We ’ve been write about NintendoSwitch 2 rumorsfor more than two years and — somehow — a fair ball of them proved very precise withNintendo ’s full hand-held console reveal . It was bland sailing until we hit the end of the road of Nintendo ’s livestream . We had to expect until after the flow to get word you ’ll need to bear $ 450 for Nintendo ’s long - awaited continuation to its handheld console , $ 150 more than the original at launch .
Before the April 2 Direct , we had a rough idea of the console ’s contour since before January , thanks to leak dummy unit . It ’s full-grown with a 7.9 - column inch screen , and — indeed — the JoyCons are now held on by magnets , rather than the older rail - based attachment point . The Mario Kart 8 sequel , now cry Mario Kart World , is a launching rubric for the Switch 2 , and you may get it in a $ 500 bundle with the handheld at launch June 5 .
The most disappointingly hearsay we have to discard was the monetary value . Some analysts evoke a $ 500 toll point , while others claimed it would be $ 400 . Nintendo is also force player to pass money if they want to try a demo game calledNintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour . It will purportedly let in minigames and other tech demos , but opine if Sony ram customers to pay forAstro ’s Playroomwhen they already spent $ 500 on the PlayStation 5 ?

© Nintendo
Explore the new system through technical school demos , minigames , and quiz with Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour , a paid downloadable launch title for#NintendoSwitch2.#NintendoDirectpic.twitter.com / doZVYS0wjV
— Nintendo of America ( @NintendoAmerica)April 2 , 2025
Below I ’ve broken it down into the rumor that derive unfeigned , those that did n’t , and the poppycock that surprised us all .

© Nintendo
TRUE: Redesigned JoyCons and Mouse-like Controls for Both Controllers
All us phratry whoanticipated shiner - similar controlson the Switch 2 can wave their hats in celebration . Not only does the right - hand , red - colored JoyCon operate like a mouse when on a matted surface , but the left - side controller works as well . Nintendo showed how this can combine together in a biz likeDrag X Drive , which uses the shiner functions to push around a wheelchair and motion operate to shake off your basketball into a basket .
This could be handy in game likeCivilization VIIand CD Projekt Red has alreadyconfirmedtheCyberpunk 2077Switch 2 port will take advantage of both gyroscopic aiming , touch screenland , and the mouse mathematical function too . It essentially confirm some of those original Switch function are return with the novel cabinet . I reckon we could put a Cyberpunk port in the “ unexpected ” category , but it also proves something about the cabinet ’s ask processing might and support for higher resolutions .
We ’ve also long known about the magnetically - attached JoyCons thanks to leak out Switch 2 dummy unit , but it was a little psychotherapeutic to hear Nintendo affirm the attachment mechanism in its Wednesday livestream .

© Nintendo / YouTube
TRUE: GameCube Games for Nintendo Online Subscribers
Multiple rumormongers were very keen on the approximation Nintendo was planning toadd GameCube plot to its online subscriptionservice . On Wednesday , the company fully let on how we could access a prime few title , includingThe Legend of Zelda : The Wind Waker , alone on Switch 2 . There will only be three title to start out , but you could expect more game arriving to the service later this year . GameCube games on the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack should launch the same day the Switch 2 ship , June 5 .
TRUE: 1080p Handheld and 4K, 120 Hz When Docked Thanks to Upscaling
Nintendo has confirmed what premature patent suggested , that the Switch 2 is doing 4K – just a little unlike than most of us expected . There seems to be a little reliance onupscaling tech(many newer TVs will mechanically upscale content to 4 K ) but there ’s also some reliance on good old fashion caloric management . The wharf now has a fan it to keep thing less toasty . That extra cooling means the processor on the console should palm bounteous workloads when docked . When hooked up to a goggle box , Nintendo say some games will sustain 4 K answer and 120 Hz , meaning you should be capable to attain 120 FPS in some game when you put the cabinet in the dock .
We ’ll be excited to see which game make use of this higher solving .
TRUE: Switch 2 Backwards Compatibility
Practicallyevery individual original Switch titleis compatible with Switch 2 . On adetailed info land site , Nintendo describes how the huge majority of biz should work finely , and the only fully - incompatible products arethe Labo kits . There are also some game with egress at inauguration , including titles likeWolfenstein II : The New Colossus . Ultra - popularFortnitealso has egress on Switch 2 computer hardware , but it ’s getting its own Switch 2 version .
FALSE: That $400 MSRP for Switch 2
The pricing rumors pre - proclamation were very conflicting . Some evoke it could have a $ 400 MSRP and some claimed a $ 500 request Mary Leontyne Price . This is a FALSE because Nintendo separate the price down the eye and offered the console at $ 450 . While a version with a $ 500 asking price exists it also includesMario Kart World . you could expect to pay $ 90 for an extra pair of Switch 2 JoyCons , $ 80 for a Switch 2 Pro controller , or $ 110 for a unexampled Switch 2 dock .
FALSE: Ability to Use Phone or Original Switch as Second Screen
Patentsrevealed in the weeks before the April 2 Nintendo Direct show Nintendo had devised an accoutrement to prop up a phone or other screenland to roleplay your game , Nintendo DS style . Nothing in Nintendo ’s annunciation video suggested this lineament was available to Switch 2 purchaser . Sure , that accessory may come in the future , but for now participant have the selection of get with the hand-held or TV options .
FALSE: Xbox Games on Switch
The drawing card of Microsoft ’s play division have made it clear-cut they would get laid to flummox Game Pass on both Sony and Nintendo ’s mainline consoles . However , Nintendo is n’t giving anybody a clue whether that will ever come to guide . Normally - reliable leakersproposedthe arrangement would welcome games likeHalo : The Master Chief CollectionandMicrosoft Flight Simulator 2024on Switch 2 . Instead , we see hints of approaching full - scurf ports of games likeFinal Fantasy VII Remake , which will arrive on launching day June 5 and still is n’t usable on Xbox .
NEW: Needing to Pay for ‘Upgrade Packs’
Some games aregetting “ upgrade packs”that will lease you get more from the games you own . Nintendo states on its internet site that if you own eitherLegend of Zelda : Breath of the WildorTears of the Kingdomand you pay for Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack , you’re able to get the upgrades for free . Otherwise , you ’ll need topay more for both .
This should n’t come as a big surprisal . Sony made users pay for upgrade to biz likeThe Last of Us Part IIif they wanted improved graphical fidelity affect from PS4 to PS5 , but PlayStation 5 Pro owner generate all the “ Enhanced ” edition of even PS5 games for free if they already owned them on the original cabinet .
Nintendo has heap of precedent for make players give more to play elevate plot on Switch 2 , but that does n’t avail those who pay full price forSuper Mario Party Jamboreeat the tail ending of 2024 and will have to pay more to access all the touted features , like shiner - exclusive minigames , on Switch 2 .

© Nintendo
NEW: A Full Voice Chat System and the Ability to Play Multiplayer with Only One Copy of a Game
Rumor - hungry Switch aficionado speculated what the “ C ” button on the right - side JoyCon would do , but it turns out it ’s all specific for enable GameChat , whether the console is docked or in handheld mode . It also has a build - in mic and this jazz group facilitate GameChat , Nintendo ’s raw style of allowing thespian to confuse insults at each other and even see each others ’ gameplay footage no matter what game they ’re currently running . Nintendo promised you should still be capable to talk with protagonist from across the elbow room if your console is docked , but we would need to quiz it to find out its true capabilities .
The best feature to come in from this new system is GameShare . Only one player needs to own a compatible game , but then everybody in the way can play local multiplayer with that main organisation . It ’s akin to wireless multiplayer from back on the Nintendo DS . But it ’s even well this metre around , since if it will also support the original Switch and Switch Lite .
NEW: An Official Webcam for Switch
While there were plenty of pre - release accessories promised for the Switch 2 , few expected Nintendo to createits own webcam . The $ 50 Nintendo Switch 2 Camera connects to your Switch 2 with a press of the “ C ” push button . The camera also includes a privateness shutter .
Nintendo mentioned that a “ compatible USB - C camera ” should also work with Switch 2 , but we would need to quiz our own webcams to see if some of our darling are compatible . The Switch 2 stream did n’t offer a good idea about the camera ’s visual quality , but we would hope the official camera wo n’t offer too pixelated a view of your mug .
NEW: A Price Increase for Games
We still do n’t bed the MSRP for all the coming Switch 2 launch title , but what we do know makes us worried about the cost of succeeding title . Mario Kart Worldwill be $ 80 in the U.S. at launching June 5.Donkey Kong Bonanza , which is set to release July 17 , will cost $ 70 . That was the same cost asLegend of Zelda : split of the Kingdomat launch back in 2023 .
Mario Kartcould have the higher price to incentivize customer to buy the console megabucks , but its a certain mark that companies are planning to raise game damage . Some publishers may be waiting to see ifGrand Theft Auto 6can sell for close to $ 100 before they seek to do the same with their own game .
NintendoNintendo Switch 2

© Nintendo
Daily Newsletter
Get the best tech , science , and culture tidings in your inbox daily .
word from the future , delivered to your present .
You May Also Like

Image: Microsoft Studios

All these games and a few more will include the option to buy upgrade packs. © Nintendo

© Nintendo / YouTube

© Nintendo

© Nintendo

© Nintendo / Gizmodo















