Summary
- Nintendo Switch 2 is set to be announced on Thursday, January 16, 2025.
- The original Nintendo Switch was also revealed on a Thursday in 2016.
Nintendo is poised to unveil the highly anticipated Nintendo Switch 2 on January 16, 2025, according to a reliable leaker. This early announcement suggests a potential release in the first half of 2025. The existence of the Switch 2 has been an open secret within the gaming community, with mass production reportedly starting between late September and early October 2024. Numerous hardware leaks have circulated online, supporting these claims. Nintendo has promised to reveal its next console by March 31, 2025, marking the end of its current fiscal year.
The reveal is expected to occur on January 16, as stated by NateTheHate on his podcast on January 13, 2025. He cited unnamed sources for this information. Thursdays have historically been favored by Nintendo for major announcements, a trend exemplified by the original Switch teaser on October 20, 2016. Following NateTheHate's podcast, The Verge's Tom Warren confirmed hearing similar news about the Switch 2 reveal being scheduled for the same week.
Nintendo Switch 2 Has Already Leaked on All Fronts
It's uncertain whether Nintendo will follow its past strategy of releasing a teaser on social media before the full reveal event, as it did with the 2017 Switch. A teaser could provide a sneak peek of the console and confirm the reveal date, likely a day in advance. However, given the extensive leaks over recent months, the reveal might not surprise dedicated fans. Nintendo has even acknowledged a Switch 2 replica in response to the leaks.
The Switch 2 is rumored to be slightly larger than the Switch OLED Model, with dimensions of 270 x 116 x 14mm and an 8-inch LCD screen. Its Joy-Cons are expected to attach magnetically, with the right controller featuring an additional "C" button below the home key. The function of this button remains unclear, but it might be related to a rumored mouse-like pointer mode for one of the Joy-Cons.
Nintendo Switch 2 Launch Game Lineup Is Still a Mystery
While the hardware details of the Switch 2 have been widely speculated upon, the launch game lineup remains largely unknown. RPGs like My Time at Evershine and Bestiario have been confirmed for the console, but they are not expected to be available at launch if the Switch 2 hits the market in early 2025. Nintendo is likely to bolster the console's launch with at least one or two major first-party titles to drive early sales.
Source: Nintendo of America