• Today, 41 minutes ago
• Emma Roth
• Nintendo is pushing back preorders for the Switch 2 due to concerns about Donald Trump’s newly announced tariffs. According to a statement sent to The Verge by Eddie Garcia on behalf of Nintendo, it says preorders will no longer begin on April 9th:
• Pre-orders for Nintendo Switch 2 in the U.S. will not start April 9, 2025 in order to assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions. Nintendo will update timing at a later date. The launch date of June 5, 2025 is unchanged.
• There’s still no word on when preorders will begin, as Nintendo says it will “update timing at a later date.” Nintendo still plans to launch the Switch 2 on June 5th.
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• Just about everything with the Nintendo Switch 2 is more expensive than the original Switch.
• It’s perhaps not unexpected that the console itself costs more money than the first Switch. That device launched more than eight years ago, after all. But following yesterday’s big Switch 2 Direct, there has been a lot of sticker shock as people have seen just how much Nintendo is charging for the console and its games, including multiple titles with a price tag of just under $80. (And some of those games are just improved versions of years-old Switch titles.)
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• Nintendo’s Switch 2 tech specs yesterday vaguely said that the console is powered by a “custom processor made by Nvidia,” but in a new blog post, Nvidia has shared a little more detail about how it’s powering the device.
• Nvidia says that its chip enables DLSS support on the Nintendo Switch 2, allowing the console to upscale games and provide better performance, much like how DLSS powers Nvidia’s desktop and laptop GPUs. Nvidia doesn’t mention which version of DLSS will be supported on the Switch 2, nor whether there will be any frame generation capabilities.
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• One of the games I had on my personal Nintendo Switch 2 bingo card was a new 3D Mario. We didn’t get one at the Switch 2 hands-on, and at first, I thought it was odd that Nintendo would be launching its next big thing without a dedicated title for its number one guy. But after playing Donkey Kong Bananza, I realized that while we’re due for a new Mario game, Bananza is perfectly positioned to fill the plumber-shaped platforming hole.
• Donkey Kong Bananza is my personal game of the show. In Bananza, the Kong Kingdom has been hit by a gold rush. Everyone is obsessed with digging in the ground to unearth precious metals and gems, including diamonds suspiciously shaped like bananas. They function like the power moons of Super Mario Odyssey, where Donkey Kong travels the world digging them up out of the ground or fighting monsters who’ve stolen them.
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• Want to see some Switch 2 gameplay?
• Nintendo is holding a Treehouse event at 10AM ET, where it will show off gameplay of Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza, and more. You can also check out our hands-on experience with the chaotic new racing game.
• Everyone, everywhere, all the time.
• With the reveal of the Switch 2, Nintendo’s going all in on the console’s new and improved social features. During the Switch 2 direct presentation, the company showed off the how new “C” button will be used to connect with your friends with voice and video chat. While we didn’t get to test out those features in our hands-on coverage, Nintendo did release a new video that goes into detail on what to expect.
• I just got done demoing the Switch 2 and boy are my arms tired.
• The Nintendo kicked off its new console generation with a very flashy bang. The Verge had the opportunity to go hands-on with the console, testing out a bunch of games and features revealed during yesterday’s direct presentation. I got to play Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, Mario Kart World, a little bit of Breath of the Wild, Donkey Kong Bananza and so much more. Here’s our thoughts.
• Perhaps the most noticeable difference between the original Nintendo Switch and the Switch 2 — besides the more expensive price — is the new Joy-Con controller and its come-out-of-nowhere mouse functionality. I got the chance to demo them at a hands-on event, and damn are my shoulders and wrists sore.
• There were several games at the event that showed off the new mouse functionality, and I tried a couple of them, specifically Drag x Drive (pronounced drag and drive) and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. Let’s start with Drag x Drive, the 3v3 wheelchair basketball game that essentially exists to show off the new Joy-Con mouse features.
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• One of the most exciting parts of Nintendo’s new console is, well, an old console. GameCube games are coming to the Switch 2 for Nintendo Online subscribers, and it’s starting off with a pretty killer trio of releases: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (which somehow was never ported to the Switch), Soulcalibur II (with the all-important inclusion of Link as a playable character), and F-Zero GX (a series in desperate need of a new entry). And after having a few minutes to play F-Zero, I was reminded of just how excellent Nintendo’s little cube used to be.
• For the uninitiated, F-Zero is a futuristic racing series that’s only had a handful of entries and is sort of like Wipeout but with Nintendo flavor. That means blazingly fast races and spaceship-like vehicles piloted by a large lineup of memorable characters. GX is the last proper console release since 2003 (there have been some portable entries and spinoffs like F-Zero 99). Because of this, it’s become something of a cult classic, particularly as fans await a new entry.
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• A new Mario Kart is usually built around some kind of notable feature. Double Dash added co-op play, while the DS iteration let you play other people online. With Mario Kart 8, it was gravity-defying tracks and, later, the idea of expanding the game through DLC courses. With Mario Kart World, perhaps the biggest launch title for the Nintendo Switch 2, there isn’t one single innovation that sets it apart. Instead, it’s the overwhelming chaos created by all the new features — and it’s a blast.
• You can tell World is different right when you start a new race. Instead of beginning from a stopped position, your kart is already in motion before the race begins. That’s a small detail, though. What struck me when I played the game is just how much is going on. The tracks are larger, with wider roads and more alternate paths, and there are lots of moving pieces. Here’s a small sampling of the obstacles I faced during a few races: a road with towering giraffes and speeding ostriches getting mixed up with traffic; goombas that not only walked around but charged as soon as they saw me; koopa troopas that tossed things to knock me off course; and thwomps that would block the road but also fall over to create a temporary ramp.
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• The value proposition of the Nintendo Switch 2 may seem pretty clear, but it’s much more obvious when you use one. Nintendo’s new console is the Switch but slightly bigger and slightly better, and that has been apparent since the device was first revealed in January in a mostly detail-free presentation. Now, we finally have some of those details — like the specs, price, and release date — and I’ve spent some time with the device, playing snippets of games like Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza and messing around with features like the mouse-style functionality of the redesigned Joy-Con controllers. It turns out that slightly bigger and slightly better makes a notable difference for an eight-year-old console, and Nintendo’s early lineup of games shows that off very well.
• The most obvious difference with the Switch 2 is its size. The new device has a 7.9-inch LCD display, compared to 6.2 inches for the original Switch and seven for the OLED iteration. It still has the same 13.99mm thickness as the original. In your hands, the Switch 2 is noticeably larger, but it’s not uncomfortable. I played through a number of rounds of Mario Kart World in handheld mode, and the size didn’t bother me, though maybe it’ll be more of an issue after prolonged play. It also felt sturdier than the original Switch, with no movement in the attached Joy-Con controllers as I held on tight during white knuckle races. The Switch 2 controllers use magnets to connect to the console, though I wasn’t able to play around with taking them on and off the device.
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• Nintendo revealed its Switch 2 in full yesterday, just hours before Trump took to the White House Rose Garden for his own launch: his latest, and largest, round of tariffs yet. Unfortunately for Nintendo, the tariffs hit the countries where it builds its consoles, with new rates of up to 49 percent that it may pass on to US buyers.
• The company is in this position in part because it had to adapt to Trump’s trade policy before. Its manufacturing was heavily based in China until Trump’s first term, when the combination of tariffs on China, the covid pandemic, and later, Russia’s attack on Ukraine, created supply chain upheaval. That prompted Nintendo to diversify, and according to the Financial Times, more than half of its US hardware is now manufactured in Vietnam and Cambodia.
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• Apr 3
• Sheena Vasani and Brandon Widder
• After years of rumors, Nintendo has finally announced a release date for the Switch 2. The long-awaited successor to the Switch will be available on June 5th for $449.99, bringing a handing of games and accessories along with it. It will be available for preorder in the US from select retailers starting on April 9th, as both a standalone console and as a limited-edition bundle with Mario Kart World for $499.99.
• As predicted, the Switch 2 features a larger 7.9-inch LCD display, with support for 1080p resolution and HDR, 256GB of built-in storage, and up to 6.5 hours of battery life. The Joy-Cons are bigger, too, and now magnetically attach to the console instead of relying on a pair of sliding rails to snap into place. They also offer mouse-like functionality with select games, and the right Joy-Con sports a “C” button, which can be used for in-game chat features, screensharing, and other actions.
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• Before this morning, I knew I was going to buy the Nintendo Switch 2 but I didn’t know when. After watching Nintendo’s Switch 2 Direct today, in which a purple block traced the GameCube’s stylized “G” logo, followed by high-res footage from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and F-Zero GX and an announcement that they’ll be playable at launch, I realized I’ll be doing my damndest to get it on day one. It was the cherry on top of a stellar presentation that made the console’s $449.99 price tag way easier to swallow.
• GameCube games are coming to the Nintendo Switch Online (NSO) subscription’s Classic Game Library feature, which the company is now shortening to “Nintendo Classics.” It lets you play games from the NES, SNES, and Sega Genesis. Like the Game Boy and Nintendo 64 game collections, you’ll need the NSO Expansion Pack for GameCube games. The existing catalog of playable Classic Game Library games is far from complete, but together (and combined with DLC for contemporary Switch games), they make the Expansion Pack well worth it.
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• The Switch 2 is here — well, almost. Nintendo took the wraps off its new console during its latest Direct event, providing us with a closer look at the $449.99 console ahead of its release on June 5th.
• In many ways, the sequel is a generational leap from the original console / handheld hybrid that rocked the gaming world over eight years ago. Nintendo is building upon the successful foundation it laid with the original Switch by offering a larger screen, more internal storage, and magnetic Joy-Con controllers that can operate like mice. It’s also introducing some new features, like GameChat, which lets players make voice calls, screen share, and video chat.
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• It’s perhaps no surprise that Nintendo opened its Switch 2 Direct with Mario Kart World, a Switch 2-exclusive launch title that’s a sequel to the original Switch’s most popular game. But it was more of a surprise that the Direct’s second segment, instead of focusing on the console’s specs, was all about Nintendo’s Discord-like GameChat system – a system that seems to show that Nintendo is finally catching up with its online services.
• For playing with your pals, GameChat looks like it could be a lot of fun. You can join a shared call with your buddies and play games together or hang out and share screens of the games you’re playing separately. The Switch 2’s onboard microphone picks up your voice for voice chat, and you can use the Switch 2 Camera accessory, which is designed to sit next to your TV while you play on the couch, to host video chats. Nintendo says other “compatible” USB-C cameras will work, too.
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• At least two of Nintendo’s Switch 2 games are going to be more expensive than most games on the first Switch. Many Switch games cost $59.99, but Nintendo revealed today the Switch 2’s Mario Kart World, a June 5th launch title, will cost $79.99, while Donkey Kong Bananza, releasing a little over a month later, will cost $69.99.
• These aren’t Nintendo’s first titles to exceed a $59.99 price. That honor goes to The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, which launched at $69.99. When that price was announced, Nintendo told Game Informer that “we determine the suggested retail price for any Nintendo product on a case-by-case basis.”
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• Nintendo has finally aired its big Switch 2 Direct, and now we know a whole lot about its next console. The Verge staff has a lot of feelings about the device, which will launch on June 5th, and we’ve collected our first impressions below.
• Look, I love black. My entire wardrobe is almost exclusively black. But the Switch 2’s mostly-black design looks off to me. The original Switch may have launched with a gray Joy-Con option, but the neon red and blue controllers that also launched on day one became iconic. Now, the Switch 2 has just splashes of colors, and they’re mostly hidden.
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• In its April 2nd Direct event, Nintendo revealed a lot of the Switch 2 details we’ve been waiting for, including the console’s price ($449.99 in the US), its June 5th release date, and a slew of new games coming to it, like Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza. The video and details the company published after the event also helped create a more complete picture of what we should expect from the second-generation Joy-Cons that come with the system.
• The new Joy-Cons look a lot like the old Joy-Cons but are about a half-inch longer and black, with color accents on the connection rails and under the analog sticks — blue on the left and a pinkish-red on the right. Nintendo says they’ll be more comfortable, too. They have the same general button layout as the originals, but with a new “C” button on the right Joy-Con that’s used for a Discord-like GameChat feature that lets you talk to friends using a microphone embedded in the top of the Switch 2 and that includes screen sharing functionality and the ability to start streaming with the Switch 2 camera accessory Nintendo is selling separately.
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• Apr 2
• Charles Pulliam-Moore
• Nintendo didn’t spend much time on the Switch 2’s UI during today’s big Direct presentation, but the company has just given us a pretty good look at the new console’s homescreen.
• At the bottom of Nintendo’s webpage detailing how certain games are getting updated Switch 2 Editions, there is a small image of the Switch 2’s homescreen highlighting where the eShop icon will be located. Aside from a few minute aesthetic changes, the homescreen looks more or less like the original Switch’s. Presumably, you’ll also be able to select a darker UI option the way you can on Nintendo’s last console. There’s no word on whether the Switch 2’s UI will gain customization features like what we’ve seen on the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X / Series S. But Nintendo went into great detail about the console’s specs, its new features, and how you will be able to preorder the system ahead of its June release.
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• During today’s big Nintendo Switch 2 Direct, Nintendo showed off a whole bunch of games coming to the system.
• Many will launch on June 5th alongside the Switch 2, including Mario Kart World, enhanced editions of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, and new chapters in Toby Fox’s Deltarune. I think it’s a solid lineup!
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• The Switch 2 could’ve been the Super Nintendo Switch.
• In an interview, Switch 2 producer Kouichi Kawamoto revealed why Nintendo stopped short of giving the console a name reminiscent of the Super NES:

Super NES, which came out after the NES, couldn’t play NES games. Since Switch 2 can play Switch games, it didn’t feel right to use the same naming convention as Super NES. Switch 2 is a new system with improved performance, but we’d like players who get their hands on it not to focus on the specs, but rather to think of it as the latest system developed by Nintendo.

• Nintendo describes Switch 2 “Game-Key Cards.”

Instead, the game-key card is your ‘key’ to downloading the full game to your system via the internet. After it’s downloaded, you can play the game by inserting the game-key card into your system and starting it up like a standard physical game card.

• It sounds like this system might replace the physical Switch games that come with a code inside instead of an actual cartridge.
• Apr 2
• Jay Peters and Emma Roth
• Nintendo is launching a special camera accessory for the Switch 2 that will let you host video chats with your Switch friends. Simply called the Nintendo Switch 2 Camera, it’s a camera on a stand designed to sit near you as you play. It will cost $49.99 when it launches on June 5th, the same day as the Switch 2.
• You can use the new camera with GameChat, Nintendo’s new in-game chat system that lets you connect with friends online by pressing the new “C” button. During the Switch 2 Direct, Nintendo showed off a couple of different ways to use the camera. Your face can appear as an overlay on top of the game you’re playing, or it can show a video feed only.
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