Nintendo placed on its cards on the table when it comes to its upcoming console, the Nintendo Switch 2. The company showed off new features that highlight more connectivity, higher computer horsepower and an army of games coming to a system that’s launching June 5, 2025.Here are the most important details from the presentation and five big takeaways from the Nintendo Direct.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrTVeYm4iIM1. The Nintendo Switch 2 will be priced at $449.99 and games can range from $69.99 to $79.99 — One of the big pieces of info left out of the presentation was the price. The system will leave a huge dent in gamers’ wallets. What’s mor,e the company said “Mario Kart World” will cost $79.99 while “Donkey Kong Bananza” will be $69.99. The price difference is notable, and it could be from the online connectivity for “World.” I’m assuming that “Bananza” will be a single-player experience with little need for an internet connection.
It’s a sign that Nintendo is sort of hopping on the industry bandwagon of pricing games higher. That began with this current generation, and it doesn’t appear as though that will stop. That will make players more value-conscious over what titles they buy at launch and what they wait on. With Nintendo titles usually having long tails, it will make Black Friday sales and Amazon Prime Day deals more of a bargain.
In addition, Nintendo Switch 2 upgrades will also cost more money. It will be notable to see how much they price them at. Some companies offer new generation upgrades for free, but Nintendo is taking a different tack. Even software such as the Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, which seems like the company’s answer to PlayStation’s AstroBot Playroom demo on the PS4, will cost a fee.
Meanwhile, the console itself pushes the envelope when it comes to pricing. When it launched in 2017, the Nintendo Switch cost $299. In 2025 dollars, that would be $392.88, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Switch 2 is $50 more expensive. Nintendo is also launching a second SKU that packages the Nintendo Switch 2 with Mario Kart World for $499, which sounds like the best deal.
2. Nintendo took some lessons from the pandemic — Nintendo revealed what the mysterious C button did, and it’s tied to a Gamechat service, which is available with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription. The company has always been behind when it comes to multiplayer experiences. They’ve come up with piecemeal efforts to allow players to chat online so that they can work together in games such as “Splatoon 3” but they never felt integrated.
The C button seems like an attempt to fix that and more. Now, games not only have voice chat, but the Switch 2 also supports USB-C cameras so that players can see each other while playing. The built-in software shows a friend’s gameplay video not exactly running at 60fps, but it looks serviceable. The camera and video seem to focus on reactions more.
It looks like an obvious lesson Nintendo learned during the pandemic. With people unable to see each other in person, video chats became more important. Nintendo saw the value of being able to feel like players are gathered together virtually at a time when it was dangerous to do it. It’s a sign that Nintendo is taking online multiplayer experiences more seriously this time around.
3. Revamped parental controls are here — With the introduction of Gamechat, Nintendo saw a need to add better controls for children. The Switch 2 will have an associated Nintendo Switch Parental Controls smartphone app that can be tied to the system. That’s where parents can grant permission for children to chat with friends they approve of. The app seems robust with the ability to describe friends so you know who they are and the power to grant access to video chat. It even has a chat history.
When it comes to screen time, parents also have a YouTube Kids-like timer that allows them to limit playtime. The app will also let parents monitor their kids’ game history and allowing them to know what games they’re playing and maybe spark a chat about it. Aside from the daily time limit, parents can also schedule how much play time is available and the ratings of games that children can play.
The Switch 2 will be my 2-year-old’s first gaming system when he gets old enough to understand what’s going on, and it’s good to know that there are several ways to guide his experience into the world of video games.
4. More powerful hardware will bring new life to older Switch games — Let’s face it. The Nintendo Switch was showing its age about three years ago. Developers were creating bigger and more beautiful games and the venerable system showed obvious signs that it struggled with them. Games such as “Pokemon Legends Arceus” and “Pokemon Scarlet” and “Pokemon Violet” chugged along despite these limits.
The Nintendo Switch 2 promises better performance with these games, and some titles are launching with editions dedicated to the console. The console’s power will allow games to be played at up to 120 frames per second, meaning the visuals will look smoother. It also supports HDR and 4K screens when docked. All this power means that the Switch 2 games won’t look so dated compared to its higher-end peers. As proof of this, the console will be getting renowned titles such as “Elden Ring” and “Hitman: World of Assassination.” These are titles that would likely have hard time if they were ported on the original Switch.
The more-powerful hardware also closes the gap between the Switch 2 and the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, but it likely won’t surpass them. That isn’t a big deal. Having a better chipset means that more upcoming titles will find a home on the console. “Borderlands 4” and “The Duskbloods” are coming to the system and let’s hope the Switch 2 will have no problem running them.
5. The Joy Con 2 and its new control scheme opens up more avenues for play — The mouse functionality of the Switch 2’s new controller was hinted at in patent leaks, and the Nintendo Direct revealed just how notable they are. It’s an entirely new way to play and it opens up the system to more types of games that were previously difficult to translate to console.
The most obvious ones are real-time strategy games and multiplayer online battle arenas aka MOBAs. The mouse mode may also have other benefits in other genres such as first-person shooters and strategy games with tons of UI options. Using the Joy-Con as a mouse naturally leads to faster reactions compared to an analog stick. It’s the reason why most e-sports players use mouse and keyboard. If the JoyCons can produce a similar feel with the same responsiveness, it could be a game-changer that could lure some PC gamers to the Switch.
At the very least, having a dual Mouse set up for the Switch 2 can offer some unique gameplay experience such “Drag x Drive,” a title about wheelchair basketball. All of this comes with a caveat though the Joy-Con 2 in mouse mode doesn’t look all that comfortable but perhaps there will be peripherals that mitigate that issue.