The reveal of the Nintendo Switch 2 appears imminent. Nintendo has pledged to publicly showcase the Switch successor sometime before March 31, but a full reveal is expected well before that. And while numerous leaks paint an already clear picture of what the Switch 2 will be — a more powerful Switch with a few tweaks to Nintendo’s successful hardware format — there are still many unknowns.
Looking back at Nintendo’s 2016 reveal of the original Switch may offer some clues about what we’ll learn about Switch 2 in the coming weeks and months, and what Nintendo will keep secret until the last possible minute.
Nintendo first talked about the Switch in March 2015. That’s when then-Nintendo president Satoru Iwata announced a “new hardware system with a brand-new concept” under the codename NX. We wouldn’t learn the final name of the console until October 2016, when Nintendo first showed the Switch in a teaser video that demonstrated the system’s features.
That first public showing of the Nintendo Switch communicated a lot about the system itself: that it was a home console that doubled as a portable gaming machine; that it included detachable controllers called Joy-Cons; and that multiplayer was a big component of the device. Nintendo showed players competing and cooperating on a single Switch and across multiple connected systems. In terms of hardware, Nintendo also showed the Switch Pro Controller for the first time.
Nintendo also teased a handful of games during the Switch reveal, including the previously announced The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and new entries in the Super Mario, Mario Kart, and Splatoon franchises. The Switch’s first teaser video also communicated day-one third-party support, with gameplay from The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim and NBA 2K18.
There was also plenty that Nintendo didn’t announce in the Switch reveal trailer. The company did not discuss the system’s hardware specifications, nor did it announce a release date or price. (Nintendo had previously communicated that the Switch was coming in March 2017.) It wasn’t until months later that Nintendo announced a price and release date for the Switch. That happened during a January 2017 press briefing in Tokyo, where details like internal storage, ports, screen resolution, and other hardware specifications were announced.
Members of the media got their hands on the Nintendo Switch for the first time that week, when Nintendo showed off games like Arms, Snipperclips, and 1-2-Switch to highlight the uniqueness of the hardware.
The public got their hands on the Switch shortly after. Nintendo took its console on a roadshow, hitting six cities in North America and giving PAX South attendees a chance to play games like Breath of the Wild, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Splatoon 2, Super Bomberman R, and Ultra Street Fighter 2: The Final Challengers.
If Nintendo follows a similar playbook for the reveal of the Switch 2, we could be looking at a rollout of different pieces of information over the course of weeks and months. Nintendo’s initial reveal would likely confirm the final name of the system — reportedly the Nintendo Switch 2 — and show off what’s unique about the hardware. (We still don’t know for sure what the next-gen console’s mysterious new “C” button is going to be used for or if those rumors about mouse-pointer functionality are fact or fiction.)
There’s a good chance we’d see a game or two running on the console. But the original Switch reveal focused on known quantities, like previously announced games and new entries in established franchises. If Nintendo wanted to show off a game running on the Switch 2, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond would certainly be a good candidate. Nintendo would likely save a deep dive on Switch 2 software for a separate showcase.
Switch 2 has one big advantage over its predecessor: With more than 146 million Switch consoles sold so far, Nintendo doesn’t need to repeat the system’s primary selling point as a console-handheld hybrid. What Nintendo does have to do is convince Switch owners to upgrade to Switch 2, something the initial reveal could hint at, either in terms of new features or showing how effortless it will be to bring over the previous generation’s software.
After its initial reveal, we will probably have to wait for a hands-on event or a separate press briefing for Switch 2 launch details like release date, pricing, and hardware specs. So, just as they’ve been doing for the past year or more, Nintendo fans will have to continue to exercise patience as they watch the company move at its own pace.
