Nintendo Finally Unveils Switch 2

Nintendo at last unveiled its successor to the popular Switch console on Thursday, a major moment for the video game industry that will arrive sometime this year.

The release of a new console will be a key milestone in Nintendo’s history after the company released the Switch in 2017 to fanfare and acclaim. The years since have seen the release of some of the greatest games of the modern era that are solely playable on the device: The Legend of Zelda, Breath of the Wild and its successor, Tears of the Kingdom; Super Mario Odyssey; and the latest iteration of Animal Crossing, New Horizons.

The Switch 2 appears similar to the Switch — users can play it remotely or plug it into a television — but will include a large screen and sleeker controllers. The device will be able to play games from the first console, but like competitors — including the Playstation and Xbox — it seems there will be games exclusive to the Switch 2 that are unable to be played on earlier Nintendo devices.

More details will be released at an event in April, but a video also seemed to hint at a new game in the popular Mario Kart franchise. Nintendo will also hold hands-on events with the new console at events around the world.

It’s unclear how a new device will sell, but sales of the original Switch fell dramatically last year amid rumors of a new console on the horizon.