It’s time! After an agonizing three-month wait, Nintendo finally revealed more details on the Switch 2 during its Direct on April 2nd at 9AM ET. For those wondering why: Apparently the Switch 2 is not just a powered-up Switch, and there seems to be some kind of just-in-time translation necessary to make Switch 1 games work on the hardware. Over 99% of Nintendo Switch games fully compatible with Switch 2
Nearly all 15,000+ Nintendo Switch games compatible with Nintendo Switch 2 The Switch 2's battery life is shorter than the current Switch Switch 2 compatibility revealed: Vast majority of games compatible with new System
Each of these is a completely accurate and arguably more useful headline. But unfortunately, good news doesn't garner the same attention that bad news does. So Kotatu chooses to highlight the less than 1% of games that don't work, rather than the vast majority that do. While Nintendo told us very little in the official reveal of the console in January, now we know when the Switch 2 is coming and how much it will cost at launch: June 5th, and $449.99. We also have more hardware details and specs to pore over, like a 1080p 120Hz 7.9-inch LCD screen, Joy-Con controllers with mouse-like functions, 256GB of storage, and 4K output via the dock. Something about Nintendo pulling the $80 trigger first rubs me the wrong way. At least with AAA games, they've ballooned so much and there's more justification there. I imagine that the rest of the industry is going to pull the trigger too. Expect $80 PS5 and PC games now.
Nintendo also cleared up the mysteries about the system’s “C” button with details about new GameChat features and a camera accessory, and confirmed that GameCube games are coming to Nintendo Switch Online along with a dedicated controller. Some Nintendo Switch 2 details not explained in the Direct: The 3DS experienced a major course correction after a very lukewarm launch by slashing the console price by 1/3 & adding many amazing exclusive games to its library. Maybe we'll see something similar happen with the Switch 2.
- Mario Kart World is $80 - Enchanced Games are "free" with NSO - Pre-Orders Start April 9th - $449 or $499 with Mario Kart - Some Game Cards will just be "KEYS" to proxy downloads
What else have you seen or heard?
Last but not least, Nintendo showed off a number of new games, like a Switch 2 edition of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, and the exclusive Switch 2 launch title, Mario Kart World. Acclaimed video game developer Fromsoftware who brought us Elden Ring, Bloodbourne and Dark Souls, has announced a brand new multiplayer video game which is heading to the Nintendo Switch 2 console. The developers have been working on The Duskbloods, which is a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive title, and is due 2026. It has been announced that price for games on the Nintendo Switch 2 will set players back up to $80 for digital and $90 for physical. At least in some cases.
The price increase also means that Nintendo Switch 2 games will cost 80 euros for a digital copy in Europe, while physical will be for 90 euros. The announcement of $80 digital video games for the Nintendo Switch 2 can be found on the official Nintendo website. It’s worth mentioning, however, that Donkey Kong Bananza is being priced at $70. That seems to suggest it will continue to be a game-by-game basis, though $80-$90 seems more welcomed by Nintendo.
Video game price increases have been a hotly talked about subject for a number of years and with the cost of game development increasing tenfold in the past 10 years, it’s a surprise that the increase didn’t come soon.
As for what this means for other publishers moving forward remains to be seen, but with Nintendo now setting the precedent, it wouldn’t be surprising $80-$90 becomes the new norm.
