The June launch for the Nintendo Switch 2 that was rumored has been confirmed by today’s Nintendo Switch 2 Direct along with a heap of games and accessories, and a $450 price tag alongside more expensive games.
Some standouts from the video for me were:
A new From Software game that had me thinking it was somehow within their Bloodborne Remastered universe, but no, it’s The Duskbloods which I’ve got to say is an odd naming choice and is also oddly a multiplayer-focused pve/pvp game. Due out 2026, with only Nintendo Switch 2 as the confirmed platform. The Duskbloods video trailer is over here and the trailer is sick as hell. From Software sure are into blood. Who knew?
The Switch 2’s mouse mode looks good, but the game they chose to show it off, Drag x Drive, looks like a demo though the wheelchair basketball representation is good. I look forward to hearing about vicious back-alley DxD battles. Still, there was no mousepad or other accessory to make it easier to use. You know there will be a ton of them designed for the couch by third-parties.
The in-game voice/video chat and screen sharing features of the Switch 2 look impressive, and the videos of these features looked like they included realisitic demonstrations (low framerates for the gameplay video) will Nintendo screw it somehow?
That nvidia is providing the system on a chip again is a little surprising given the incredible security foul-ups with the first hardware revision of the Nintendo Switch that allowed for the system to be jailbroken supposedly easily. Still, it got Nintendo higher framerates and more functionality in a low power environment. You’ve got to imagine Nintendo isn’t happy about the cooling system in the dock, but maybe they got a sweet deal on the silicon.
The lack of an OLED or Mini LED panel in the Switch 2 at this $450 price point is extremely disappointing from my perspective as a writer and video games enjoyer, but may make sense if Nintendo need to achieve a certain amount of volume on the production for the hardware before a revision where the fundamentals are cheaper and they have enough headroom to add a second variation with the upgraded display. Who knows.
Mario Kart World’s open-world gameplay looks like it could actually be a fun addition to Mario Kart, why not get a little Forza Horizon in your Mario Kart?
Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games and DLC upgrade packs look like a mediocre solution to the problem of charging for higher resolutions and frame-rates. All you get with Breath of the Wild besides those graphical upgrades is a journal app on your phone? I see now why Nintendo was doing whatever they could to shut down Switch emulation.
The Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour game looks like it should be free, like the delightful Astro’s Playroom is on the Playstation 5, but it’ll probably be under 10 bucks.
Nothing today gave me any more trust in Nintendo’s eShop for the Switch and I am very suspicious of the longevity of this service. Will it still be up in ten or twenty years? How much of the games are on the new red Nintendo Switch 2 cartridges?
Things are looking like they could get real bad for anyone who isn’t a billionaire and enjoys things like food and shelter. Who is feeling great about spending on a new console and games in this situation?
Pre-orders from some retailers are already live, hopefully Nintendo made enough that there won’t be any price-gouging.
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