Nintendo Switch 2: The Next-Gen Console That Will Blow Your Mind!

2025-04-06 06:00:41.438

NEW YORK (AP) — Nintendo’s Switch 2 is bigger and better than its predecessor of eight years past as the video game developer pushes to bring its brand into “a new era” where social experiences are at the forefront. The Associated Press and other members of the media got an exclusive look this week at Nintendo’s latest handheld, TV-console hybrid, which dives head-first into the social world of online gaming. The Switch 2 will hit the market June 5 at a price of $449.99. “You’ll be joining us as we step into a new era of Nintendo,” Doug Bowser, Nintendo of America’s president, told those in attendance before they scattered to test out the new Switch. Video and audio chats and game-sharing functions are huge parts of the new console. One of the Switch 2’s Joy-Cons — it’s controllers — even has a “C” button to quickly access “GameChat.” Click the button and up pops window views to others players’ gameplay, lined up at the bottom of the user’s screen in squares like a video conference call. A camera attachment — sold separately — allows gamers to project themselves into those windows instead of sharing their own screen, while some games let the camera-user appear in the game itself. A microphone is now built into the console for audio. Another feature, “GameShare,” allows users to share the game they are playing temporarily with other consoles that don’t have it. And then there’s a function to control the console’s Joy-Cons like a computer mouse — an appeal toward the growing PC-based gaming audience — something developers are excited for people to try. The media demo area had a station to test out the mouse function on a wheelchair basketball game. Players used both Joy-Con “mice” for that one. Using both at the same time was a gaming experience unlike many, or any. This particular station had a smooth pad that the Joy-Cons slid around on seamlessly. Another station without the pad worked just fine on a hard desk surface — that one was a world-building game with less precision required. The first game played was Mario Kart World — included in the console’s bundle package. That was in handheld mode. The 7.9 inch LCD screen is bigger and it feels it. Next to a last generation Switch OLED Model, there’s a stark difference. The handheld graphics were obviously better in 1080p. In the docked mode, Nintendo says the system is able to support 4K resolution for compatible games. It wasn’t immediately clear if the docked games that were demoed were compatible, but the graphics looked better than the first-generation Switch. Especially in Hogwarts Legacy. Wow. The Joy-Con controllers, which are now magnets that click into place, are upgrades from the slide-into-place mechanism in first-gen. The new Mario Kart World featured a thrilling Knockout Tour mode that pits 24 players against each other in a race where the field is culled at five checkpoints until one racer remains. Among the wishes from Switch fans was an increased battery life. Developers weren’t able to promise that, mainly because they said battery life depends on the environment and conditions the console is operating in. The Switch 2 does uses more energy. But they did say it has a larger battery to compensate for that. The Switch 2 will cost $150 more than its predecessor at launch. In addition to Mario Kart World, two more Switch 2 exclusives feature its marquee characters: Donkey Kong Bananza, a 3D adventure with the big ape punching his way through a huge underground world, arriving July 17, and Kirby Air Riders, a racing game from the director of the Super Smash Bros. series, due later in the year. The new console will be backwards compatible — able to play physical and digital Switch games — but not every game from the predecessor console will have that capability. Also, users will need to purchase a microSD express memory card for the Switch 2. The Nintendo Direct on Wednesday revealed that normal microSD cards will not be compatible with the system.