What will we see during Nintendo's Switch 2 presentation?

On April 2, as you are no doubt aware, it's time for Nintendo to finally (and fully) show off the successor to the Switch, a console that was launched back in 2017 and was then described as technically outdated - but which has not only survived, but rather thrived in the best way. Two clear examples of how incredibly well it has done are the fact that it has lived for over eight years before eventually being replaced in 2025 and that Switch 2 is so incredibly similar to its predecessor.

In many ways, this makes the Switch 2 quite unique, because since the era of the NES and the Gamecube, Nintendo has followed a regular pattern of significant upgrades. They've offered a brand new ground-breaking twist with each new piece of hardware, leaving the Game Boy behind in favour of the Nintendo DS, and then the Nintendo 3DS, and leaving the Gamecube behind in favour of the Wii, Wii U, and Switch. Another thing that makes the Switch 2 unique is how much we know about it even before it has been released.

For the past year or so, we've known that it has its own Joy-Cons that attach with magnets, that it's supposed to look like the Switch, and that its performance is compared to the PlayStation 4. All of this makes the upcoming announcement on April 2 in some ways feel like a bit of a stale story. Where for two decades we have become accustomed to Nintendo offering big surprises when they announce new hardware, there is a lot to suggest that there will be no surprises at all when it comes to hardware.

For my own part, this actually feels a bit sad. Even though the parallel has several flaws, it's like having the end of a film spoiled way in advance. On the other hand... had we known nothing and Nintendo unconditionally showed off Switch 2 on April 2, I think many fans would have been disappointed. By showing what the console looks like in advance, expectations will be at a good level and most of us are now probably most eager to see games, a price tag, and features, which is a pretty good position for Nintendo. Aside from the twist their hardware has had for the last two decades or so, they've actually had pretty unexciting hardware performance-wise, and there's certainly nothing wrong with the Switch design.

But do they have any hardware surprises left? As for the hardware itself, I'd say no, I don't think they have anything left like a super-stylus hidden in the chassis, an extremely powerful battery, a built-in projector, or anything like that. That would have simply leaked out already, just like everything else. But hardware when we're talking about video games usually also includes features, and here I think Nintendo can deliver.

We already know that the device will be backwards compatible, which will hopefully offer some fun features around automatic improvements around things like resolution and HDR. It's also conceivable that the online support - which is honestly quite neglected by Nintendo - will be refreshed properly, where it would be nice to see them offer something new. Previously there have been rumours about a slightly metaverse-like concept with groups where you can hang out with others and do things together. Often these kind of glorified gameplay menus are mostly slow and frustrating to use, but I would love to be proven wrong by Nintendo with a smooth way to find your friends, play together, share clips and photos, and more.

Another rumour that has been floating around is that Nintendo is preparing to add the Gamecube to its Switch Online subscription, which would definitely open up a lot of nice possibilities and probably means that we can also look forward to the Switch a year or so later, as it is very closely related hardware. It's conceivable that several Gamecube classics could be equipped with online support, not least F-Zero GX, Phantasy Star Online, Super Monkey Ball, and Wave Race: Blue Storm - and if there are automatic graphical enhancements of the kind I suggested above, that should include the Gamecube too.

In addition, I think the performance, which many have already dismissed as too poor, will surprise. Nintendo are masters at squeezing the most out of their hardware and their games already look good on Switch. They don't generally make photorealistic games and with the style they use, the graphics will go a long, long way. I'll readily admit that I wasn't super impressed with the ones we got to see from Mario Kart 9, but I'm guessing it'll deliver all the more when we can actually scrutinise it at home. I still consider the chances that we'll see a really good looking game, and a low-odds bet is that will be Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.

Then there's the chance that Nintendo has some new accessory on the way that shakes things up. Of course, I can't even guess what it is because it's kind of in the nature of things that surprising accessories actually surprise by not being easily predictable. However, I'm more cautious about this particular one as everything is leaking nowadays (including the new Gamecube controller that is behind the rumour of Gamecube games for Switch Online).

So, when will the console successor be released and what will it cost? I'm taking it for granted that Nintendo will announce the release date, and actually, I think it might be sooner than people expect. I'm putting my money on May or June. The price tag will be $399, which makes the device relatively cheap. That said, I'm not sure that price tags are something they will talk about during the event.

Then there are the games. The most likely expectation is that we will see a huge amount of great announcements, where Nintendo themselves have Mario Kart 9 and probably Metroid Prime 4: Beyond at the front and supported by a Switch 2 version of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and Pokémon Legends: Z-A. Plus, they'll have something else too, and I'm assuming a lot of third-parties will want in on the action with great games. That probably includes Microsoft, who could announce the remake of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and a whole battery of Xbox games. We can probably also assume that fairly recent titles such as Assassin's Creed Shadows, Monster Hunter: Wilds, Split Fiction, and Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will be announced for the format, plus possibly something from Sony as well, although that is more unlikely.

In short, I think we can look forward to a really promising event next week, although it will possibly feel a little safer and less surprising than we are used to from Nintendo in particular. Quality hardware with some unexpected news regarding features and release, and a lot of games, and that's hard to complain about. Stay tuned to hear about everything that happens.