New Nintendo Console Confirmed: Can You Guess What it is?
Games consoles have been around for decades, used to both distract and entertain those that play with them. In 1889, Fusajiro Yamauchi founded Nintendo Koppai and was a producer of handmade hanafuda playing cards. Sufficed to say the company has come on leaps and bounds since then, trying its hand at numerous different lines of business before distributing its first console, the Color TV-Game, in 1977. The release of Donkey Kong in 1981 and the Nintendo Entertainment System with Super Mario Bros. in 1985 handed the company international fame. Now a new console is hitting the shops, but what do we know about it?
The Latest in a Long Line
From the moment that Nintendo released the Color TV-Game in 1977, the company has gone from strength to strength. The Nintendo Entertainment System could be considered to be one of the first mass-produced video game consoles, with production lasting from 1985 until 1995. The company also released the Game Boy in 1989, bundling it with Tetris and taking the market by storm. As Nintendo’s dominance slipped thanks to the release of the likes of Sega’s Mega Drive, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, or SNES, was released and helped the company make its way back to the top of the market share for such consoles.
Those of a certain vintage will remember the release of the Nintendo 64, which was particularly popular thanks to the computer game version of the James Bond film GoldenEye. Essentially changing the way first-person shooter games worked and revolutionising multiplayer, it was hugely popular. The Game Boy Advance and GameCube didn’t have quite the impact that Nintendo were hoping, struggling to get back into the console market that was dominated by the PlayStation. Though the Nintendo DS and the Wii both had some impact, it wasn’t until the release of the Nintendo Switch that the company truly began to break through once more.
The Nintendo Switch 2 is Confirmed
The Nintendo Switch’s release in 2017 saw a hybrid design of both a home console and a handheld one, with the Joy-Con controllers containing both an accelerometer and a gyroscope. It also allowed for the simultaneous networking of up to eight consoles wirelessly, whilst alliances with numerous third-party and independent developers promised a wealth of games. By the March of 2020, worldwide sales of the Nintendo Switch had exceeded the 55 million mark, proving its immense popularity. As is so often the case, when something proves to be so popular it doesn’t take much for a company to want to capitalise on that.
Nintendo (Ever Oasis) reconfirmed Nintendo Switch 2 will launch in 2025.
— Knoebel (@knoebel.bsky.social) 4 February 2025 at 07:03
Of course, the advancement of technology is such that something that seemed so incredibly forward-thinking in 2017 can look old-hat by the time we hit 2025. Nintendo have spent years working behind-the-scenes in order to ensure that the Nintendo Switch 2 will be a huge success, confirming its release for later in the year on the 16th of January 2025. With the original Switch having become the company’s best-selling console, even in a market that included the PlayStation 4 and then the PS5 as well as the Xbox One, it is fair to say that there is a lot of pressure on the Nintendo Switch 2 to live up to the promise of its predecessor.
What we Know About the Switch 2
Nintendo are not looking to reinvent the wheel with the release of the Switch 2. Instead, it is more about evolution than revolution, maintaining the idea that it is something of a hybrid of a games console and a handheld device. One thing we don’t know with any degree of certainty is when exactly it will be released, with the company simply saying ‘releasing in 2025’ in its teaser video. The company has also been somewhat coy when it comes to how much the Switch 2 will cost, but there is little point in even guessing that considering the number of ways that people can get discounts and other ways of reducing the price.
@nintenderosteam NINTENDO SWITCH 2 IS HERE! 🔥 #nintendoswitch #nintendo #switch2 #mariokart #nintendodirect ♬ sonido original – Nintenderos
In terms of how it looks, you aren’t exactly going to be confused over which machine it is that you’re looking to play games on. It will look largely identical to the Switch, with the only key difference from the outset being that it is going to be bigger. It will not be a slim device, with Nintendo’s revealer trailer showing that the Switch 2 will have a larger display and thinner bezels. It looks as though the screen will be 7.5 inches, compared to the 6.2-inch screen on the original Switch. There will also be a kickstand on offer that will cover the entire back of the device, yet be adjustable enough to allow it to be viewed from different angles.
A Focus on Software Over Hardware?
The Nintendo Switch was significantly underpowered when compared to the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One, with the company choosing to prioritise ensuring its software is exactly what gamers need it to be. It is almost certain that they will look to do the same thing with the Switch 2, which is a smart move when you consider what the market looks like elsewhere. Both the ASUS ROG Ally X and the Steak Deck are beefy machines in the world of handheld devices, so trying to compete with them would almost certainly have left the Switch 2 short. One of the biggest differences between it and the Switch is the new Joy-Cons.
Nintendo Switch 1 has now sold 150.82 million units, it’s now about 3 million away from passing the Nintendo DS & about 9 million away from surpassing the PlayStation 2 for the best selling system of all time. pic.twitter.com/YJdLh1ImPi
— OJ – PlayerEssence (@PlayerEssence) February 4, 2025
The Joy-Con controllers weren’t exactly game-changers on the Switch, but they certainly moved the dial. It seems as though Nintendo are moving it again on the Switch 2, with the Joy-Cons connecting magnetically rather than physically. The dock has also been altered to be smoother, with more of the display visible when the device itself is docked. Given the best-selling nature of the Switch, it is not all that surprising that Nintendo have opted for an ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ approach with their new version of it. Technology has changed a lot in eight years, so it looks like the Switch 2 is taking that on board without making wholesale changes.