final Fantasy VII Remake, Double Vision Wonderland, Hades 2, Yakuza 0, Cyberpunk 2077, Civilization 7, Borderlands 4 and other well - known games.

Elden Ring

In addition, FromSoftware also premiered its new title The Duskbloods at the Direct presentation and announced that it will be exclusive to the Switch 2.

The Duskbloods

The long - awaited Hollow Knight: Silksong also finally announced its release year.

Silksong

It seems that Koei Tecmo is really into making Hyrule Warriors games. After Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, they plan to launch Hyrule Warriors: Seal of the Gods, which tells the story from Zelda's perspective - this time, Link might really not be in it.

Going back to a more distant past

It has to be said that the addition of a large number of third - party blockbusters isn't that surprising. After all, in recent years, players have gradually been able to play large - scale games such as The Witcher 3 and Hogwarts Legacy on the Switch. With the hardware upgrade of the Switch 2, there will naturally be more choices.

This is a win - win situation. The past market success of the Switch has also attracted more third - party manufacturers to join. The only problem might be how to optimize the games for the handheld device - with the rise of handheld consoles like the Steam Deck, people should have accumulated a lot of experience.

In this way, the Switch 2 covers both Nintendo's first - party games and many mainstream third - party games on the market. Even similar handheld consoles on the market may be hard to match it in terms of the game lineup, not to mention that its overall hardware performance is also relatively more outstanding. If there has to be any regret, well, there actually is. For example, the number of Nintendo's first - party games this time is really a bit... too few.

This article was first published on "36Kr Games".