Nintendo Switch Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Image: Damien McFerran / Nintendo Life

On this day in 2017, Nintendo finally lifted the lid on a little console called the Nintendo Switch, revealing the hybrid's technical specs, price and all-important release date to the world. Eight years on, we're desperate to see 'Switch 2' get the same treatment.

To be clear, the 2017 presentation wasn't the first time we had laid eyes on the Switch — that came in the now-iconic rooftop-party trailer a few months earlier — but it was where all the information dropped. With a Treehouse steam arriving the next day and revealing the launch line-up, the console would land in stores a mere seven weeks later (which is wild, when you think about it), beginning the era of the Switch.

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That very same day, Nintendo hosted the console's UK premiere at the Hammersmith Apollo in London, which we were lucky enough to attend and go hands-on with our beloved hybrid for the very first time. It's strange looking back on our coverage of the event eight years on — remember when the very act of docking and undocking the Switch felt novel? — but gosh, what a trip down memory lane!

To get involved with the nostalgia, you can check out some photos of the UK event in the following gallery:

Much like last year, several familiar faces have taken to social media to share their memories of the Switch's 2017 showcase. Mr. Video Games himself, Geoff Keighley, shared some snaps of the event, which were reposed with a succinct Reggie Fils-Amié message, "Time flies!".

But, as one glance at the above thread confirms, all eyes (and we mean all eyes) are on Nintendo's next hardware presentation. We're talking, of course, about the 'Switch 2' and its impending reveal — which has never felt closer thanks to a week of rumours, leaks and replicas.

We know that a 'Switch 2' announcement is coming "this fiscal year". We know the console will be backwards compatible. But that's it. If the 2017 presentation was the hot spot for all Switch-related information, we'd wager that the Big N has something similar planned for its successor. After an inevitable slightly cringy reveal trailer gives us our first peek at it, that is.

Thinking back to the initial Switch showcase, we can only imagine that its sequel will be huge. Let's not forget that this was where we got our first in-depth look at Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, Splatoon 2, ARMS, 1-2-Switch and a bunch of other titles that would go on to arrive in the Switch's first year. Square Enix revealed its HD-2D visuals with the announcement of Octopath Traveler. Heck, ATLUS even gave us a look at Shin Megami Tensei V and we had to wait until 2021 for that one.

If 'Switch 2' is packing a launch line-up comparable to its predecessor (and we're predicting that it probably will), then the grand showcase could be one to remember.

Happy anniversary, Switch Presentation! Here's to the next one!

What are your fondest memories of the 2017 Switch showcase? Do you have any big hopes for the 'Switch 2' one? Let us know in the comments.