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This time next week, we’ll know a lot more about the Nintendo Switch 2. A new Nintendo Direct showcase dedicated to the top-secret handheld console will air on the morning of Wednesday, April 2. That presentation will offer a first look at new games, hardware details, and hopefully much more.
Ahead of the event, we have a long list of questions that Nintendo still needs to answer. Here are some of the biggest unknowns about Switch 2.
Some of the biggest questions we’re hoping will be addressed during the Nintendo Direct surround the new Joy-Con controllers. Will they have Hall effect joysticks, as previously reported? And does that mean stick drift is a thing of the past?
How will the rumored mouse control features of the Joy-Cons work? More crucially, do Joy-Cons actually feel good as mice? Are players going to need a dedicated mousing surface, or will a coffee tabletop or couch surface suffice?
Importantly, how do the new, larger Joy-Cons feel in the hand? Will those bigger shoulder buttons work as well as we’d hoped? And what does that new “C” button on the right Joy-Con do?
The Switch’s Joy-Cons were a pretty radical reinvention for game controllers, both revolutionary and quite flawed. That’s why the full reveal of the Joy-Con (2.0) controllers will be so fascinating to watch, to see how Nintendo moves its design forward and fixes the original version’s shortcomings.
Nintendo first-party games
Image: Nintendo
Officially, we only know of one Nintendo-developed game coming to Switch 2 at this point: a new Mario Kart game. But Nintendo has reportedly been building up a strong library of internally developed Switch 2 games, and while we have some ideas about which dev teams could be working on which franchises, Nintendo is excellent at keeping secrets and delivering surprises.
Are current-gen Switch games being developed with Switch 2 in mind, meaning will they support higher resolutions and improved frame rates? (Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition may have already answered this question.)
Frankly, I think we’re all wondering which Nintendo franchises will show up during the Switch 2’s first year. Will Nintendo have a new 2D or 3D Mario ready for launch?
Beyond franchises, perhaps the most exciting thing yet to be revealed is the Switch 2’s equivalent of Wii Sports, Nintendo Land, and 1-2-Switch — a game or games that will show what the new system is capable of and what differentiates it from the original Switch.
Third-party and indie games
Which third parties will show up for Switch 2? And how strongly? Both Microsoft and Ubisoft seem ready to step in and support Switch 2 with a long line of AAA games that couldn’t fit on a Switch, but seem like a perfect fit for Switch 2.
Microsoft has publicly voiced interest in Switch 2, meaning franchises like Halo, Call of Duty, Forza, and Fallout could make a strong showing on Nintendo’s new console. If Microsoft does fully embrace Switch 2, it could be a windfall not just for the Xbox maker, but for Nintendo fans, who will have a big, broad range of very good franchises to play on their new systems.
Image: 343 Industries/Xbox Game Studios
Ubisoft is a longtime supporter of Nintendo consoles out of the gate, and it has a back catalog of Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Tom Clancy games from the past decade it could repackage for the new and more powerful Nintendo handheld. Other publishers like Sega, Capcom, and Electronic Arts could follow with remasters and rereleases. Suffice it to say, AAA game makers have a potentially big new revenue stream with Switch 2, and I expect owners of the new system to be flush with choice.
That smorgasbord also includes indie games. Nintendo has shown strong support for independent game developers during the Switch era, with dedicated Indie World showcases, which I expect will continue on Switch 2. Are Switch indie devs like Team Cherry and Supergiant Games ready to drop their long-awaited sequels on Switch 2?
A late spring/early summer release for Switch 2 is looking more and more likely, based on the timing of Nintendo’s hands-on events for the console and Polygon’s own sources. We’ve heard that an early June launch is planned.
If that’s the case, a firm date should be announced at April’s Nintendo Direct. June is just two months away; retailers will need time to get up to speed and customers will need to get pre-orders in for Switch 2’s launch.
A bigger unknown, and one that feels a little fluid at this point, is price. While $399 seems like the sweet spot for Switch 2, a weak yen, fluctuating component costs, and price uncertainty related to tariffs threatened by the Trump administration could have an impact on Nintendo’s pricing decisions. Some analysts are predicting a potentially higher price — upward of $499 — and if that’s the case, there will be one more question that’s yet to be answered: Will Switch 1 owners pay that much?
