SAME SOUL, NEW POWER

With a sharper screen, faster performance, and a new wave of games, the Switch 2 is ready to change the game, again

- Sahil Mohan Gupta

THE global gaming community is buzzing! Nintendo yesterday confirmed years of speculation, officially revealing its next-generation console: the Nintendo Switch 2. Announced during a dedicated Nintendo Direct broadcast, this successor to the phenomenally successful hybrid console is confirmed for launch on June 5, 2025. Gamers across India and the world should take note of the international pricing revealed: the console will debut at US$ 449.99 in the United States, £395.99 in the UK, and €469.99 in Germany. Based on current exchange rates, the US price is approximately 38,500 (official Indian pricing and availability are yet to be announced). Pre-orders commence on April 8 in Europe and April 9 in North America.

Following an eight-year reign, the original Switch set an incredibly high benchmark. According to official figures released by Nintendo in early 2025, the console family (including Switch, Switch Lite, and OLED models) had shipped a staggering 150.86 million units worldwide as of the end of December 2024, making it one of the best-selling games consoles in history. This hardware success was mirrored in software, with an astonishing 1.36 billion games shipped for the platform during the same period, led by titles like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe which sold over 67 million copies alone. Nintendo aims for the Switch 2 to build on this legacy, representing a significant evolution for portable and home console gaming.