More from Everything we know so far about the Nintendo Switch 2
Nintendo is holding a Treehouse event at 10AM ET, where it will show off gameplay of Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza, and more. You can also check out our hands-on experience with the chaotic new racing game.
With the reveal of the Switch 2, Nintendo’s going all in on the console’s new and improved social features. During the Switch 2 direct presentation, the company showed off the how new “C” button will be used to connect with your friends with voice and video chat. While we didn’t get to test out those features in our hands-on coverage, Nintendo did release a new video that goes into detail on what to expect.
The Nintendo kicked off its new console generation with a very flashy bang. The Verge had the opportunity to go hands-on with the console, testing out a bunch of games and features revealed during yesterday’s direct presentation. I got to play Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, Mario Kart World, a little bit of Breath of the Wild, Donkey Kong Bananza and so much more. Here’s our thoughts.
The console may seem familiar, but the initial lineup does a strong job of showing what’s new.
In an interview, Switch 2 producer Kouichi Kawamoto revealed why Nintendo stopped short of giving the console a name reminiscent of the Super NES:
Super NES, which came out after the NES, couldn’t play NES games. Since Switch 2 can play Switch games, it didn’t feel right to use the same naming convention as Super NES. Switch 2 is a new system with improved performance, but we’d like players who get their hands on it not to focus on the specs, but rather to think of it as the latest system developed by Nintendo.
Folks interested in picking up the Switch 2 and Mario Kart World together for $500 might want to hurry when the bundle is available for pre-order on April 9th because Nintendo says the console / game combo will have a “limited time production through Fall 2025 (available while supplies last).”
Some Switch 2 games will be on Game-Key Cards, which don’t come with an actual game on it:
Instead, the game-key card is your ‘key’ to downloading the full game to your system via the internet. After it’s downloaded, you can play the game by inserting the game-key card into your system and starting it up like a standard physical game card.
It sounds like this system might replace the physical Switch games that come with a code inside instead of an actual cartridge.
There’s a little over an hour’s worth of new information about the Switch 2 and Nintendo’s upcoming game releases in the company’s latest Direct presentation. But if you’re short on time and just want to inhale details about all the new hardware, we’ve got you covered with a handy supercut.
