Nintendo on Thursday dropped a first-look trailer that finally announced its much-anticipated hybrid handheld console Nintendo Switch 2. The new model is an update to the popular Nintendo Switch, which first came out in 2017.
The more than two-minute trailer reveals that the Switch 2 will be available this year, although it does not give an exact date or price. It also revealed a larger console with sleek “joy-con” (a hybrid of joystick and console) panels. In the new version, the console is entirely black with salmon pink and baby blue highlights. In the previous version, the joy-cons were entirely pink and blue.
More information about the new system will be provided at a Nintendo Direct event scheduled for Wednesday, April 2, the game manufacturer said in a press release.
After the April 2 event, the Switch 2 will go on tour to allow fans to experience the console in person. North American events will take place in New York, April 4-6; Los Angeles, April 11-13; and Dallas and Toronto, April 25-27. Similar events will be held in Europe with Paris happening April 4-6; London, April 11-13; Milan, April 25-27; Berlin, April 25-27; and Amsterdam and Madrid, May 9-11. Events also will be held in Melbourne, May 10-11; Tokyo, April 26-27; Seoul, May 31-June 1 and finally Hong Kong and Taipei, with dates to be announced. To participate in the events, would-be attendees need to have an account with Nintendo. Online registration for the events will be announced in the near future, Nintendo said.
The Switch 2 will play Switch 2 exclusive games as well as physical and digital Nintendo Switch games, Nintendo said. Some Switch games may not be supported or fully compatible with the Switch 2, but Nintendo did not indicate which games these were.
The trailer also seems to tease the long-awaited next iteration of popular car-racing game Mario Kart, with some footage included in the second half of the trailer.
READ MORE: Wired, Variety, CNET
