Nintendo Switch 2 has been the subject of a lot of new leaks, so here are the five biggest new leaks, from display leaks to pricing all the way down to the release date.
Display OLD or LCD
So let’s start off with the display leaks. If you guys remember the original reports on the switch 2’s display from back in May 2023, which came from Bloomberg, Nintendo was supposed to use Sharp as their display partner for the switch 2, and those displays were supposed to be LCD panels.
However, many months later, in December 2023, reports were saying that Nintendo would be using OLED displays after all, which would be manufactured by Samsung. As you probably know, Samsung already manufactures the OLED panels inside the switch OLED, so it would make a lot of sense that Nintendo would continue that partnership, and these were some pretty encouraging news.
However, according to a new report by Oomia in January and published by Bloomberg, Nintendo would be using LCD panels after all, with Sharp being once again named as the supplier, which is definitely some disappointing news. If you’re coming from the original or the red box switch, you’ll be happy as Nintendo is set to be using a much larger 8-inch LCD display as opposed to the 6.2-inch on the regular switch.
However, if you have a Switch OLED, yes, you’re getting a bigger display in that case too, from 7-inch to 8-inch, but the downgrade in terms of black levels and vibrancy will be very evident.
The display upgrade that we got from the original switch to the OLED version was just night and day, and that wasn’t just because of the OLED versus LCD display technology but also because Nintendo was using an especially low-end panel on the original switch that had very washed-out colors, poor viewing angles, and a ton of reflectivity.
I don’t think this LCD display will be that bad, but it would still be a downgrade for switch OLED owners. Obviously, Nintendo is doing this in order to keep the price as low as possible, which does make sense as they want as many people to be able to afford the next switch.
Price Leaks
Switch 2 was reported to be around $400 by both leer Zeo speaks and Soldier Delta that I mentioned previously, and this does seem to be quite believable. The switch OLED retails for $350, so a $50 price increase for the switch 2 does seem quite likely, and not only that, but the fact that we are most likely getting an LCD display.
Now means that Nintendo can then release an OLED model further down the line and then price it even higher, or if the previous rumors of us getting two different models at launch are still true, one at $400, which would be the digital only version, and then the other at $450, which includes cartridge support, we may even see that higher-end model come with an OLED display, although this is looking more and more unlikely based on these recent leaks. My only concern with this $400 price is that for 450, you can get the new PS5 Slim, unless you really need a switch.
Games
You like playing Nintendo’s first-party titles. I can see a lot of people opting for a PS5 instead, which brings us to some fresh Nintendo gaming leaks. Although we have heard about the Switch 2 likely being backwards compatible with Switch One titles, this is looking more and more likely now as Portuguese Tech website Universa Nintendo, who previously correctly leaked Nintendo Directs ahead of their official announcements has now revealed some exclusive details about backwards compatibility on the Switch 2.
And not only are they reiterating backwards compatibility for the switch, but apparently this will be for both physical and digital games with no mention of this being differentiated between the two versions, which to me sounds like we would indeed only have one switch model at launch instead of two.
However, what does seem promising is that they also refer to developers having the option to enhance their Switch One Gams to take advantage of the extra processing power of the switch. In my previous post, I talked about how Nintendo had showcased the Switch 2 to some developers, showing off Zelda: Battle of the Wild running at a higher resolution and at a higher frame rate, so it’s pretty clear that Nintendo is indeed looking at not just allowing you to play your Switch 1 library of games on the Switch 2, but letting you do so with higher frame rates and resolutions.
Now, when it comes to the exclusive switch games I mentioned that Zipple speaks reported on the next 3 Mario being in the works, and now he reports that its development has been finalized over the 2023 holiday period, with a game apparently looking jaw-droppingly interesting enough. He does claim that Donkey Kong will appear in the game, which may mean that we could get a Mario versus Donkey Kong remake.
Now, the fact that the next 3D Mario game has already been finished doesn’t necessarily mean that we’ll get the switch sooner, as this is what Nintendo usually tends to do, for example Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was reportedly finished almost a year prior to its release as Nintendo wanted to spend more time polishing the game off, and this is likely what they’ll be doing with this next 3D Mario until they finally launch Switch 2.
And personally, I’m definitely looking forward to this game. I absolutely loved Super Mario Odyssey on the original switch; it was a lot of fun, and according to Zippo, this new 3D Mario would be four times larger than all of Odyssey’s environments combined, so this could be a truly massive game.
Joycons: Stick Drift
Before release date we have one more leaks for you, and that’s when it comes to the joycons. A new PC from September 2023, published by Nintendo, showcases Nintendo’s version of Hall Effect joysticks. Essentially, this new type of joystick uses magnets rather than potentiometers to detect movement, and hence these types are far more reliable if you’ve been unlucky enough to experience any stick drifts on any of your game controls before. That’s because most controllers use potentiometers, which, like I said, are not very reliable and do break over time.
Now there are some third-party controllers on the market that do use Holly effect sticks, which of course are much more durable, although all the major console manufacturers have decided to stick to the traditional potentiometer sticks, likely due to them being much cheaper for manufacturers, so I’m glad to see that Nintendo is at least looking into bringing Hall effect joysticks into their own products soon.
I cannot say for sure if this will be the case for the Switch 2 just yet, especially since they’ve only patented this a few months ago, but if we don’t get it on the Switch 2, we could potentially see it on the Switch 2 Pro Control or some iteration of Nintendo’s future joycons.
Release Date
And speaking of the future, the original leaked release date was in September of 2024. However, it seems like this may not be the case anymore as Bloomberg is now reporting that Nintendo has recently been telling their publishers that their next generation console has been delayed until early 2025, so it looks like the initial release date was indeed set for 2024, but it ended up being pushed, and if I could take a guess as to why that is, it’s probably got something to do with Nintendo’s mentality of delaying their products and to focus on polishing off the experience. Of course, games could also be the reason here.
According to Tokyo-based analyst Siron Toto, Nintendo is holding back its biggest releases for the next switch, so it could be that Nintendo is delaying the switch 2 by a couple of months in order for more of their main titles to be ready, and in the meantime, Zippo speaks reports that Nintendo will still be launching some new titles for the current switch, including Metroid Prime 4, two new Pokemon titles, some remasters, as well as an unannounced Mario game or games. Actually, when it comes to when the switch 2 will be officially revealed to the world, he is also saying that we’ll see some sort of reveal in March.
I would be quite surprised if we do see a tease a full year before the switch’s release. If anything, I’d expect maybe a tease 6 months before the release, but a full year seems just way too early. For example, if the tease for the original switch came out in October of 2016, would the switch then launch in March of 2017?
So 5 months later, but leaving all of this aside, one thing’s for sure: Nintendo will soon be launching the successor to the third-bestselling console in history, one that will come with significantly better performance, letting you play your favorite Switch titles at a higher quality and more than likely letting you finally play some AAA titles to something that I’ve touched upon in our previous video, but yeah, I would love to hear your thoughts on the Switch 2.
