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It’s finally happening, folks: Nintendo’s officially revealed the Switch 2, and it absolutely is the grown-up version of the beloved handheld. More muted, a bigger screen, and substantially more modern hardware: everyone’s going to want the Switch 2, but how does it compare to the original Nintendo Switch?
Nintendo is yet to provide us with a full and comprehensive spec sheet for the Nintendo Switch 2. Without mucking about with potentially false and/or misleading leaks, all we’ve got to go on are the bits and bobs we see as part of the reveal trailer. The good news is that there’s a bunch we can learn from this admittedly short piece already. Do watch the featured video if you haven’t yet had the chance to see it, and then proceed down below for a comprehensive comparison of the Switch and the Switch 2!
Nintendo Switch vs Switch 2 comparison TL;DR
Here’s we already know about for sure about Nintendo Switch 2 versus the original Switch:
- Switch 2 has a substantially bigger screen than the Switch.
- Switch 2 is slimmer, with potentially more ergonomic Joy-Cons than the Switch.
- Switch 2 Joy-Cons are not compatible with old Switch Joy-Cons; they attach magnetically.
- Switch 2 has a redesigned docking station that won’t be compatible with the Switch, and vice versa.
- Switch 2 has a stronger and larger kick-stand attached than the Switch.
- Switch 2 has one extra USB-C port (one at the top, one at the bottom) alongside the classic 3.5mm audio output.
- Switch 2 has one extra button just under the ‘Home’ key. Function not yet identified.
Extrapolating further from the design that’s on show, the expectation is that we should be comparing the Nintendo Switch 2 to the original Switch, specifically, and leave the Switch OLED out of the equation for the time being. That’s because it seems like the Switch 2 won’t ship with an OLED display by default, with Nintendo possibly opting to release an upgraded Switch 2 OLED at a later date instead. This isn’t confirmed, mind, but it seems to be the way the winds are blowing from what we currently have to go on, based mostly on bezel sizes.
Switch 2 Joy-Cons compared to Switch Joy-Cons
Prone to stick drift and other breakages, the original Switch’s Joy-Cons were a huge pain to deal with, and weren’t particularly ergonomic to begin with, leading to many criticisms.
Nintendo has yet to detail any improvements that may or may not have been made to the new Switch 2 Joy-Con design, but they appear more robustly built, if nothing else. The reveal trailer also adds to the rumors that it may be possible to use Joy-Cons as mouse-like sliding controllers, but keep a pinch of salt at hand as far as that goes.
Is the Nintendo Switch 2 the upgrade we’ve been waiting for?
Even without concrete performance benchmarks, this is clearly going to be a substantially more powerful device than the original Switch. Rumor has it that we should expect a performance envelope roughly comparable to the RTX 3060 in a portable package, which would put it a tad above the Steam Deck. Stay tuned: we should know more by the time Nintendo’s Switch 2 Direct rolls around on April 2nd, 2025.
With that in mind, Nintendo Switch 2 seems like a more robust and comprehensive console than its predecessor. And I don’t think I need to go into much detail on just how performant this little machine has been over the years. So, exciting weeks and months ahead of us, no matter how you slice it!
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