Nintendo Switch 2 Brings Bigger Screen, More Storage, and 4K/60p TV Gameplay
The Switch is undoubtedly one of the biggest successes in console history. Not only has it sold the most units in the last generation, it’s also the third biggest selling console of all time, trailing just a few million sales behind the Nintendo DS and the PS2. It’s so successful, in fact, it kickstarted an entire new category of gaming handhelds, which was downright unthinkable in a world where every person already had a smartphone that you can use to play games. As such, it’s not a surprise there’s a lot of excitement about the Nintendo Switch 2.
Months after the initial confirmation of a follow-up, Nintendo is finally releasing the details on its newest console. These include a bigger and better display, larger storage capacity, and more powerful hardware with enough muscle to play modern AAA titles such as Cyberpunk 2077, which is a big step up from the severely underpowered specs of the bestselling original.
The Nintendo Switch 2 comes with a 7.9-inch touchscreen, which is a substantial step up from the 7-inch display of the original handheld. Even better, the integrated screen now supports 1080p at up to 120Hz refresh rate, as well as HDR10, finally making it feel like a proper modern handheld. It has VRR support, as well, so it can optimize the output as needed by whatever game you’re playing. Powering the device is a custom processing chip made by Nvidia, which is supposedly beefy enough to let you play in 4K at 60 fps when the Switch 2 is placed in the companion dock.
Storage is much bigger, offering users 256GB compared to the 32GB from the original. While that’s a lot of storage capacity for your typical Nintendo games, we imagine the arrival of games like Cyberpunk will eat into that space pretty quickly. They do offer a way to expand it via a microSD Express card slot, which supports cards up to 2TB.
The Nintendo Switch 2 is overall bigger than its predecessor (which means you’re buying new Switch accessories), coming in at around 10.7 x 4.5 x 0.55 inches (width x height x thickness) with the Joy-Cons attached (which they now call Joy-Con 2). Naturally, the controllers are bigger, as well, with larger SL and SR buttons, bigger analog sticks, and an updated rumble function. Each Joy-Con 2 also comes with a C button that’s dedicated for voice chat and an optical sensor that lets you set down the controller on a desk for use as a mouse. Yep, you can get mouse-like aiming on your FPS games on a Switch now, with no need for third-party accessories. Take that, PS5 and Xbox. It retains all the other physical controls from the previous generation, as well as the accelerometer and gyroscope for motion controls.
Other features include two USB-C ports for plugging in accessories, built-in stereo speakers, built-in mic, a 3.5mm audio jack, Wi-Fi 6, and Bluetooth. It houses a 5220mAh battery that’s rated to last anywhere from two to 6.5 hours, depending on how resource-intensive your games are. The battery can be recharged fully in around three hours.
The Nintendo Switch 2 comes out in June 5th, priced at $449.99, with a Mario Kart bundle also available for $499.99.
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