All the Nintendo Switch 2 Rumors That Came True, Plus the Many That Didn’t

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We’ve been writing about Nintendo Switch 2 rumors for more than two years and—somehow—a fair chunk of them proved very accurate with Nintendo’s full handheld console reveal. It was smooth sailing until we hit the end of the road of Nintendo’s livestream. We had to wait until after the stream to learn you’ll need to pay $450 for Nintendo’s long-awaited sequel to its handheld console, $150 more than the original at launch.

Before the April 2 Direct, we had a rough idea of the console’s shape since before January, thanks to leaked dummy units. It’s bigger with a 7.9-inch screen, and—indeed—the JoyCons are now held on by magnets, rather than the older rail-based attachment points. The Mario Kart 8 sequel, now called Mario Kart World, is a launch title for the Switch 2, and you can get it in a $500 bundle with the handheld at launch June 5.

The most disappointingly rumor we have to discard was the price. Some analysts suggested a $500 price point, while others claimed it would be $400. Nintendo is also forcing players to spend money if they want to try a demo game called Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour. It will supposedly include minigames and other tech demos, but imagine if Sony forced customers to pay for Astro’s Playroom when they already spent $500 on the PlayStation 5?

Explore the new system through tech demos, minigames, and quizzes with Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, a paid downloadable launch title for #NintendoSwitch2. #NintendoDirect pic.twitter.com/doZVYS0wjV

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) April 2, 2025

Below I’ve broken it down into the rumors that came true, those that didn’t, and the stuff that surprised us all.

TRUE: Redesigned JoyCons and Mouse-like Controls for Both Controllers

All us folks who anticipated mouse-like controls on the Switch 2 can wave their hats in celebration. Not only does the right-hand, red-colored JoyCon operate like a mouse when on a flat surface, but the left-side controller works as well. Nintendo showed how this can combine together in a game like Drag X Drive, which uses the mouse functions to push around a wheelchair and motion controls to throw your basketball into a basket.

This could be handy in games like Civilization VII and CD Projekt Red has already confirmed the Cyberpunk 2077 Switch 2 port will take advantage of both gyroscopic aiming, touch screen, and the mouse function too. It basically confirms some of those original Switch functions are returning with the new console. I guess we could put a Cyberpunk port in the “unexpected” category, but it also proves something about the console’s expected processing power and support for higher resolutions.

We’ve also long known about the magnetically-attached JoyCons thanks to leaked Switch 2 dummy units, but it was a little cathartic to hear Nintendo confirm the attachment mechanism in its Wednesday livestream.

TRUE: GameCube Games for Nintendo Online Subscribers

Multiple rumormongers were very keen on the idea Nintendo was planning to add GameCube games to its online subscription service. On Wednesday, the company fully revealed how we could access a select few titles, including The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, exclusively on Switch 2. There will only be three titles to start, but you can expect more games arriving to the service later this year. GameCube games on the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack should launch the same day the Switch 2 ships, June 5.

TRUE: 1080p Handheld and 4K, 120 Hz When Docked Thanks to Upscaling

Nintendo has confirmed what previous patents suggested, that the Switch 2 is doing 4K–just a little different than most of us expected. There seems to be a little reliance on upscaling tech (many newer TVs will automatically upscale content to 4K) but there’s also some reliance on good old fashion thermal management. The dock now has a fan it to keep things less toasty. That additional cooling means the processor on the console should handle bigger workloads when docked. When hooked up to a TV, Nintendo says some games will support 4K resolutions and 120 Hz, meaning you should be able to hit 120 FPS in some games when you put the console in the dock.

We’ll be excited to see which games make use of this higher resolution.

TRUE: Switch 2 Backwards Compatibility

Practically every single original Switch title is compatible with Switch 2. On a detailed info site, Nintendo describes how the vast majority of games should work fine, and the only fully-incompatible products are the Labo kits. There are also some games with issues at startup, including titles like Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus. Ultra-popular Fortnite also has issues on Switch 2 hardware, but it’s getting its own Switch 2 version.

FALSE: That $400 MSRP for Switch 2

The pricing rumors pre-announcement were very conflicting. Some suggested it could have a $400 MSRP and some claimed a $500 asking price. This is a FALSE because Nintendo split the cost down the middle and offered the console at $450. While a version with a $500 asking price exists it also includes Mario Kart World. You can expect to pay $90 for an additional pair of Switch 2 JoyCons, $80 for a Switch 2 Pro controller, or $110 for a new Switch 2 dock.

FALSE: Ability to Use Phone or Original Switch as Second Screen

Patents revealed in the weeks before the April 2 Nintendo Direct showed Nintendo had devised an accessory to prop up a phone or other screen to play your games, Nintendo DS style. Nothing in Nintendo’s announcement video suggested this feature was available to Switch 2 buyers. Sure, that accessory may come in the future, but for now players have the choice of sticking with the handheld or TV options.

FALSE: Xbox Games on Switch

The leaders of Microsoft’s gaming division have made it clear they would love to stick Game Pass on both Sony and Nintendo’s mainline consoles. However, Nintendo isn’t giving anybody a hint whether that will ever come to pass. Normally-reliable leakers proposed the system would receive games like Halo: The Master Chief Collection and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 on Switch 2. Instead, we saw hints of upcoming full-scale ports of games like Final Fantasy VII Remake, which will arrive on launch day June 5 and still isn’t available on Xbox.

NEW: Needing to Pay for ‘Upgrade Packs’

Some games are getting “upgrade packs” that will let you get more from the games you own. Nintendo states on its site that if you own either Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom and you pay for Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack, you can get the upgrades for free. Otherwise, you’ll need to pay more for both.

This shouldn’t come as a big surprise. Sony made users pay for upgrades to games like The Last of Us Part II if they wanted improved graphical fidelity moving from PS4 to PS5, but PlayStation 5 Pro owners got all the “Enhanced” editions of regular PS5 games for free if they already owned them on the original console.

Nintendo has plenty of precedent for making players pay more to play upgraded games on Switch 2, but that doesn’t help those who paid full price for Super Mario Party Jamboree at the tail end of 2024 and will have to pay more to access all the touted features, like mouse-exclusive minigames, on Switch 2.

NEW: A Full Voice Chat System and the Ability to Play Multiplayer with Only One Copy of a Game

Rumor-hungry Switch aficionados speculated what the “C” button on the right-side JoyCon would do, but it turns out it’s all specific for enabling GameChat, whether the console is docked or in handheld mode. It also has a built-in mic and this combo facilitates GameChat, Nintendo’s new way of allowing players to throw insults at each other and even watch each others’ gameplay footage no matter what game they’re currently running. Nintendo promised you should still be able to talk with friends from across the room if your console is docked, but we would need to test it to find out its true capabilities.

The best feature to come from this new system is GameShare. Only one player needs to own a compatible game, but then everybody in the room can play local multiplayer with that main system. It’s akin to wireless multiplayer from back on the Nintendo DS. But it’s even better this time around, since if it will also support the original Switch and Switch Lite.

NEW: An Official Webcam for Switch

While there were plenty of pre-release accessories promised for the Switch 2, few expected Nintendo to create its own webcam. The $50 Nintendo Switch 2 Camera connects to your Switch 2 with a press of the “C” button. The camera also includes a privacy shutter.

Nintendo mentioned that a “compatible USB-C camera” should also work with Switch 2, but we would need to test our own webcams to see if some of our favorites are compatible. The Switch 2 stream didn’t offer a good idea about the camera’s visual quality, but we would hope the official camera won’t offer too pixelated a view of your mug.

NEW: A Price Increase for Games

We still don’t know the MSRP for all the upcoming Switch 2 launch titles, but what we do know makes us worried about the cost of future titles. Mario Kart World will cost $80 in the U.S. at launch June 5. Donkey Kong Bonanza, which is set to release July 17, will cost $70. That was the same price as Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom at launch back in 2023.

Mario Kart could hold the higher price to incentivize customers to buy the console bundle, but its a sure sign that companies are planning to raise game prices. Some publishers may be waiting to see if Grand Theft Auto 6 can sell for closer to $100 before they try to do the same with their own games.

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