With its gimmick of being able to play at home or on the go, the Nintendo Switch has been Nintendo’s most popular and revolutionary console since the Nintendo DS was released in 2004. The success of the Switch left many people wondering how Nintendo could possibly top it. In late January, fans worldwide got a first look at the next Nintendo console: Nintendo Switch 2. Nothing was known about this console at first other than a new sleek design and teasing a new “Mario Kart” entry in the trailer. On Wednesday, April 2, we were treated with a Nintendo Switch 2 Direct properly showcasing the console and new games coming.
To start things off, the Nintendo Switch 2 has some new features on the console itself. The console still includes most of the features of its predecessor, including all its modes, basic controls and joy-cons. They also introduced a new way to play, which is known as Mouse Controls. If you place a joy-con on a flat surface, you’re able to use one joy-con like a mouse while using the other to turn left or right. There wasn’t much information on how Mouse Controls will be used going forward, but what was presented was incredibly unique.
In addition, there’s also a new C-Button on the right joy-con that allows you and your friends to call each other via Nintendo Online, which allows voice chat, video chat and screen-sharing. It seems like a strange, almost useless choice for Nintendo to include voice chat when competing consoles have had this feature for years, but regardless it’s nice to have it here.
The Nintendo Switch 2 library is stacked to the brim with games. Much like the 3DS with DS games, the Switch 2 is backward compatible with Switch games. To add onto this, the Nintendo Switch 2 has updated versions of existing titles known as Nintendo Switch 2 Editions. These special editions add new content and improved graphics and factor in the new controls. As of right now, only six games have been confirmed to have a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, those being “Super Mario Party Jamboree,” “Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild,” “Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom,” “Kirby and the Forgotten Land,” “Metroid Prime 4: Beyond” and “Pokémon Legends: ZA.” The best part about these versions of the game is that you can play the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of that game by purchasing an upgrade pack.
There’s also an insane variety of third-party games coming to the Nintendo Switch 2 such as “Final Fantasy 7 Remake,” “Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition” “Split Fiction,” “Deltarune Chapters 3 & 4” and “Hollow Knight: Silksong.” They were revealed to be coming to the Nintendo Switch 2 library by launch or releasing by later in 2025 in addition to the Nintendo GameCube games releasing on Nintendo’s online service on launch day.
Finally, the Switch 2 exclusive games with three titles were announced during the Nintendo Direct. Kicking off alongside the console is “Mario Kart World,” a new installment in the series that takes “Mario Kart” off-road and has you driving literally everywhere, a 3D “Donkey Kong” game with a more combat-oriented playstyle releasing in July and finally “Kirby Air Riders” releasing in later in 2025 with series creator Masahiro Sakurai returning.
There is lots of promising content for the Nintendo Switch 2 with the biggest concern being the price at $450 when the original Switch was $300 at launch. Aside from that, everything looks great. There’s still more to come, but for now, the Nintendo Switch 2, “Mario Kart World” and “Deltarune Chapters 3 & 4” all release on June 5.
