On a seemingly random Thursday in January, Nintendo unveiled the ‘Switch 2’. Is it worth the hype, or more of the same?

By Matthew James O'Connor | Mar 6 2025

On a seemingly random Thursday in January, Nintendo unveiled the ‘Switch 2’, the successor to the incredibly popular ‘Nintendo Switch’. In the months prior, leaked factory images of almost every aspect of the new console appeared everywhere, leaving little new information to be revealed by Nintendo. They did reveal, however, confirm the legitimacy of these leaks, and also gave us some new details. But will any of these hardware upgrades be enough to sell systems, perhaps even more than the original? Here’s what we know:

The system was confirmed to be sporting a larger form factor than the original ‘Switch’, which includes a larger display. It has been widely speculated that this display will boast a 1080p resolution, as opposed to the 720p resolution that Switch gamers have been playing with for the last eight years. The leap to full-HD is a necessary one– 720p is a largely outdated resolution, even back in 2017 at the launch of the ‘Nintendo Switch’. Modern games are not designed with such a low pixel count in mind, so this could invite many more developers to bring their titles to the new console.

A higher-resolution display requires more power, and the ‘Switch 2’ will come equipped with a more advanced chipset. It is believed that the system will provide a six to eight times improvement in performance over the original console. Many players have voiced their concerns about the current performance of certain games on ‘Nintendo Switch’, with some developers opting not to release games on the platform as a result of this. Attracting third-party developers is key to selling more units, potentially turning the ‘Switch 2’ into the definitive platform for most console gamers.

The new, larger Joy-Con controllers now connect to the system magnetically, rather than the old rails that the original Joy-Con slid into. The old rails resulted in issues for certain users, notably, dropping the system could result in the plastic latches breaking, preventing the controllers from securely attaching to the console again. The controllers also appear to sport new thumbsticks– potentially eliminating the infamous “Joy-Con drift” issue that has plagued gamers for the entire life-cycle of the ‘Switch’. Fixing this problem may see many Switch-skeptics buy in for the first time.

What raised the most eyebrows, however, was the new ‘Mario Kart’ title which was showcased in the trailer. Eagle-eyed viewers noticed a starting grid with twenty-four places, suggesting that players may be able to engage in twenty-four-player races for the first time in the series’ history. Whilst not much else was revealed about the new game (not even a title or release date), this could prove to be the “killer app” for the ‘Switch 2’, given that ‘Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’ has sold 67.35 million units to date, making it the best selling title for the original ‘Switch’.

Nintendo appears to have learned their lesson from the ‘Switch’. Gamers will largely be convinced to upgrade their systems thanks to all of these hardware improvements, plus the release of a brand-new ‘Mario Kart’ that will no-doubt sell millions of units, if history is anything to go by. The gaming industry has a historic moment on its hands.