Nintendo has announced a June 5 launch date for its latest gaming console, the Switch 2, which will introduce interactive chat and screenshare functions to connect gamers. Pre-orders in the U.S., however, will not start April 9 as expected “in order to assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions,” Nintendo said, promising to update timing soon.
At its 60-minute Nintendo Direct presentation, the company revealed a more vibrant display on the Switch 2, a larger screen and several games that will launch with the console.
Central to its updated system is a new “C” button on its Joy-Con controller, which will launch a new “GameChat” feature that allows you to “communicate with friends and family while playing a game” and lets you share your game screen with other players. A built-in microphone will also allow you to chat with other gamers. The “GameChat” feature requires a subscription to Nintendo’s Switch online service.
“When you think about some of the biggest titles on (the Nintendo Switch), it’s like Mario Kart, Super Mario Jamboree, even though that’s quite a new title, has cracked the top 10 of most play games on the console. So, it does make a lot of sense that the sort of headline feature is geared primarily towards that sort of use,” said Hannah Cowton-Barnes, a London-based video game industry expert for Tech Advisor.
Perhaps the most contemporary function yet for the Switch 2 is the ability to use the Joy-Con controllers like a computer mouse. The developer displayed multiple ways to use the new function in games, such as angling a club in a golf game.
The new portable console features a 7.9 inch LCD screen that displays in 1080p. Nintendo also revealed in the live stream that, when docked, the system will be able to support 4K resolution for compatible games.
Wednesday’s presentation started off with an extended look at “Mario Kart World” — the console’s launch bundle game — which adds a bit of flair to the series with in-game characters doing tailwhips, flips, rail grinds and other tricks.
The developer also unveiled a new James Bond game, dubbed “Project 007,” revisiting a classic Nintendo 64 console hit revered by many first-person shooter fans.
Nintendo also announced two more Switch 2 exclusives featuring its marquee characters. “Donkey Kong Bananza,” a 3D adventure with the big ape punching his way through a huge underground world, arrives July 17. “Kirby Air Riders,” a racing game from the director of the “Super Smash Bros.” series, is due later in the year.
Third-party exclusives likely to create some buzz include Koei-Tecmo’s “Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment,” a hack-and-slash prequel to “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom,” coming this winter. From Software’s “The Duskbloods,” a baroque multiplayer title from the creators of Elden Ring, is scheduled for 2026.
Miss the GameCube? Nintendo said Switch Online subscribers will be able to access a limited selection of GameCube titles such as “The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker” and “F-Zero GX.”
The new console will be backwards compatible — able to play physical and digital Switch games — but users will need to purchase a microSD express memory card for the Switch 2. The presentation revealed that normal SD cards will not be compatible with the system. However, data from the original Switch can be transferred to the new console using a transfer feature.
The original Switch, released in 2017, is “one of the most popular game consoles of all time,” Scott Stein, editor-at-large at CNET, told CBS News Boston in January.
It became popular in part because of its unique design. Resembling a tablet, the device has detachable pieces on each side that can be used to control game play. It also allows users to continuing playing a game on a television screen when docked on a charging station, a first-of-its-kind feature at the time.
But the original has aged, leading to some of the excitement for the new version, Stein said.
“There’s a lot of stuff it does well but there’s a lot of stuff that people I think want it to do better for playing games they can play elsewhere,” he said, noting the ability to take it on the go differentiates it from other gaming consoles.
How much does the Nintendo Switch 2 cost?
Nintendo will retail the Switch 2 for $449.99 at launch, which is significantly higher than the original Switch’s $299 price tag. A separate bundle that includes the new “Mario Kart World” game will also be available for $499.99.
Gene Park, a Washington Post reporter covering video games and gaming culture, told CBS News the console is “a little pricey, but it is a more powerful system.”
He noted that the “Mario Kart World” game itself is priced at $80.
“It’s a little eyebrow-raising. It’s really the first Nintendo game to broach $80, and there’s a lot of talk about video games becoming $100 right now,” Park said.
The Trump administration’s tariffs have hit the video game console industry at a fragile moment, said Joost van Dreunen, author of “One Up: Creativity, Competition, and the Global Business of Video Games.
“At the beginning of a new hardware cycle, all of a sudden we’re looking at this price hike,” said van Dreunen, a games industry researcher. “I had originally predicted that the Switch 2 would be $400. Now it’s announced that it’s $450. That $50 difference is a Trump tax.”
The tariffs, he said, impact games hardware because console devices are manufactured and shipped from China and that region at large.
The early stages of a hardware life cycle are already very low margin, or usually a loss for hardware manufacturers, van Dreunen said. Those manufacturers typically eat the margin in order to get the devices out to stores.
“But with an increased tariff, that means that margin is probably even worse than it historically is. But their hands are kind of tied. They can’t not progress. They can’t not launch a new hardware generation. So for the consumer base, people are just going to pay more.”
The Consumer Technology Association also predicted President Trump’s tariffs would drive up prices of video game consoles, and retailers like Best Buy have warned they may have to raise prices due to the tariffs.
Nintendo plans to host “Switch 2 Experience” events in several countries, where gamers can get a hands-on experience with the new system. Those events are planned for cities such as Los Angeles, New York, London and Paris beginning this month.
