The Switch 2: Everything you need to know

The Switch 2 details were announced last week, and we are devoting most of this newsletter to the hardware, the games and the price. Also, tariffs 😥. Let’s go!

Switch 2: the hardware

There were many questions about the new hardware going into the Direct. Would it be able to run the latest games? What is the purpose of the new button shown on leaked images? Would it have a mouse? Nintendo answered all of these and more in their Direct. 

The Switch 2 is bigger than the Switch, sporting a 7.9-inch 1080p 120Hz LCD display, compared to a 6.2-inch on the original. The new Switch also has DLSS and real-time ray tracing for more cutting edge graphics. The bigger screen and added enhancements means battery life suffers, falling from a maximum of nine hours of projected life to 6.5. The newer model also offers 256GB of internal storage, up from 32GB. A new dock allows users to play games on their television at 4K resolution, hitting 60fps. The new dock also has a built-in fan to keep the system cool while playing. 

The new system has two USB-C ports. When docked, the top port can be used to connect a video camera: either a computer camera, a new Nintendo camera that is perched on a stick or one designed to look like a Piranha Plant. The camera is designed to work with Nintendo’s new Discord-like video chat feature called GameChat. GameChat can be activated with a new C button on the Joy-Con. 

Apart from the C button, the Switch 2 Joy-Con can function as a mouse. For those who are curious, yes it functions on a variety of surfaces including pants. Unlike the current Switch controllers which attach via a side-mounted rail, the Switch 2 Joy-Cons attach via magnets. A button on the console releases them. It is a design element engineers wanted to implement for a while.

Switch 2: the games

Nintendo spent a large portion of the event talking about games for the Switch 2. The show started off with Mario Kart World, a launch day exclusive for the system. The new game will be an open world version of the popular kart game, and allow up to 24 players to compete. 

Nintendo announced a number of Switch exclusives, including Donkey Kong Banaza, Kirby Air Riders and Drag x Drive, a wheelchair basketball game. You can see all the exclusives announced here. The highlight was The Duskbloods, a new game being developed by From Software, the studio behind Elden Ring.

Speaking of Elden Ring, it was one of many third-party games announced for the Switch 2. Others include Cyberpunk 2077, Hogwarts Legacy, EA sports games and Borderlands 4. See the full list here. Switch 2 will also offer backwards compatibility for almost all Switch games. 

Switch 2 cartridges will be similar to the original Switch, although some will be what Nintendo calls Game-Key Cards. These do not have the game on the physical card, instead requiring owners to download the files from the internet. Once downloaded and started for the first time, the internet connection will not be required to play the game. Nintendo also announced that many of their original Switch games can be upgraded with better graphics for the Switch 2. There is speculation that Switch 2 versions of some games will just be the Switch 1 cartridge with an upgrade code for the game in the case. 

Finally Nintendo announced that their online service will soon offer GameCube games, which will be exclusive to the Switch 2. There will also be a new version of the GameCube controller for the Switch 2 available at launch.

Switch 2: the prices

During their Nintendo Direct, there was no mention of the cost of the console or new games. However, shortly after the show, prices were made public. The Switch 2 base console costs $450, while a version with Mario Kart World runs $500. The Switch will launch June 5, and pre-orders were scheduled to start April 9. 

“Were scheduled” is the key phrase, as Nintendo delayed pre-orders in the United States after President Trump announced his tariff plan. In a statement, Nintendo says, “pre-orders for Nintendo Switch 2 in the U.S. will not start April 9, 2025 in order to assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions.” In short, because it costs more to get their products into the U.S., they might need to sell them for more than they planned. 

Many thought the price was high in anticipation of possible tariffs, as analysts figured the console would likely come in at around $400. Dr. Serkan Toto, CEO of Kantan Games had a different theory for the high prices, “Nintendo is charging this price because they feel they can and that people will pay.”

The hardware is not the only price increase. The cost for Mario Kart World when purchased separately is $80, while most new games from Nintendo will run between $70-80. That is more than any games cost now. Upgrades for current Switch games are expected to be between $10-20. 

People took to the internet to voice their displeasure at the high costs of games and the console. One Reddit user said “I shouldn’t as an average person be priced out of this, yet I probably will be.” A former Nintendo public relations manager called it “a true crisis moment for Nintendo.” Consumers are also outraged that an announced game called Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour - designed to show people how to use their new Switch 2 - would be a paid game instead of coming with the system. “This is a literal tech demo of your console, why would you make people pay for that?” asked one Redditor. 

This brings us to our first ever poll question: do you plan to buy a Switch 2? Let us know and we will post the results in an upcoming newsletter.

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Welcome to tariff hell

We have written previously about how tariffs could hurt gaming, but this week we learned just how devastating they would be.

As President Trump announced his plans, which experts say were “worse than the worst case scenario,” video and more so board game companies prepared for a new reality. Steve Jackson games posted on their website that the new tax was a “seismic shift” for the tabletop industry.

BoardGameWire investigates how the new tax will cost jobs in the retail sector and for manufacturers. Aftermath says the tariffs will “kill board gaming as we know it.” BoardGameGeek talked to game publishers in a series of articles about how the tariffs will affect them. In these interviews, designer Breeze Grigas said:

My game, A.E.G.I.S. Combining Robots, is literally in freight transit as of April 2nd, and it is now unclear what our tariff burden is going to be. It could be from less than $10,000 to more than $25,000 depending on the vibes of how Customs wants to implement this stuff...

It is proving to be very difficult to explain this to backers because there is no concrete information until I get a bill on the 19th when the boat reaches port.

Meanwhile, the Entertainment Software Association says the tariffs “have a real and detrimental impact on the video game industry,” while one industry analyst says “we are living in unhinged times.”

Side Quests (more stories worth reading)

🕴🏻 An interesting story about how the founder of Nightdrive Studio got the rights to remake the System Shock games from an insurance company that had no idea what to do with them.

📅 Hollow Knight: Silksong confirmed it is planning to release in 2025. 

🤖 Microsoft has launched a version of Quake 2 powered entirely by generative AI, and the reception has been not good, very bad. 

🍿 A Minecraft Movie beat expectations, bringing in $157 million in its opening weekend. That makes it the biggest domestic debut of the year and the best in history for a video game adaptation.

📺 Roblox players will soon be able to get “paid” to watch advertisements in the game. 

😕 BAFTA, the British Arts collective announced their list of the most influential video games of all time. Their top choice: Shenmue.

🚀 Split Fiction broke three world records: most played local co-op video game on Steam, most sold local co-op video game within 48 hours of release and most sold local co-op video game within one week of release.

✊🏽 ZeniMax’s union voted "overwhelmingly" to authorize a strike if Microsoft contract negotiations break down.

🏢 Eurogamer asks, have we already played the Severance video game?

🐉 Wizards of the Coast apologized for its DMCA takedown of a Baldur’s Gate 3 mod for Stardew Valley.

😥 Eidos-Montréal is laying off 75 staff members, saying it’s unable to move them to other projects.

👽 A number of Korean studios are trying to convince Blizzard to let them make a new StarCraft game.

💰 Billy 'The King of Kong' Mitchell won a $237,000 defamation lawsuit against YouTuber Karl Jobst.

📈 Round numbers: Inzoi sold 1 million copies its first week, Atomfall hit 1.5 million players and Death Stranding passed 20 million players.

New Releases this week:

Check out our article on 10 New Games to Play in April.

4/8: South of Midnight (Xbox and PC)
4/9: Commandos: Origins (PlayStation, Xbox and PC)
4/10: Blue Prince (PlayStation, Xbox and PC)
4/10: Monaco 2 (PlayStation, Xbox and PC)
4/10: Promise Mascot Agency (PlayStation, Xbox and PC)

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