A larger screen and improved controllers: the Japanese video game giant Nintendo on Thursday unveiled its next console, the Switch 2, scheduled for release in 2025, with the hope of replicating the success of the Switch, the third machine best-selling of all time.
The company posted a video on this occasion to present the technical aspects, while specifying that more details would be disclosed during a live broadcast on April 2.
In this short announcement of 2 minutes 20, Nintendo shows a machine very similar to its big sister, all black, which has a larger screen, a larger removable support, while retaining removable controllers, the “joy -con”.
We can also see some images of a Mario Kart game. The last episode of this series, mario kart 8, sold over 64 million copies on the first Switch.
“The Nintendo Switch 2 will run games that will be exclusive to it, as well as physical and digital versions of Nintendo Switch games,” said the company, a feature particularly awaited by fans since it provides them with a catalog of substantial games upon release.
However, “some Nintendo Switch games may not be supported by or fully compatible with Nintendo Switch 2,” it added, without elaborating.
“Bigger and more powerful”
“This is exactly what was expected: a bigger and more powerful Switch. It should sell very well and give a boost to the market,” commented on the Bluesky social network Mat Piscatella, analyst at Circana, who believes, however, that it should not reach a wider audience than its predecessor.
The Japanese group also announced that events will be organized in several major cities around the world from April 4 to allow players to test its new console, including Paris, New York and Tokyo.
For several weeks, speculation about this new console had intensified and numerous leaks had revealed several technical aspects.
Released in March 2017, the first Switch, playable both on the go and connected to a television, became a huge success for Nintendo.
It had sold 146 million copies by the end of September 2024, making it the third most popular console in the history of video games behind Sony’s PlayStation 2 and the Nintendo DS.
Nintendo estimates that it has sold around 1.3 billion games on Switch, including very popular titles like The Legend of Zelda : Breath of the Wild or Animal Crossing : New Horizonswhich met with great success during the confinements linked to Covid-19.
Impatient fans
But faced with declining sales of its aging Switch, Nintendo had warned in 2024 that it would reveal its next console by the end of March 2025.
At the same time, the Kyoto-based company is working to increase its brand recognition around the world by opening theme parks and financing films featuring its characters, such as The Super Mario Bros. Moviethe second biggest box office success in the world in 2023, or even a feature film project on The Legend of Zelda.
“However, Nintendo still generates around 91% of its revenues from its Nintendo Switch, which shows the importance of the launch of the Switch 2,” Darang Candra, analyst at Niko Partners, told AFP.
According to him, the Japanese giant may have tried to set a precedent by keeping its console alive as long as possible.
“Development time and costs have increased significantly in recent years, to the point of becoming unsustainable, particularly because the games industry experienced a slowdown last year,” he explained.
On the fan side, this announcement was long awaited, as the arrival of a console often marks a new stage in the video game industry.
“People are impatient to see what this new console will bring in terms of new features and, of course, especially new games,” LottieRoseGames, a 29-year-old instavideographer and gaming specialist, told AFP.Animal Crossing.
