Nintendo Switch 2
Courtesy: Nintendo
Nintendo revealed the details of the Switch 2, its next game console, in a launch video on Wednesday.
The Switch 2 will hit store shelves on June 5. Nintendo will launch game titles including “Mario Kart World” and “Street Fighter 6” alongside the new hardware, but didn’t reveal a price for the system on Wednesday.
The new device is a bigger and faster version of the Nintendo Switch, which has sold 150 million units since it was released in 2017, making it the third-best selling game console of all time. Gamers will be able to use the Switch 2 as both a handheld console as well as hooked up to a television. The device will be able to play the existing library of Switch games as well as new and updated games that require the new hardware.
The Switch 2 looks a lot like its predecessor with some differences, including a larger 7.9-inch screen with 1080p resolution which can display gameplay at 120 frames per second. The company’s controllers, called Joy-Cons, now attach to the console’s screen with magnets, and can work as a mouse when used on a table. It comes with 256GB of internal storage.
One of the biggest changes a new “C” button that brings up a new Nintendo app for chatting with friends called Game Chat. The hardware has an improved microphone, and can support simultaneous split-screen gaming over the internet. A separate camera accessory will enable users to stream video of themselves playing the game, as well.
The improved hardware will allow for bigger worlds and more immersive experiences. For example, 24 racers can compete in Mario Kart World at the same time, Nintendo said.
Nintendo Switch 2
Courtesy: Nintendo
Nintendo console launches are a landmark for the gaming industry.
They’re hotly anticipated by fans, who want to know what games are coming, as well as game developers and publishers, who want to plan how they’ll develop for Nintendo’s lucrative platforms. Nearly 1.4 billion games and apps for the Switch have been sold during its lifetime, Nintendo has said.
Nintendo’s new gaming system comes during a period when consoles are less central to the gaming industry than ever before.
Sony’s Playstation 5, released in 2020, has sold fewer units than its predecessor did after the same years of availability. Microsoft’s Xbox Series X/S is the second-straight generation of Xbox hardware with falling sales, according to analysts, and the company’s leadership has de-emphasized its consoles in favor of promoting a message that gamers can play Xbox games on phones, smart TVs, VR headsets and other hardware.
Meanwhile, companies like Nvidia, Amazon, Google and Microsoft have invested heavily in “cloud streaming,” which enables users to rent high-powered servers to run their games in the cloud. This allows gamers to play games on a web browser, as opposed to consoles they own.
Nintendo Switch 2
Courtesy: Nintendo | YouTube
Businesses prefer cloud streaming services because it turns lumpy game sales into a recurring revenue stream billed monthly, but nearly all of the companies that have given cloud streaming a go have failed to find commercial traction. Google, for example, closed its cloud streaming service in 2023. Additionally, more and more gaming is done on phones and tablets, where Apple and Google take a cut of game sales.
Nintendo continues to buck these trends.
Its Nintendo Switch, using a Nvidia chip, was underpowered by design when it was first released in 2017, and still cannot play games in 4K resolution — something that Sony and Microsoft’s consoles were able to do when the Switch was released. The Switch 2 will be able to play games in 4K resolution on televisions.
Instead of competing in terms of producing higher-fidelity and more realistic graphics, which create bigger game files and require faster hardware, Nintendo doubled down on colorful, cartoon graphics and its exclusive characters and franchises. That includes Mario, Zelda and Pokemon. These characters are increasingly moving beyond games and into movies and other media — “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” was released in 2023, and a Legend of Zelda movie is planned for 2027.
And while the Japanese company has experimented with mobile games, its consoles remain the only place to play major new titles. Nintendo regularly releases experiences that require additional physical parts to run, such as the cardboard structures of Nintendo Labo, which turned the first Switch into a virtual-reality experience for kids.
Nintendo stock, traded in Japan, is up nearly 28% so far this year in anticipation of the Switch 2. The company reported 1.67 trillion yen ($11 billion) in revenue in its fiscal 2024, which ended in May.
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