Nintendo Switch 2 Announced by Nintendo, Featuring Backward Compatability and New Mario Kart Content

At long last, after what felt like a full year of rumors and speculation, Nintendo has officially revealed the successor to the Nintendo Switch: Nintendo Switch 2.

In a two-minute video on the company’s official YouTube page, we get our first real look at the upcoming console, featuring new joy-con controllers that lock into the Switch hardware versus sliding in like before.

Its screen also looks bigger than the original Switch model, feeling more comparable to the Nintendo Switch OLED, which features a 7-inch screen and was first launched in 2021.

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We already knew backward compatibility was confirmed, but it’s nice for Nintendo to remind everyone of its existence during today’s reveal. Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa stressed that this was the best direction for the company to help make the Nintendo Switch’s successor successful. A press release from Nintendo confirms that digital and physical games are backward compatible, presumably including Nintendo Switch Online titles. Select games, however, may not be supported, presumably due to hardware limitations. I’d expect games like Nintendo Labo and 1-2 Switch to fall into this category.

What Games Can We Expect for the Nintendo Switch 2?

While today’s Nintendo Switch 2 reveal was all about the console, we did get a small glimpse at upcoming games. Of course, by small glimpse, I mean a teaser for one title: Mario Kart. Footage of new Mario Kart content, whether its new DLC for Mario Kart 8 or the rumored existence of Mario Kart 9, remains to be seen.

Nintendo confirmed that a Nintendo Direct will occur on April 2nd, 2025. We’ll presumably meet the launch lineup for upcoming Switch games at this event. Don’t be surprised to see Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and a new Mario game.

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Beyond that, Nintendo is offering fans a chance to get hands-on time with the Nintendo Switch 2 and its games this year in select cities worldwide. For more information, visit https://www.nintendo.com/us/nintendo-switch-2-experience/. The full list of dates is available below.

North America: