Known unknowns All the things Nintendo didnt tell us about the Switch 2 Some informed speculation on everything from price to battery life. Kyle Orland Jan 22, 2025 7:00 am | 0 How many gold coins need to be in that question block to pay for a Switch 2? Credit: Aurich Lawson | Nintendo How many gold coins need to be in that question block to pay for a Switch 2? Credit: Aurich Lawson | Nintendo Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreAfter literal years of speculation and leaks, it was nice to get an actual glimpse of the Switch 2 hardware (and its increased size) last week. But even with the console officially "revealed," there's still a wide range of important unknown Switch 2 details that Nintendo has yet to address.As we wait for the company to dribble out additional information in the coming weeks and months, we thought we'd take a quick look at the biggest outstanding questions and concerns we still have about Nintendo's next gaming platform, along with some analysis of what we know, what we can guess, and what we expect on each score.Launch date?The teaser trailer's promise of a "2025" Switch 2 release technically covers any launch date between "tomorrow" and December 31. But we can probably narrow that window down a bit.For one, Nintendo promised "a closer look at Switch 2" in a Direct video presentation scheduled for April 2. It would be a little weird for that "closer look" to come after the console itself was launched, so a launch before April seems out of the question. Is a holiday launch in store for the Switch 2? Credit: Aurich Lawson Is a holiday launch in store for the Switch 2? Credit: Aurich Lawson Nintendo is also planning a series of worldwide "Nintendo Switch 2" hands-on experiences through which consumers will be able to try the console for themselves. Again, it would be odd to run an exclusive, ticket-limited hands-on experience if the console was already available in stores. The latest Switch Experience event is currently scheduled for May 31 through June 1 in Seoul, South Korea, making a Switch 2 release before June seem unlikely (though a staggered regional rollout could change this calculus).Before the Switch launched in March of 2017, Nintendo's previous three home consoles all launched in November, dating back to the GameCube in 2001. Don't be shocked if Nintendo reverts to form and waits until the high-impact holiday sales windows near the end of the 2025 for the Switch 2's release.Price?When the Switch launched in 2017, its $300 price point was actually a little higher than the contemporary prices for the aging PS4 and Xbox One. And Nintendo has steadfastly managed to avoid offering a single price drop on the best-selling console since then (though inflation has lowered the value of that pricing a bit, and the Switch OLED came in at $350 in 2021). While the nominal price of the original Switch hasn't changed, inflation has eaten into its "real" price a bit. Credit: Kyle Orland / Ars Technica While the nominal price of the original Switch hasn't changed, inflation has eaten into its "real" price a bit. Credit: Kyle Orland / Ars Technica In the meantime, Sony has actually raised the PS5's (already significant) launch price in many regionsand has seen strong initial sales for the $700 PS5 Pro. On the other side, Microsoft's $300 Xbox Series S seems to be vastly outselling the $500 Series X, showing there is still quite a bit of sensitivity to console pricing in the market.Taking all that into account, a $350 to $400 asking price for the Switch 2 doesn't seem out of the question. But Nintendo has surprised us with both lower than expected and higher than expected hardware launch pricing in the past, so we wouldn't bet the farm on where this one ends up.Games?While it was neat to see a few brief seconds of what we assume is Mario Kart 9 in the Switch 2 teaser trailer, it would be nice to hear more about what first-party games Nintendo has planned for that all-important launch window. *Mario Kart 64 voice* Welcome to Mario Kart! Credit: Nintendo *Mario Kart 64 voice* Welcome to Mario Kart! Credit: Nintendo Nintendo could follow the example of the original Switch and launch with a new Zelda title again, but this seems a bit unlikely since we're still less than two years out from Tears of the Kingdom. A new full-fledged 3D Mario adventureperhaps expanding on some of the open-world ideas from Bowser's Furyseems like a better bet this time around, given how long it has been since 2017's best-selling Super Mario Odyssey (which continued Nintendo's long tradition of launching a Mario game in a new console's first year).And let's not forget about Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, which Nintendo officially teased last summer, long after its original 2017 announcement. The planned 2025 release seems perfectly aligned to be a big launch title for Nintendo's new system.Battery life?The additional size of the Switch 2 tablet could offer a bit more space to squeeze in some bulky rechargeable batteries. But those batteries will be powering a much larger display this time around, as well as some more powerful internal hardware.We'd expect this trade to roughly come out as a wash and for the Switch 2 to match the 4.5 to 9 hours of battery life that Nintendo quotes for modern Switch consoles, depending on the game being played.Weight?At less than a pound, the Switch has always been less heavy to hold for extended periods than modern portable gaming PCs like the Steam Deck (1.4 lbs) or the Lenovo Legion Go (1.88 lbs). The upsized Switch 2 will likely add a little bit of weight over its predecessor, but we'd be surprised if it ends up significantly heavier on a relative basis. Big boys like the Lenovo Legion Go help you appreciate just how small the Switch is. Credit: Lenovo Big boys like the Lenovo Legion Go help you appreciate just how small the Switch is. Credit: Lenovo Nintendo's long history of handheld consoles has always prioritized designs that are comfortable for the smaller hands and arms of younger players. We don't expect that to change significantly for the Switch 2.Hardware power?Back in 2023, leaks suggested that the Switch 2 would be powered by an Nvidia T239-based chip. That mobile-focused chip would be a significant step up from the Tegra X1 in the original Switchwhich was considered slightly underpowered even when it launched in 2017but still only roughly equivalent to a 2021-era RTX 2050 Mobile chipsetas far as graphical performance is concerned. Still, that would be enough for some fancy graphical features like hardware-accelerated ray-tracing and DLSS upscaling on at least some games.In a speculative piece based on those leaks, Digital Foundry said this kind of chipset could likely manage a "far from pristine" but "decent [upscaled] image on a 4K living room TV." That seems like a reasonable guess, and it could be a good excuse for publishers to re-release new versions of some late PS4/early PS5-era hits for Nintendo's next portable.Screen resolution/quality?The 720p screen on the original Switch was a revelation after decades of Nintendo handhelds with notably low-resolution screens. Since the launch of the 800p Steam Deck in 2022, though, most portable PC makers have opted for a full 1080p display or higher for their handheld offerings.Increased resolution could be even more important on the Switch 2 if Nintendo wants to maintain a decent pixels-per-inch ratio on the new console's expanded screen size. Previous Nintendo consoles like the Switch OLED and 3DS XL show what happens when you expand the screen real estate but not the pixel resolution of an existing platform. The larger 3DS XL didn't improve the screen resolution, leading to some chunkier-than-normal pixels. Credit: Kyle Orland The larger 3DS XL didn't improve the screen resolution, leading to some chunkier-than-normal pixels. Credit: Kyle Orland While a full 1080p screen would likely increase the Switch 2's materials cost a bit, it's a price Nintendo is likely ready to pay to show off the power of the Switch 2 in portable mode. Don't expect a pricey OLED screen at launch, thoughif the Switch is any indication, Nintendo will save that for a mid-generation upgrade in a few years.Compatibility with old hardware?While Nintendo has stressed that your old Switch software will still work on the Switch 2, it has so far been less clear on whether all your old Switch controllers and accessories will be compatible with the new console.First- and third-party Switch controllers simply use the Bluetooth standard, which Nintendo seems overwhelmingly likely to keep using for the Switch 2. Given that, there's little reason that wireless Switch controllers shouldn't continue to work on the Switch 2. The same goes for wired USB controllers and wired accessories like the GameCube controller adapter. So what's up with that new dock? Credit: Nintendo So what's up with that new dock? Credit: Nintendo Using your old Switch Joy-Cons in portable mode is a different matter, as the Switch 2 seems to lack the physical plastic "rail" needed to slide those controllers into place. But since the Switch 2 comes packaged with new, larger Joy-Cons, there aren't many situations where you would need to physically connect your old controllers anyway.The Switch 2 teaser trailer briefly showed a more rounded Switch 2 dock, suggesting that the new console might not be able to connect via docks designed for the original console. What's currently unclear is whether that dock upgrade is primarily cosmetic or houses some new internal circuitry necessary for upscaling Switch 2 games on the big screen.Improved performance for old games?If you own a Switch, you're probably used to stuttering frame rates and other performance issues on the system's more taxing 3D titles. The additional hardware power of the Switch 2 could theoretically help these legacy games run more smoothly, much as it does for backward-compatible software on recent Sony and Microsoft systems.Nintendo will likely follow its competitors' lead in this regard to some extent. The biggest question is how much work developers will need to put in to unlock the best performance for original Switch games on the Switch 2.Doom on Nintendo Switch runs well below 1080p resolution, but it's still suitably creepy. Credit: Nintendo / Bethesda Doom on Nintendo Switch runs well below 1080p resolution, but it's still suitably creepy. Credit: Nintendo / Bethesda On the PlayStation 5 Pro, for instance, developers have needed to patch in "Enhanced" versions to take full advantage of the console's power. Titles without those specially designed patches simply get a less optimized "PS5 Pro Game Boost," which can still offer some significant improvements.Switch Online?Nintendo has confirmed your current Switch Online account will still work with the Switch 2. But the company hasn't confirmed which perks from that subscription will carry over to the new system. What good is the Switch 2 if it doesn't play Super Mario Bros. 3? What good is the Switch 2 if it doesn't play Super Mario Bros. 3? The expansive Switch Online classic game library is the biggest perk in question here. Since the Switch 2 is backward-compatible with old Switch software, it would be a bit odd to suddenly cut off the emulated game library that is a core of the Switch Online experience. But Nintendo has shut down access to officially emulated games in the past, so it's not out of the question.It's also worth remembering that Switch Online subscriptions haven't increased in price since they started in late 2018, despite years of higher-than-normal inflation. The launch of a new console could serve as a good excuse for Nintendo to foist a price increase onto consumers.Kyle OrlandSenior Gaming EditorKyle OrlandSenior Gaming Editor Kyle Orland has been the Senior Gaming Editor at Ars Technica since 2012, writing primarily about the business, tech, and culture behind video games. He has journalism and computer science degrees from University of Maryland. He once wrote a whole book about Minesweeper. 0 Comments