Nintendo Reportedly Showed 'Switch 2' Demos To Developers At Gamescom

There's no way this will be announced in the September 14th Direct, because Nintendo is gonna want to maximize Switch's holiday sales.

But I would bet money on a February/March announcement, with a Summer 2024 release.

Surely a handheld device running graphics comparable to a PS5 is going to burn through a battery in 30 minutes? Given Nintendo’s decades-long commitment to consoles with low power draw this would seem like a total 180° turn in terms of design philosophy…

The more rumors we hear, the more I’m starting to believe they might actually unveil the console towards the end of the year.

This thing sounds like a real portable beast.

Teaming up with Nvidia might've been one of the best decisions Nintendo ever made, because partnership with them provides some of the most cutting edge graphical and performance tools in the business.

Sounds like a pretty gigantic upgrade if true. The technical limitations of the Switch are its one real problem area. I'd love to see it run demanding Switch games more effectively.

Hopefully battery life is at least comparable to the launch Switch model.

If all these rumours end up becoming true, then the Switch 2 is shaping up to be an amazing console, with the exception of the supposed lack of an OLED display, which after switching to Switch OLED I just personally couldn't go back to LCD, and I'd have to wait for a theoretical Switch 2 OLED.

@LadyCharlie That's what I'm thinking.

So they hit us with the evil Red plumber's Switch OLED. Then going to expect us to get a Switch 2, months later? HOW COULD I NOT? PLEASE TAKE MY MONEY

Switch 2, now with Basic Blue and Basic Grey themes.

I agree. The tech engineering of this would have to take into account power (in handheld mode). The battery life would be small. Also, how much would this cost? A handheld with comparable visuals to the PS5 and equivalent XBOX?

Sounds way too good to be true but who knows? Maybe Nintendo have something creative on mind?

I mean, that sounds sweeeet, buh.....

I'll believe some of the rumors when I see it.

As a side note, sounds like this will cost a pretty penny
@LEGEND_MARIOID ( i was typing this as your post came in)

I remember when the "NX" was rumored to be more powerful than the PS4. We'll see. Low power consoles have been mostly a winning recipe for Nintendo.

@RupeeClock sounds very like it doesn’t it. I would be happy with that. I’ve got quite a nice library of games now, but it would be lovely to keep them, and be able to add higher spec ones to the mix.

New hardware is definitely coming in late 2024 or early 2025. I'm willing to bet it'll get announced early next year before this fiscal year is up, with the new 3D Mario and Mario Kart probably dropping in the launch window as well. It's definitely been long enough and the timing is perfect. If all this is true, they'll be drowning in cash.

They'll keep denying it until after the holiday sales dry up, though. Come February and March, we'll get the blowout.

We'll see how it shakes out. I still have a ton in the pipeline for switch releases, so I'm not itching for a new system. There's at least 4 or 5 switch releases I'm buying over the 6 months. That'll hold me over til the next system announcement.

If they have showed BotW upgrade running on it, then backwards compatibility is basically confirmed!
Lets goooo!

Tbh can't really tell a difference between PS4 and PS5 games beside resolution and framerate so it's not unlikely that the Switch2 will get close to PS5 via DLSS, at least in the eyes of the average consumer

If they are just demoing it then I think we probably won't hear more about the console until mid to late next year. It seems Nintendo is trying to get developer's feedbacks on their new hardware before deciding if they should launch it which is a good thing as this was never tried with the Wii U which result in third party devs not knowing how to embrace that console.

From the rumours I've read, it's gonna be in Q1 2024. Just as powerful as the PS4 (like they said when the switch still was NX)

I really hope it isn't just a Switch with more under the hood. That seems so anti-Nintendo to me. I'll want it. Both the X and PS are so severely lacking in everything - that Nintendo will do it better - I just want something completely new.

Oh God here we go with the switch 2 nonsense again. Yes we know the switch is getting on in years. It's about to have kidney failure as we speak but for fugs sake it's successor is not gonna be announced until Nintendo is ready. Making daily articles about it isn't going to make it happen sooner.

I wouldn't expect anything until at least next spring at the earliest. I'm not looking forward to shelling out another 5 or 600 dollars on a new console with a small handfull of launch titles that will mostly be ports of stuff people already played on PS4. No way the next Nintendo machine will even come close to PS5 levels of power so it'll be fun hearing all the complaints that switch 2 or whatever is still too weak.

I can believe the statement about the visuals being "comparable" to current-gen PS5 and Xbox only if the internal resolution target is significantly lower, with upscaling doing the rest. Maybe the dock has some additional processing power this time.

Interesting though, that BOTW and not TOTK was used in the demo. I guess the fact that BOTW was a cross-platform title makes its codebase easier to port to new platforms.

I feel like a lot of people are overlooking the fact that DLSS can do a lot to make games look way better than they should. Like the console wouldn't need to be as powerful as the Serieses or PS5 if it was using DLSS, that would also improve battery life by requiring less demanding specs. It's kinda like magic science cheating, which is a great angle for Nintendo to use for more direct competition on the fidelity side of things.

@NorwegianMate If it could do ray tracing like what this article claim it could then that new so called "Switch 2" may be a slight bit more powerful than even a PS4 Pro (which can't do ray tracing). It may be close to the specs of the Steam Deck with probably 8gb of Ram memory instead of 16gb.

@vyseofhr it may run full throttle only in tv mode (maybe even helped by a extra processor in the dock?)
And with lower graphic settings in handheld mode…

I’m trying not to get hyped but i totally am

So much copium in the comments. XD

As for a possible Switch 2, it doesn't surprise me that it would use PS3/Xbox 1 specs. Nintendo always uses last gen hardware. This is because they know it works and keep it cheaper then it's competition. I don't think I've ever had a Nintendo console or handheld suffer the "red ring" of death before.

next year they'll be proud to announce the switch u

@Zequio My guess is as good as yours as well. Nintendo could still put the few upgraded specs on the handheld side so batteries don't drain as fast while all the 4K specs and performance upgrades on the dock side. I really hope Nintendo take this into consideration as it make sense; however, going this route may also force devs to make two versions of their one game, one for dock mode and one for handheld mode which makes development takes even longer.

As exciting as this may sound, this means we're going to put up with YouTubers doing speculative clickbait videos for the next 12 months... 😔

'Switch 2 Launch Line Up LEAKED???!!!'
'The Switch 2 MUST have these features'
'4Chan poster hints at FZERO on Switch2'
'The Switch 2 is Doomed from the Start!! (They didn't send me a free game 😡)'

Very interested to see what Switch 2 turns out to be. I've lost interest in PS5 and Xbox as potential purchases for the moment, so waiting to see. Hope it has an OLED option though and is backwards compatible as I've bought a lot of digital games on the Switch.

@Qwiff They were tinkering with the specs and DLLS for such a long time, perhaps TotK wasn't available to them when they started.

I'm very excited to see the reveal.

Although it is exciting that it may actually have a lot of power, part of me can't help but be a bit weary because one thing I have always loved about Nintendo, is that the games on its systems were always more creative in some way, whether it be game mechanics, art direction, and gameplay. The stunted power of its previous systems is a big reason for this. RESTRICTION BREEDS CREATIVITY. The one thing I can't stand about Triple A development is that many of the games are so bland and samey because the budgets for those games are incredibly huge that developers can't take risks with their projects.

If true then I guess we'll see this thing in the next Nintendo Direct, whenever that comes around. Looking forward to seeing what it will be like either way. I hope that it won't be a case where it will go one step forward on one thing and ten steps backwards on other things though.

NVIDIA is ahead of the times. Great partnership. Imagine the ability to replay many of your Switch library games in 4k, 60fps because of DLSS.

Only good thing about all of the Switch 2 rumours is that we’ve finally moved on from all of the Switch Pro rumours.😂

@vyseofhr Agreed. No way a hybrid console from Nintendo is on par with PS5. Advanced RT? Not going to happen and I don't really care.

That is insane to think about it running the UE5 MATRIX demo... Makes me think we might not get backwards compatibility on a lot of titles, but maybe some.

@Yosher
I would assume January. After the Holiday rush; especially if they are targeting a Summer 2024 launch.

I want to be optimistic, but a handheld console with PS5 / Xbox Series power? It's either not true, the battery lasts 1 hour max or Nintendo is going to force Playstation and Xbox go bankrupt.

Whatever the case, I hope it's called Super Nintendo Switch

@Serpenterror Yes, I agree

"Comparable to PS5/ Series X" FAKE. Every rumor on every PS/Xbox generation it always the new console will be equal to if not just a little less powerful than current PS/ Xbox. It was said Wii U (until the specs leaked) It was said on the Switch. I'm convinced that Nintendo doesn't prioritize power. At most it will probably be as powerful as the PS4/ Xbone

@boxyguy

The commercials for the Switch U will only show a new controller configuration, and everyone will assume it's an unnecessary add on to the Switch.

@RupeeClock Even a NDS-GBA situation would be great. Allow past generation games to work even if they only release new games for the new generation

@Olmectron that is what I want. A slot for old carts with a new giant slot for giant, new games.

Hopefully someone isn’t blowing smoke up our butts when it comes to the Switch 2. Would be sweet if we got that type of console.

For people doubting it. I am pretty sure docked mode is where you see higher spec improvements. Handheld mode will likely not look as good for obvious reasons. Also it probably only looks like that on the surface for the Ps5 looks but in reality it’s probably ps4 pro level or somewhere around the ball park which is what I am hearing which is still pretty good. Docked mode can have the capability to unlock more from a switch 2 if done right. It kind of already does in a switch 1 but it’s very limited of course.

My father's, brother's, nephew's, cousin's, former roommate (thank you SpaceBalls) confirmed this was true

I've been skeptical this whole time about getting a Switch successor anytime soon, but the evidence is becoming difficult to refute. I hope the launch year will have more than just the "triple-A" titles, as there's many niche franchises that still deserve to have a new entry. Wario Land, Kid Icarus, Rythm Heaven. and Mario Baseball are a few that come to mind. It would suck if the waiting period has to start all over again. I also hope the original Switch still manages to outsell the PS2. That's one of the biggest reasons I've wanted Nintendo to hold off on their next console; a bit petty and fanboyish of me, but it would make me extremely happy to see Nintendo back on top after the Wii U days when it was kind of embarrassing to be a Nintendo fan.

As for what I would want from the new system? The new console had BETTER. BE. BACKWARDS. COMPATIBLE. The Switch has the single greatest software library of any system I've ever played. I need all those games to be able to carry over. I don't know if it's possible, but an update that adds performance boosts and maybe even graphical enhancements for Switch games with significant issues would be awesome. Better online is another obvious addition that needs to be there. Also, GAMECUBE ADDED TO NSO!!! Another improvement needed is refined gyro aiming to make sure pointer controls don't drift for Wii ports.

For the launch title, I think we're gonna see a fully open-world, 3D sandbox Mario game. Maybe even with local and online co-op. A console this powerful should be able to support split-screen play, or you could connect wirelessly and play on both systems. It would make sense, considering the questionnaire that went out about an Odyssey sequel with co-op support. Although I would hope we are getting something entirely new and not a direct sequel to Odyssey.

I would also like to see an enhanced port of Smash Bros. Ultimate that just keeps expanding on what's already there with new characters like Crash Bandicoot and Rayman, the last handful of stages that weren't brought back from previous games, Smash Run, Trophies instead of Spirits, and a new campaign to replace World of Light. That'd be incredible. I also hope the next Mario Kart and Mario Party games just keep building off what's already there and give us even more classic tracks and boards.

I also want more GameCube remasters. Maybe the reason they're porting Dark Moon to Switch is to hold people over until the first Luigi's Mansion gets remade with these apparently PS5-level graphics. Would be quite the technological showcase. A remaster of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door or even an entirely new game that goes back to the classic formula would be amazing. The Switch never got an original Donkey Kong game, so I'd hope we wouldn't have to wait too long for that, either.

Lastly, I want to see Super Mario Maker 3(D), which would allow you to create sandbox levels in the style of Super Mario 64, Galaxy, 3D World, or Odyssey. That's just a few of my wishlist items for a hypothetical new system. In the meanwhile, I still hope Switch finally gets those Wind Waker / Twilight Princess HD ports.

Interesting. The key word here, relating to the Unreal Engine 5 demo is comparable. That word doesn't mean "exactly the same". I'm expecting that, when looking at the specs of the hypothetical new device against the PS5/XBSX, it's a decent match. The anonymous sources are not saying this is pixel perfect and resolution identical to any currently released console.

There'll be a bit of hyperbole and excitement, as is to be expected. My own thoughts are that it's reasonable to assume that the handheld version will output graphics to something similar to a PS4. Given the small screen estate compared to a regular home tv, it should generally look better than current Switch and ideally look better again on the tv. I like the idea of the dock having some extra hardware to give the tv-output some additional sheen and prettiness.

I'm not expecting a super powerhouse "beating PS5 4K+raytracing" machine. But a definite upgrade from the current Switch.

And backwards compatible with digital + physical purchases and NSO please!

So let's just say it's literally just a more powerful Switch. What would you want it to be called?

That would be crazy if true! because all I really want is just a more powerful switch! I am in no rush though.

@Gryffin Super Nintendo Switch! (Mentioned earlier in the comments as well). With or without a 2 at the end.

It's worked for Playstation, so why not here? Anything has got to be better than Wii U ...

I'd be totally fine if this new Switch was in the vein of the Gameboy Color or New 3DS, where it will enhance existing games and gradually transition over to exclusive games as time goes on.

@Not_Soos I can see a possibility of Nintendo rereleasing certain games again but spruced up, Breath of The Wild, Tears of The Kingdom, Mario Odyssey, as well as being backward compatible for switch games to run the same as they did on the Switch. But obviously if you want the better looking and faster running games, you’ll have to double dip. I can’t see Nintendo updating the games for free without making a few bucks for themselves

I’m with you on Wario Land, I really miss that series.
I think we will see Kid Icarus soon enough, I’m sure it’s being remastered

With all the advancements with Arm-based packages from various companies, I could see it charging past the PS4/Xbox One since most smartphones spank them. There's plenty of technologies available from both AMD and Nvidia to give the next Switch family of devices the ability to stay competitive. They won't be on the power sucking level of the PS5 and Xbox Series, that would need a massive battery (at the moment). The PC handhelds can run AAA games, but the battery takes a clobbering in response.

While I believe the visuals could look to be on par with the PS5 and Series S, but it isn't necessarily the hardware pushing it. DLSS and FSR can help push out better visuals on lower spec hardware.

@Tober Good point, that might be the more likely explanation.

@BiscuitCrumbsInMyBed I think Nintendo wants all Switch games to keep moving forward through device generations. They can clamp down on emulation, plus keep the consumers library to carry over for the future. A continual cycle of consumers upgrading Switch devices, plus offering new games and additional services.

@Not_Soos exactly. Nintendo has been commenting directly on backwards compatibility, especially Furukawa. He strongly suggested back in June the plan is keep Switch games running for the foreseeable future.

Gamecube/wii on the nso will be long awaited
But I also want to see ds and 3ds

Hopefully it will be announced in a December Direct…

@BiscuitCrumbsInMyBed Maybe they could do like on PlayStation and charge around 10 bucks per game to update it. I really don't want a lot of full-priced Switch ports; Smash Bros. and maybe Mario Kart and Mario Party Superstars are exceptions because I think there's still a lot of room for growth by adding even more characters and stages/tracks/boards. But for single-player games, I don't want to have to double-dip; I'd rather have new experiences if they aren't full remasters or, like I said, a cheap digital upgrade if you already own the Switch version.

so funny everyone saying fake, were you lot saying fake when the accurate Switch rumours/leaks were getting out there in 2016?

I just want a new Donkey Kong game, wherever it is

I hope it doesnt tank the battery. One of the reasons Im not interested in steam deck

i am hoping the switch 2 will come sooner maybe next spring rather then the fall..

Little skeptical of all these rumors from a machine that will suggest is a switch successor. Battery life and PS5 level performance just doesn't exist from current battery technology. Maybe Nintendo/ Nvidia has found something the rest of the world overlooked.

And lo, one dev from this limited audience behind close doors banked on the power of anonymity to birdflip the undoubtedly associated NDA and make this demonstration known. After all, what lengths will people not go to for a noble cause like putting bread on Eurogamer's table?🙃

We've heard and read this stuff as far back as 2018, of course it was bound to resurface as we're nearing the actually probable successor release estimates.

@antonio2244 your prayers have been heard! Android and iOS pre-registration for Donkey Kong: Jungle Jewels opens today.

@Justaguest Deck, much like Switch, depends on a game's appetites in this regard. I'm lucky to get 1.5-2 hours in something like Horizon or Xenoblade X myself whereas indies like Starbound or oldies like Morrowind can almost vie for an all-nighter.

The Steam Deck is PS4 level and its around £350ish. A PS5 level Switch 2 what would straight up need a SSD as well is going to be around £400-£500 at the very least. Sorry i don't buy it and would be a 180 that would kill the momentum the Switch built.

the report the graphics can be comparable to the ps5 was because someone claimed they saw final fantasy remake being played and looked like ps5 quality...even though final fantasy 7 remake was a ps4 game...

I'm calling a $400 price point right now.

Wake me up when Nintendo announces a Switch successor, preferably with Resident Evil Revelations 3 as a (timed probably - we shouldn't get too carried away!) exclusive and at the very least 60 fps upgrade paths for the RE5 and 6 remasters (as those have extra content - in 5 - and the option to turn off QTE's - very important in 6).

Until then I'll continue to read comic books (amazing how 10 -20 -30 years can make it worth reading the best of them again).

Backwards compatibility is a must, period. The carts are the size of a stamp, so it shouldn't be too difficult to work into the design...

Switch 2 won't be announced until after the holidays, otherwise Nintendo would be kneecapping themselves right before Switch's (probably) final major holiday push.

Can't wait for the eventual announcement. 🤤❤

@shgamer Personally, I'd prefer an option that removes Resident Evil 6 from existence. 😂

@EVIL-C Each to their own . But yeah good one, I admit .

Too many are so starved after a new Nintendo console that
so they believes in everything, no matter of how outlandish it's.

Sorry but this is pure BS and fantasy.
Many ignores that Steam Deck is at base PS4 level and costs so much more than
Switch, and still many believes in a Switch with Full-HD OLED,
PS5 level, and has every of those popular gaming buzzwords like DLSS/4K/ray-tracing,
and still is affordable...

There're some other gaming handheld out there on the market which are at PS4 Pro level,
and those costs around $1500 with abysmal battery-life and no OLED or 4K... Yet still people here wishes Switch 2 on PS5 level with OLED and 4K!

Well good luck everyone with the disappointment.
No way that Nintendo is releasing Switch 2 before Switch surpassing the sales of PS2.

Some here may be too young to remember the insane hyping up surrounding NX. A handheld with more power than PS4 in 2015-2016 were as ridiculous as "everyone" exceptions on Switch 2 in nowadays.

Just don't gets angry on everyone when the majority of the runors turns bogus ion the end.
Also don't forget that youtubers & gaming press are living on click baits which generates more views = more profit for them then.

@LadyCharlie let's bet: it'll be announced on October 2024, with a release on March 2025.

@Keman well said bro! These "reports" are so delusional, that people overhyped them, and then blame Nintendo when that's not what was going to happen hahahaha. I'll wait for an official announcement, whenever that comes, while I enjoy all the great games that are already on the Switch.

There wouldn’t be any need to re-release BotW on Switch 2 because all they’d need to do is up the resolution in the setting and turn on anti-aliasing. Maybe up the textures in settings too. We know it’s already possible thanks to CEMU. I’ve seen an entry level PC with RTX 3060ti run the game in 4K 60fps with much greater graphical clarity. Switch 2 is rumoured to be using an Ampere SoC (30 series) so that would match up.

@vyseofhr It will be comparable to a PS5 when docked, using DLSS to upscale from lower resolutions to 1440p or 4K. When in handheld mode it will be probably similar to Steam Deck power.

@Keman Sounds like you don't understand the buzzwords you're name-dropping. From Eurogamer: "Control possesses one of the most fully featured ray tracing implementations seen in any game and even on the lowest RTX preset, achieving consistent 1080p60 gaming with native resolution is impossible. It is no problem whatsoever for the game running upscaled from 540p via DLSS - and it looks pretty much the same in general play." Switch 2 is going to use similar technology to run games at low resolutions internally and DLSS will enable scaling to 4K or 1440p resolution where it will be almost indistinguishable from PS5 graphics, except for small artifacts that most players won't notice.

I call BS on this report and others previously done. Let's say that, indeed, Nintendo showcased their next console on Gamescom "behind closed doors". This would mean that all the previous "reports" were lies, and Nintendo is just starting to showcase the consoles to developers. Now, let's say that indeed, they're starting to showcase the consoles, which means that they have not give development kits to developers yet, and will start to do so in the short term future. That means that there are no games developed for that console yet, which makes the assumption that the console will release next year a total joke, since it at least takes 2 years to develop games for a console, and it can be longer, depending on the game. And the Switch is just selling too well now, specially on the software side. I'll just sit back, and laugh at the dumb expectations everyone on sites like these create for themselves.

As long as handheld mode isn’t screwed over and has like 20 min of battery life…

Whatever it is, I sure hope it can be used as a handheld!

Sounds like complete and utter rubbish to me.

Here we are once more, rumors about the next Switch console.
Can people not just wait till we get official news?

More power with better framerates, while having backwards compatibility, while maintaning strong battery life, will be a day one purchase for me.

All aboard the hype train, choo choo!

People REALLY need to get their expectations in check here. Nintendo is & always has been about battery power on their handhelds & while this is a hybrid they pretty much kept the same agenda on Switch. Tech demos rarely show what actual games will look like come launch day, console launches have proven that time after time, after time so not sure why people always seem to forget that.

@vyseofhr
Depends how they use the "upscaling"

Well, that certainly sounds like Wonder-tech (see what I did there!) Not surprised Sony are working on a Switch Pro. It sounds like the current gen is going to get found out sometime next year.

I fully expect a holiday 2024 release for the next Nintendo system.

i'm just hoping for backwards compat and a continuation of Switch line for now. We don't need to go from the wii to the wii u era all over again
Edit: I realize u was a continuation and was backwards compat so kind of an awkward example but the U was just a swing in the dark and totally missed the ball

i am leaning for the next switch to come out sooner spring to summer next year.

My only excitement for a switch 2 comes from the fact that it probably means a new 3D Mario and maybe some dormant series being revived as a launch title.. But my excitement is tempered by the fact that playing this new 3D Mario title will require me to buy a $400 console on top of the probably $70 for the game.

Would I prefer Nintendo would just make a new 3D Mario game within the limitations of the switch? Yes.

Will than happen? No.

I am very excited to be getting Super Mario Bros Wonder on Switch though!

@shgamer Now if Capcom wants to remake 6, I will be very intrigued. 😉

No they didn't, but you gotta get clicks somehow.

What do clicks do exactly? I assume most people have enough tech sensibility like me to never see an ad, so what do they get with bait fuel like this?

“ A further source for VGC claimed that Nintendo demoed Epic's The Matrix Awakens Unreal Engine 5 demo on the 'Switch 2' — the project formally used to showcase the power of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X back in 2021.”

Now that’s the part that nobody will believe 😂😂😂 Nintendo hasn’t made a power-parity console since the GC

@Brack Mid January announcement I think is likely. They won't want to announce it before Christmas. Nintendo loves to make money, I don't think they wish to hamper the holiday season with a reveal of the successor before it. They have inventory to clear 😅

@Croctopus
Except that Nintendo always brings hardware to show off to developers to all the game showcases.
It's easier than having them go to Nintendo HQ as everyone is already at the conference.

@BANJO
If, IF they announce it next year, it'll have to be in Late January.
That way they "run out the clock" for those that would return the system.
All the big box stores: Best Buy, Walmart, Target have a 14 day electronic return window. Some extend it a little bit because of christmas sales.

I am expecting Switch 2 to launch in Spring 2024 with a new 3D Mario game and an enhanced port of ToTK. That could be why they aren't doing DLC for ToTK, instead they will release a Switch 2 version that shows off some of the Switch 2's new capabilities like 60fps and 4K. Metroid Prime 4 will also be moved to Switch 2, that much is clear. January unveil is also pretty likely. However, it's worth noting that Sony announced the PS5 in April 2019 and Microsoft announced Xbox Series X/S in December 2019, before Christmas. The announcement doesn't seem to have affected PS4 sales at the time that much.

I still believe that the switch successor will NOT release until March 2025 at the earliest.
They won't kill sales of the Switch nor Super Mario Wonder so quickly.

Also, where they hack is Metroid Prime 4?

@Spider-Kev Nintendo releasing a new console will have no hinderance on Mario Wonder selling less than expected, most people have a switch now, the games sell themselves, not the system. A 2D Mario game being released on the latter end of a consoles life is actually pretty clever, it will have phenomenal sales

I have a strange feeling that a new Mario Party game will be a launch title for the next console if it comes out next year.

@Spider-Kev Very true, also it distances it a bit more from the Christmas purchase. I'm guessing then a late Jan announcement with a Sept/Oct 2024 release.. Switch although it's still doing well will have run it's course by then.

@BANJO Agreed.
Realistically, they’re gonna want to clear out inventory with bundles and such before announcing the switch successor.

Showing developers stuff now won't equate to those developers suddenly having decent games ready in less than a years time.

I still expect it to release around May 2025 and potentially have an announcement end of 2024/ full reveal Jan 2025.

They'll need enough stock and enough software support for the first year.

@Brack Exactly, they are a business at the end of the day. Also the Christmas line up is not too shabby either. Super Mario RPG Remake, Super Mario Wonder, Detective Pichachu Returns, Warioware Move It!.
They will want to sell as many systems and games as possible...
I could be wrong and they might announce it before Christmas if they are really confident, but I can't see it.

@EVIL-C This is definitely their last major holiday but exactly how many more sales can they actually get at this point?

Hardware sales (outside of the TOTK bump) have been in a steady decline. Its already at something like 16% decline this year. I think most people are more than ready for a New Switch at this point

If they release an HF (high frame rate) version of BOTW for their next console I'll be very pleased! Hopefully the same happens for TOTK!

It's going to have to happen if this family of Switch systems is going to make it to its ten year prediction. The original is not gonna clunk on for another four years "strong"... emphasis on strong. All signs point to a refresh/update/etc. whether it makes sense or not.

I wouldn't put it past Nintendo to show Devs how it will look to entice them into supporting the platform and up coming games to sell to the developers. That's why only Devs get to see since they will see final Switch 2 and what it looks to market it.

@vyseofhr not necessarily... phones can do ray tracing now and with the Nvidia upscaling it can just "appear" to look as good as current consoles... but with good ol optimization we can get the crummy 2-5 hours ..(more like 3 for botw) we got with the original switch model launch and it would be comparable

@nimnio
Yeah, "comparable" does not mean "equivalent" - the VGC article even mentions that with regards to that Matrix demo.

If this is true, then Nintendo has again a big winner.
With this they will blow the competition away. If i can play all my switch games with better performance.
Hel if they just update smash with better graphics and a new season pass together with the switch 2. Ding ding, knockout sales.

The improvements of using a (let's say) 2022 Nvidia chip instead of a 2015 one PLUS using techniques like DLSS is obviously a big jump in performance without compromising battery life. But I doubt any handheld device could ever do PS5-like graphics even with techniques like DLSS. It's probably not far, as always what makes a game look better past a certain point of performance are in the details, but definitely don't hope for a portable PS5 anytime soon. There's a reason Sony's PlayStation Portal is just a streaming device.
What excites me the most is the ability to finally get GC and Wii NSO with that much more power. And if the backward compatibility is present this is also huge since the system wouldn't even try to run these games, we could get like 10+ hours of battery life on Switch games, and hopefully 5+ on new games.

@MK73DS Can't the Switch already run GameCube and Wii games, like the Sunshine and Galaxy ports?

Some people still think no new Nintendo console is coming. It sounds like the DLSS will be very strong in the new system. Looking forward to it.

@vyseofhr Not really. Comparable doesn't mean a 1 to 1 match. It just means they hold up well in comparison. Given Nvidia hardware has far superior raytracing plus the bonus of the DLSS upscale that PS5/XSX don't have, that means comparably attractive visuals despite cutbacks are very achievable. In the same way an RTX 4080 GPU smokes current gen consoles, yet the same game running on said consoles contrasted against an RTX 4080 equipped PC can be said to have "comparable" visuals.

Also what you need to remember is the consoles, pcs and handheld pcs all use power hungry desktop oriented x86 architecture. The ARM architecture phones and Switch use is designed specifically for mobiles so it's substantially more efficient and can is more performant clock for clock. So an ARM architecture could achieve great visuals at a substantially lower clockspeed and power usage than a x86 equivalent

@IronMan30,

Just like with the original Switch, the console and it's power got leaked, but people still suggested it was going to be a beast performance wise.

Of course the next Switch will be far more powerful than the current one, it's been seven years, hardly the greatest revelation ever.

Will it have folders?

Conspiracy theory.

Sony fanboys and media have been 'leaking' Switch Pro, Switch successor, Switch 2 leaks this time of year for the last 4 years to try to slow down Switch sales lol.

If we assume that they are using something pretty close to Nvidia's off-the-shelf Tegra offerings with no major changes, the Tegra Orin seems the most likely candidate. Optimistically, they'd use the Orin NX 16GB variant, which has 8 ARM Cortex-A78AE cores at up to 2GHz, twice as fast as the A57 cores in the Switch's Tegra X1, without even accounting for architectural improvements and larger cache, and that will help a lot in games that aren't GPU-limited, including emulated ports from Gamecube, Wii/U, and other platforms. RAM is up to a maximum of 16GB LPDDR5 w/ 102.4GB/s bandwidth, 4x what the Switch has. The GPU on Orin NX 16GB has 1024 shaders up to 918MHz, 1.88 TFLOPS FP32, est. 2.9x as powerful as the Switch without accounting for DLSS. Only problem with that chip is that it maxes out at 25W, but that may be possible docked with slightly upgraded cooling.

Alternatively, they could use the Orin Nano 8GB, with only 6 cores at 1.5GHz (still a significant upgrade), same GPU at a lower clock speed (est. 2x Switch performance), up to 8GB LPDDR5 with 68GB/s bandwidth (~2.65x Switch), and only a 7-15W TDP. But there's no reason they couldn't use the Orin NX, slow it down to Orin Nano speeds when undocked, and then later release a Switch 2 Lite / Focus Lite based around the Nano. Nintendo would be very unlikely to use anything newer than Orin, as Nvidia Thor uses ARMv9.x that is not fully backwards compatible.

Yeah! Once I saw DLSS in action a few years ago I knew that was Nintendos ticket to great graphics for their next gen. Perfect sense.
This means 4K will be available.

The idea of DLSS making lower powered Nintendo portable hardware compete with the beefier systems is really exciting. I hope this is what we will get. What the others do just doesn’t appeal to me, so having something with comparable output running Nintendo games would be amazing.

@michaelf same! I'm hoping for the Nintendo Super Switch

Coming with DLSS/RT ability will not only help but dramatically improve game visual and gameplay to Switch levels unknown and not seen before on demanding game of old that taxed current Gens Switches.

Surprisingly no one is considering the controllers for the Switch successor. Will they simply evolve the joy con and solve the drift issue or will they introduce a completely new type of controller? Nintendo never focuses solely on power for their consoles, I’m not surprised if the controller(s) are the true next gen innovation of Switch 2

@Justaguest playing something like Jedi Survivor on my Steam Deck I can get about 2.5 hours of gameplay. Probably just a tad more if I tweak the settings so it’s not that bad really.

Everytime Nintendo are about to release a new console, everyone overshoots how powerful the machine will be.

At best Nintendo are gonna release 2022 graphics chips and hardware, but my expectation is that the new hardware Nintendo are working with is based on 2021 technology and when the hardware drops in 2024, it'll drop with a bunch of Nintendo games that had been in development for around 3 years by that point.

So the hardware specs we see in Nintendos next console will be 2021 specs. At best 2022 but i suspect 2021.

I refuse to believe the Switch 2 exists until Nintendo confirms it themselves

@mariomaster96 bingo. I watched one of my friends play PS5 call of duty, on a big screen 4K TV for like an hour or two and I was underwhelmed. It's like watching call of duty from 10 years ago with a new coat of paint.

Can't help but feel people are expecting too much and are going to be disappointed. Don't get me wrong, I am not completely discrediting the reports, but if you expect PS5 levels of power in a competitively priced portable system, you are out of your mind. The thing is, PS4 can still run most PS5 games just fine as long as they are built with scalability in mind. Switch 2 will have significantly more modern architecture than PS4 and potentially more modern than PS5 too, that by itself means that it might be able to pull off AAA visuals by dialing back some settings. But it obviously won't be reaching native quality levels of PS5, that is just impossible.

@ZimmerRemmiz I don't think most people understand the technology.

@vyseofhr Agreed. I find the current-gen graphic claims tough to believe.

I’m betting on the hybrid model performance of the current Switch (docked being more powerful) dialed-up to eleven.

What I imagine is the dock having extra hardware (like an eGPU) to enable better performance when on the tv but also streaming that performance throughout the local wifi network when you pick it up. When fully portable (outside the home), it’s limited to basic-level performance.

Oh, and I’ll double-down and bet it’ll be called the Super Nintendo Switch.

@Nathendo T239 the Switch 2's SOC uses A78C in a single 8 core cluster as well as 1536 CUDA cores for the GPU side of things.

This is coupled with 12 GB of system RAM.

I think this is the first time I have not been excited for a new Nintendo console. I love the switch so much and I’m not ready to say goodbye. Unless it’s backwards compatible !

@Sourcecode It relly depends on whom you ask about this issue. 2.5 hours isnt really enough for me

Let's hope this supports DLSS 2 or possibly DLSS 3 if NVIDIA is doing a new Tegra chip that is on parity with their current tech.

I don't care even a Switch 2 is slightly powerful than current Switch, I will buy it Day 1 because already waiting so long (saved $1,000 for this). Eurogamer & VGC are more reliable outlet than others, so this news are so sweet. Even it's slightly less powerful than Steam Deck at maybe 1.2TFLOPS, but it's heavy SOC customization with DLSS will double or triple that performance ❤🔥

More powerful Switch with battery life up to 4 hours is all Nintendo needs to do. It will be amazing playing FF remake or games like Elden Ring on the go on console. I don't like playing on handheld PC's im to lazy to tweak settings before i play.

@theberrage yup. I'm really exited for this Switch 2 compared to the previous consoles. CAN'T WAIT BRO 🤤

@Switch_Pro Who said it same level as PS5 ? It's will not, 15++ watt vs 150++ watt totally not the same. It's only comparable looking with the help of excellent DLSS technology.

After the WiiU, I just love how Nintendo was able to really squeeze everything out of the Switch and Tears of the Kingdom proved that there might really be no limits if your devs are just really into optimizing the hell out of their game.
I never bought a console with so much ROI in entertainment for me. I LOVED every year they sticked with it although people were claiming like 3 years ago that Nintendo would be doomed if they wouldn't immediately bring out a S2 or Spro as the Switch couldn't handle ANYTHING anymore. Ever since I completely ignored my PS4 to just play Switch 95% of the time.

STILL.
Even I have to say, I'm ready to move on. Then again, I remember how underwhelming the move from PS3 to PS4 was and ask myself how Mario Kart would be any better on a new Switch as they just did freaking everything already in MK8. But still, we had an amazing time and the worst thing Nintendo could do would be not making it backwards compatible.

PLUS:
Studios took a year or so to gain enough trust in Nintendo to really jump on the Switch train.
If Nintendo would now really create a straight successor to the already working Switch concept, imagine how developers would be on bord from day 1. This would really be freaking crazy. Very exiting times, once again. I thought about getting a PS5 one day, but I don't really think I'll ever see a reason to really do so and the S2 might really shape that fate.

@vyseofhr

I agree. Also Imagine the pricepoint. I mean... a hybrid console with specs that somewhat matches ps5 and Xbox Series X? Haha. Even the Asus rog ally is far from that power and that machine costs 3 times as much as the current switch. If Nintendos next console is a hybrid I really don't see these roumors happening. But hey! What do I know. 🤪🙈🤷

@vyseofhr Actually if a game is designed right it should be significantly more power efficient than the OG Switch. DLSS + 480p native rendering is way less of a power draw than rendering at native 720p in handheld mode.

Even docked mode shouldn't be significantly higher since it'll still be internally rendering at 1080p. And the chipset used uses a smaller transistor size, which also reduces power draw relative to performance.

@Schizor88 The specs don't match, the effective output comes close. DLSS is a modern upscaling technique using dedicated CPU cores that allows weaker computers to put out graphics that comes close to dedicated gaming computers. There's some loss of visual fidelity over a native image, but generally it's close enough you won't notice unless you take screenshots and compare.

Anyways, that's just the GPU. I still expect the CPU and RAM to both lag behind the XBSX/PS5, as well as loading / bus speeds. But it's probably enough to impress 98% of consumers which is all it needs to be.

@link3710 You have a point. I know what DLSS is sure. But still. It still need somewhat impressive hardware even with DLSS on right? I mean. A machine with power comparable with the steam deck , I guessing, cant meet ps5 Visuals even with DLSS? But hey! Idk. 🤷

Just hope it is backwards compatible with Switch carts. Otherwise it’s a waste on someone like me.

Backwards compatibility HAS to be a thing — and if we can get enhanced performance (load times, better frame rates) on existing games, that's a bonus — then that's a day-one purchase for me.

@Croctopus This is exactly the kind if thing that happen(ed) at E3.

I think Nintendo really hit the nail in the head with the Switch concept, so much so that i can definitely see them updating it every 5-7 years, ading their usual gimmick without loosing the switchable option. This is the one trend fron Apple that I wouldn't have problem for them to follow.

@EriXz absolutely this — i know they want to innovate, but I think the Switch form factor is the perfect design for a games console

The only improvement I care for is much better specs under the same form factor, more or less, because backwards compatibility is a must. I have physical games like the Switcher that I could barely finish because of how poor the game was running in the infamous city. I’d love to give it another go on a much more powerful OLED Switch — among other games. It’s reason I didn’t play on the Deck yet, despite the game being a couple of bucks on the sales regularly.

The normal Switch already runs TotK- a game with the most advanced physics engine in the market. I can only wonder what they can do with more powerful hardware.

As for the graphics... I guess we could get more games with photorealistic artstyle. Cartoony games reached the graphical peak already on the Wii U.

(That being said Alien Isolation for the Switch is already photorealistic, so...)

@Scoopz was that in another leak? I hadn't heard that, but T239 with 8 Cortex A78 and 1536 CUDA cores would be a pretty nice upgrade!

oh boy, DLSS and frame generator would be a huge help for the Nitnendo Switch. Still don't belive it can handle ray tracing though, unless Nvidia comes with beefed RT core count chip, or something else.

@Nathendo It was. Heres a great roundup of leaked Switch 2 info:

https://telegra.ph/Everything-about-the-ol-Switch-2-07-21

I remember hearing how Nintendo were going to up the power stakes after the GameCube (GameCube being far more powerful for games than the PS2). Then we got Wii. Amazing system and home to some of the greatest games ever but an absolute shadow of of what was possible back then.

If Nintendo actually try to pull a technically impressive piece of hardware out I'll be stunned.

@Schizor88 Based on the leak specs from NVidia's public API, the console will be about 10-20% more powerful than the Steam Deck. Which, yeah, would be strong enough to hit PS5 level graphics (approximately) with DLSS, assuming there're dedicated cores for lightning (also leaked), in addition to the cores for DLSS. Based on the stats, it's expected the effective graphics output would be definitely above the XBSS at least, which is no small feat.

The stars kind of lined up on this one in Nintendo's favor. Right around the time they likely started developing it, ray tracing had just finished the drop from non-real time to super high-end PC only to possible with dedicated cores at way lower power draw, DLSS hit the scene, on-board memory and RAM costs dropped drastically, ARM laptops + AI chips meant ARM had started rapidly catching up with X86-64, and they had both the sales numbers and a relationship with NVIDIA to design a chip to take advantage of these things for them instead of using off the shelf parts as they always had pre-switch. I think when we actually get our hands on it there'll be some notable flaws that hold it back from being mistaken for a PS5, but it'll still be an incredibly impressive piece of tech.

I have a funny feeling that what ever comes after the Switch won’t be another Switch. Nintendo hasn’t really said much and I think they will continue remain silent about it for quite awhile yet. Other than all the hype over the OLED I don’t see much more what they can do with it.

That Matrix stuff has this written all over it:
“ Several developers that have experienced 3DS in its current form have reported, off the record, that it has processing capabilities that far exceed the Nintendo Wii and bring the device with abilities that are close to HD consoles such as PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.”
The fans wanted to hear that so that’s exactly what the rumors were feeding them, this feels similar. That Matrix demo has been delisted for over a year now I don’t see why they’d still be using it

@Not_Soos Same. If it's not backward compatible, I won't rebuy any older game anymore if they relaunch. I am holding off on Pikmin 4 and Tears of the Kingdom for now until they launch the next machine as I don't want those games at 30 fps. Makes no sense in 2023 (even in 2018 it made no sense). I buy everything on my laptop (4080) and Xbox series X, which is a way better machine from hardware to software/UI.

Nintendo lost my sales many times in the past many years because of the weak machine, not that they care since many keep buying, unfortunately. Why play the same game found elsewhere at 30 fps and low res? I'm referring to non exclusives of course.
I only buy Nintendo only games on Switch. But, I stopped a few months ago to see if their new one will be backward compatible. Xbox and PlayStation have done so.

And their controllers aren't that great. The pro lacks triggers but it's not a bad controller and the Joy-Cons have bad connectivity and are totally uncomfortable. Xbox controllers are a bit loud but connect almost instantly with no issues and have triggers. PS4/5 controllers but with Xbox layout would be the best.