When it came time to start developing the successor to the Nintendo Switch, Nintendo was riding high. They had once again managed to turn their fortunes around, rebounding from the flop that was the Wii U with a successful console that soon became one of the best-selling game systems of all-time, beloved by consumers and developers alike. And it was an accomplishment reached by combining three decades worth of the company's hardware design, merging their home and handheld console lines to give users a way to play anytime, anywhere, with anyone via the Switch's docked "TV Mode" and portable "Tabletop" and "Handheld" modes. With this in mind, Nintendo asked themselves: do we really need a brand-new gimmick for the next system? After all, Nintendo had been pushing them pretty hard ever since the original Nintendo DS took off, to the point that the company had become defined by their Discard and Draw tactic of sacrificing raw graphical power in favor of a unique selling point. But in this case, they decided that they didn't; projects like Nintendo Labo and Ring Fit Adventure had proven well enough that they could still innovate with accessories on top of the base hardware of their system, after all. And so for the first time since the Nintendo GameCube, the hardware team was focused not on pure innovation, but rather iterating and evolving what they already had.

Enter the Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo's eighth home console released worldwide on June 5, 2025 as both a standalone console for US$449.99 and a bundle with Mario Kart World for US$499.99. In Japan, to address the weak yen at the time of the system's release, the console has both a cheaper "Japanese-Language" version (standalone for ¥49,980 and Mario Kart World bundle for ¥53,980) and an international "Multi-Language" version (standalone only for ¥69,980).^note At the time of the Switch 2's release, the yen had gone from decades of ¥100 roughly equaling US$1 to roughly equaling around 60 cents. To avoid scalping from overseas, as the Japanese-Language system cost around US$370, said version only allows Japanese Nintendo accounts and has Japanese as its sole system language.

Initially announced in May 2024, and formally unveiled via a teaser trailer in January 2025, the Nintendo Switch 2 improves on the form factor of its predecessor in a number of ways. For one, it is much bigger, featuring a larger 7.9-inch screen compared to the Switch's 6.2-inch screen, with said screen supporting not only a higher resolution of 1080p, but also HDR, VRR, and frame rates of up to 120fps; the system can similarly output up to 4K/60 or 1440p/120 when docked. The system boasts a wider, more flexible kickstand compared to the Switch 1's OLED model, and now has an additional USB-C port on the top for easier charging in tabletop and handheld modes. The console's larger size also means the Joy-Con 2 have larger control sticks and larger SL and SR buttons than the prior versions, to make using individual Joy-Con more comfortable. The Switch 2 has 256GB of internal storage, eight times the amount of data that the 32GB Switch could hold, with faster read/write speeds than the prior console. Just like the Switch OLED, the dock comes with an ethernet port by default. The console also retains Backwards Compatibility with Nintendo Switch software, with select titles that released prior to the Switch 2's release getting either free upgrades for improved visuals, performance, and integration of system features or paid updates that also come with DLC and other gameplay additions.

In addition to all these improvements, the Switch 2 sees entirely new features as well, the most notable being GameChat, GameShare, and Mouse Mode. GameChat, which has its own dedicated button on the Joy-Con 2 and Switch 2 Pro Controller, is a voice and video chat application for those with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription. GameShare allows users to play supported multiplayer titles with other players using only a single copy of the game, both locally and online (the latter using GameChat). Finally, the Joy-Con 2 controllers each feature a mouse sensor, allowing them to seamlessly transition to "Mouse Mode" and be utilized as computer mice in supported titles.

Upon launch, the Nintendo Switch 2 sold 3.5 million units in just four days, becoming the most successful console launch of all-time, beating previous record holder (the PlayStation 5) which moved 3.4 million units in four weeks. As of December 2025, the console has sold 17.37 million units in total, surpassing the Nintendo Wii U in just seven months.

Technical Specs

• Custom NVIDIA Tegra T239 processor system-on-a-chip (SoC)
  • CPU: 8-core ARM Cortex A78C; one core is reserved for system resources and six are reserved for software applications, while the remaining core is shared between the two as needed, defaulting to running system tasks.
    • The cores run at 998MHz when docked and at a higher 1101MHz in handheld and tabletop modes.
  • GPU: Ampere based GPU containing 12SM (1536 CUDA core), 12 RT cores for ray-tracing, and 48 tensor cores to support AI features.
    • Contains the media decoder engine and power management system of its successor GPU architecture, Ada Lovelace.
    • Runs at 1007MHz when docked or 561MHz when in handheld/tabletop modes.
    • AI features include DLSS (using AI to upscale lower-resolution renders) and blurring the background in GameChat.
    • The GPU can also handle file decompression tasks, allowing for quicker loading of game data into RAM and offloading this task from the CPU.

Memory

• 12GB of RAM provided by 2 6GB LPDDR5X modules capped at 6400MT/s (102 GB/s) docked and 4266 MT/s (68 GB/s) undocked.
• Internal storage is 256GB of UFS3.1 storage.
• Expandable storage uses microSD Express cards for expandable storage up to 2TB. While microSDXC cards are not supported for game storage or save data, they can still be used to copy screenshots and video from the Nintendo Switch.
  • Since Nintendo used a standard interface for the microSD card slot and SD Card Express uses PCI-Express for communication, an unofficial adapter was made that converts NVMe SSDs to work in the slot.
• Just like every Nintendo portable system since the Nintendo DS, the system uses proprietary flash memory cartridges called "Game Cards", initially available only in one size (64GB), before smaller ones were made available. These cards share the same dimensions as the Nintendo Switch Game Cards, differentiated by being red rather than black and having a small notch that allows the Switch 2 to distinguish between them, and are also coated with denatonium benzoate to discourage ingestion. In a similar vein to select Game Boy Color titles, game cards for "Nintendo Switch 2 Edition" games can also be played on an original Nintendo Switch console.^note These games have a product code of "LN" on the cartridge label, as opposed to the "LB" of Switch 2 exclusive games. They differ from regular Switch 2 games in that their graphical improvements and other enhancements function as add-on content/DLC for the Switch version of the game, hence why they are also available digitally as upgrade packs.
• Nintendo also gives the option for publishers to use "Game Key Cards" as an alternative to Game Cards, which side-step limitations such as storage size and physical media read speeds for data streaming while also being cheaper to produce.^note Switch 2 Game Cards have a theoretical max read speed of 400 MB/s, which is half that of a microSD Express card (~800 MB/s), and a fifth of the internal storage (~2100 MB/s). In contrast to the game install discs used by PlayStation and Xbox titles that contain both the game data to be downloaded and act as the license to play it, GKCs purely serve as the game license, while the game is downloaded from Nintendo's servers. Since the download is attached to the GKC instead of the user's Nintendo Account, it can also be resold like a standard Game Card.^note These cartridges are distinguished from others through an "LP" product code and a key icon on the label.

Graphics

• The console has a 7.9-inch 1920x1080 capacitive 10-point multi-touch LCD screen with HDR10 support and a variable refresh rate (VRR) of up to 120Hz via NVIDIA's G-Sync technology.
• When docked and connected to an external display, the system can output up to 3840x2160 (4K) resolution at 60 fps, with support for 120fps when capped to 1920x1080 or 2560x1440. HDR10 is also supported in TV mode. Despite a number of launch titles boasting a 40fps mode for docked play, VRR is not currently supported.

Controllers and Accessories

• As opposed to a rail system like its predecessor, the Joy-Con 2 are attached via magnets in the system interacting with the steel SL and SR buttons. The controllers have accelerometers and gyroscopes for motion control, with the addition of magnetometers for improved accuracy. For tactile feedback, the Switch 2 uses linear resonant actuators like its predecessor (albeit much larger ones thanks to the increased size of the controllers; the improved functionality offered by this is called "HD rumble 2"). While it no longer has its predecessor's IR sensor, the Joy-Con 2 R maintains an NFC reader on the control stick for amiibo functionality.
• Each Joy-Con 2 controller has a mouse sensor to support "Mouse Mode", wherein the controllers can be used like a computer mouse or an optical trackpad. By default, the system activates "mouse mode" automatically when a Joy-Con 2 is placed on its side; games that support the feature can choose to maintain this or disable it in favor of other activation methods, such as a toggleable menu option. The controllers can also function as mice simultaneously, allowing for both multiplayer mouse experiences and single-player dual mouse gameplay.
• Each Joy-Con 2 controller has its own 500mAh battery that lasts 20 hours on a full charge, and which can be charged while attached to the console.
• The Switch 2 Pro Controller is the first pro controller made by Nintendo to include an audio jack. It also features additional, user-programmable GL/GR buttons on the back, though developers have the option to assign specific functions to those buttons if they wish. Similar to its predecessor, it lasts 40 hours on a single charge, despite having a smaller 1070 mAh battery. The Joy-Con Charging Grip also has GL/GR buttons.
• The Nintendo Switch 2 Camera, which is a 1080p camera accessory with a 110° viewing angle that can be purchased for the purposes of video chat and CameraPlay — wherein the camera is used in gameplay in some manner. Other USB cameras, as well as capture cards, can be used as well, attached to either the console itself or the dock, with a test option available in the system settings to check compatibility.
• Nintendo Switch Joy-Con and Pro Controllers can still be used with the system. Some first-party titles even require the former for backwards compatibility due to the Joy-Con 2 lacking an IR sensor (e.g. WarioWare: Move It!) or having an accessory that the Joy-Con 2 cannot fit in (e.g. Ring Fit Adventure's "Ring-Con"). Nintendo Switch Joy-Con and Pro Controllers cannot wake up the system from sleep mode, but are still capable of accessing GameChat via the Home Menu.

Connectivity

• Wireless LAN (Wi-Fi 6)
• Built-in monaural microphone with noise/echo cancellation and auto gain control. The software for the microphone is carefully tuned such that the sound of people clapping isn't among the noises filtered out.
• Bluetooth for communication with the Joy-Con and Pro Controller, as well as audio.
• Two USB Type-C ports, on the top and bottom of the system. Both can be used to charge the console, but only the bottom port can output to an external display, while the top port can be used for accessories.
• The dock contains 2 USB Type A ports on the outside that can be used for various accessories, while the back plate hides USB-C AC in, HDMI output, and an ethernet LAN port. It also has its own fan to keep its own components and the console cool during extended play sessions.
• The system continues to make use of Nintendo Switch Online, marking the first time that one of the company's online account systems has lasted longer than a single console generation. The legacy games service that comes with an NSO subscription (now titled "Nintendo Classics") has also been carried over. In addition to existing platforms — NES, SNES, Virtual Boy, Nintendo 64, Game Boy & Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, and Sega Genesis/Mega Drive — the Switch 2 exclusively has Nintendo GameCube games for those who have the Expansion Pack tier.
• GameChat allows voice chat with up to 12 people, as well as video chat and screen-sharing with up to four. The service can be immediately accessed during gameplay through the C Button on the Joy-Con R or Pro Controller, but is also available on the console's home menu. GameChat comes as part of Nintendo Switch Online, but is currently planned to be free for all users until March 31, 2026.
• GameShare allows a user to share select games with to up to three other Nintendo Switch 2 consoles — and Switch consoles — to allow multiplayer gaming with only a single game copy. While users can share games to Switch and Switch 2 locally, with some games only supporting local sharing, online GameShare sharing is restricted to Switch 2 consoles due to requiring GameChat. Unlike the Nintendo DS and 3DS's Download Play, the other users aren't downloading any data when this feature is used. When used locally, GameShare repurposes the streaming technology used by the Wii U to have the host system stream all the information to the other Switch consoles, which act as dumb terminals that simply display the gameplay and return player inputs without doing any processing of their own; meanwhile, online use of the feature is an extension of screen-sharing, a la Share Play on PlayStation 5. This change means that unlike Download Play, developers are able to have titles accessed in their entirety, though some games still limit player access to specific modes or a more truncated version of the game (e.g., Super Mario Party Jamboree only allows one of the boards to be played, using the standard ruleset).

Other

• Backwards compatibility with Nintendo Switch games, with an official website dedicated to displaying the compatibility status of any given game. Unlike previous instances of backwards compatibility for Nintendo systems, the Switch 2's backwards compatibility isn't purely hardware-based.^note Previous consoles that had backwards compatibility incorporated the prior system's processor somewhere in its design. Instead, Switch 1 titles have their data run through a software compatibility layer in real time due to the differences in system architecture, in a similar vein to how Wine (and its gaming-focused sister Proton) allows UNIX operating systems to run applications/games made for Microsoft Windows. As a result, several games required software updates in order to improve compatibility, though this also allowed hundreds of Switch 1 games to perform better on the new hardware without need for further optimization, leading to fan efforts (such as this) to document all the changes beyond Nintendo's basic "supported" labeling. The only applications confirmed to not be compatible at all with the Switch 2, with no plans to address their issues, are Nintendo Labo Toy-Con 04: VR Kit^note (only by technicality, as the console is just physically too big to fit inside the cardboard goggles; it and other games with VR modes can still be played, but now require the user to utilize the NSO Virtual Boy replica headset — or its cardboard variant — or purchase/craft third-party replacement googles) and a handful of streaming apps.
• Supports linear PCM output up to 5.1ch when docked, and 2.0ch when undocked. Surround sound can also be applied when outputting to headphones or the system's built-in stereo speakers (following a planned post-launch update).
• The main system has a 5220mAh capacity lithium ion battery that can last from 2 to 6.5 hours on single charge.

Games: