We’re finally in 2024 which means it’s time to look forward at the year ahead of us. Me being a gaming focused person, I’m taking the next couple posts to focus on the big three in the gaming space (Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo), and talk about what I’m expecting and/or wanting from each of them in the coming year. Today, the conversation is going to be all about Nintendo and the much anticipated Switch 2.
Now to be clear, Nintendo’s next console isn’t officially called the Switch 2. As of now, it doesn’t publicly have an official name, nor has it even been announced. I actually much prefer the name Super Nintendo Switch, but for the sake of this conversation, I’ll be referring to it as the Switch 2.
The Switch 2 has been an elusive piece of gaming tech for a couple years now. As we now enter the seventh full year of the original Switch being on the market, the magnificent hybrid console is clearly getting ready to exit the building. Nintendo’s tentpole franchises had huge releases last year with The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Super Mario Bros. Wonder being critical darlings, and Super Mario RPG being a lovely trip down memory lane for fans. With those games in the rearview mirror, the only big games of note that are set for this year are Princess Peach Showtime! and Mario vs. Donkey Kong. While both games look great and are certainly going to be attractive first-party releases, they don’t have the power and weight behind them that a new 3D-Mario does.
There’s also the ever present factor of the technical power that the original Switch is proving to be more and more lacking with each passing year, whether that be in the form of frame rate issues (something that’s present in Tears of the Kingdom), compromised visuals (such as in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt), or a serious case of both (look no further than Pokémon Scarlet and Violet or the recent Batman: Arkham Trilogy). We’ve wanted new hardware for a while, it’s been rumored for just as long, and I’m confident that 2024 is the year that the Switch 2 will finally be coming out.
When Do I Think Will The Switch 2 Release?
If I had to guess, I would expect the Switch 2 to release this fall, specifically in early to mid-November. The earliest I can see Nintendo releasing their new console would be in September, but that seems a bit too early. October is also possible, but I think they’ll go for a November release to get it out just before the holiday season starts kicking into high gear, as well as give a bit more time to shore up plenty of supply.
Of course the only other big question to go along with the release window is the price. I see no world in which the Switch 2 is more than $400. Nintendo tends to not make their consoles very expensive, so it makes sense on that level. And although the original Switch was $300 when it released and hasn’t seen a price drop since, I don’t think they’ll put out their new console at that price given what appears to be a reasonable spec bump if reports about its capabilities are anything to go by.
A $400 price tag would indicate that it’s the newest console by putting it $50 above the Switch OLED Model, $100 over the baseline Switch, and $150 over the Switch Lite. This is all assuming that Nintendo doesn’t drop the price of the current Switch lineup across the board when the Switch 2 releases in order to get it off of store shelves faster. Whatever it ends up being, I’m not expecting anything more than $400.
When Do I Think The Switch 2 Will Be Announced?
Guessing when the Switch 2 will be announced is a bit tricky, but using some logic I think it’s pretty easy to pinpoint the window when it’ll happen. Going back to my earlier point about Nintendo’s upcoming games lineup, we know that Mario vs. Donkey Kong is coming in February and Princess Peach Showtime! is coming in March. It wouldn’t make sense for Nintendo to announce their new hardware ahead of those releases if they could help it since they’d want all attention on those games. There’s also the fact that last year, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa confirmed that the company had no plans to release a the successor the current Switch until after April 2024. Taking this into account along with the next two releases, we can safely rule out anytime before April.
If the console is indeed coming out later this year (which again, I’m confident it is), it’ll have to be announced before the summer rolls around since that’s when Summer Game Fest will be. Developers and publishers will be announcing all sorts of new games and would be in a tight spot if they couldn’t say that a new game of there’s wasn’t coming to Nintendo hardware because Nintendo hadn’t announced it yet. While they could announce it at the very start of Summer Game Fest, Nintendo will want to have all eyes on their new machine and command the news cycle for some time following the reveal. So that means the Switch 2 announcement would have to come in either April or May.
Either time frame would give them time to garner excitement and hype on their own before summer showcases started up, but it all comes down to how Nintendo wants to market their new console. If they intend to have media and influencers get some hands-on time with the console before Summer Game Fest comes around, the announcement would likely be coming in April with previews coming in May. Again, these are all just educated guesses based on how the industry works as well as what would logically make sense.
There have been some theories I’ve seen online that say the Switch 2 could be revealed in Nintendo’s yearly February Direct. While I won’t say it’s impossible, I don’t think it’s very likely. A February Direct would be better served talking about games coming to the Switch throughout the year, with the new console getting its own dedicated event. So cross January through March off your lists because April or May seems like the most likely time we’ll be getting our first look at the Switch 2.
What Games Do I Think Will Be Coming To The Switch 2?
The games lineup for the Switch 2 is another area that’s tough to guess, although there are some safe bets that can be made. I can almost guarantee that a new 3D-Mario game will be revealed when the console is announced. We haven’t got one since Super Mario Odyssey released in 2017 (at least if you don’t count the Bowser’s Fury part of Super Mario 3D World), so the timing perfectly lines up for a new one. The next Mario Kart game is also another safe bet since the series has been riding high off of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe during the Switch’s lifecycle.
Last, but not least, is the long-awaited Metroid Prime 4. First announced in 2017 and then rebooted in 2019 with Retro Studios at the helm, this game has been expected to be a Switch 2 game for the past few years. Giving it its grand re-reveal alongside the announcement of the Switch 2 would be a great move for the game, as well as some of the hardcore Nintendo audience who have been dying for this game to come out.
Between these three games, I expect the next 3D-Mario to be a launch title for the Switch 2 since it’s proven to be the type of game that will move units. The same can be said for Mario Kart and it’s very likely that could be the launch day game instead, but I think Nintendo could easily save that for the closer to the end of the Switch 2’s first year on the market. I think it’d be great if Metroid Prime 4 released in the console’s first year, specifically within the first six months. It’d give the hardcore a game that they want and would be a great stopgap in the middle of the year.
Aside from these games, I think it’d be great if Nintendo announced that Xenoblade Chronicles X is coming to their new console. It’s the only game in the franchise that hasn’t made the jump to new hardware, as well as one of the only remaining first-party Wii U games that hasn’t been ported either. This would also be a great way to tide over Xenoblade fans since Xenoblade Chronicles 3 and its Future Redeemed DLC brought that trilogy to a close recently. And lastly, I speak for all Zelda fans when I ask Nintendo to finally give us Wind Waker HD and Twilight Princess HD on modern hardware. There’s been plenty of rumors about the existence of both games, so I’m confident they’re real and that Nintendo’s just sitting on them waiting for the right time to release them. What better time than announcing them for the Switch 2 and using them (along with Xenoblade Chronicles X) to help fill out the first year of its lifecycle.
Between the games, the release date, and the official announcement, there’s a lot to think about when it comes to the Switch 2. There’s no actual guarantee that it’s coming out this year, but I fully believe that it is. Nintendo knows that the Switch has more years behind it than in front of it, and it can’t keeping kicking the can down the road. 2024 is the year that the Switch 2 will come out and I’m excited to see what Nintendo does with it to make this year one of their best yet.
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