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Nintendo Switch 2 finally announced for 2025 with physical and digital backwards compatibility

Here's what to know about the Switch 2 so far
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Nintendo Switch 2 finally announced for 2025 with physical and digital backwards compatibility
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The long-awaited successor the the Nintendo Switch has finally been announced. The original console launched way back in 2017 and has since gone on to be one of the best-selling game consoles in history. Coming off the disappointing Wii U sales, the Switch has no doubt helped Nintendo bounce back on the hardware front and the first-look trailer for the Switch 2 has created an immediate buzz online.

Now, we can start counting down the days until the Nintendo Switch 2 release date. There’s still a little bit of time to wait before we learn more about the console, but some key details have been announced such as backward compatibility.

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Nintendo Switch 2 will be released in 2025

Today (on January 16th), Nintendo put out a video giving everyone the first official look at the Switch 2 console. Based on what we can tell so far, the video seems to tease a larger screen and the same detachable joy-cons we’re used to (albeit with a muted black color scheme). On top of that, the teaser reveal tells us that the successor will be able to play Switch 2 exclusive games as well as Nintendo Switch games that were released for the original console. There is a small catch though, as “certain Nintendo Switch games may not be supported on or fully compatible with Nintendo Switch 2”.

At the moment, there is very little more to go off and these “certain” games are not detailed. The next date to look forward to is the next Nintendo Direct on April 2nd, 2025 – this will provide us with a closer look at the device. According to the announcement, it will be “releasing in 2025” but no specific date or release window has been disclosed just yet.

This official announcement arrives following many early specs leaks, such as the recent revelation that the Switch 2 will likely feature an Nvidia GPU with RTX 30 series architecture, unlocking the potential of DLSS and ray tracing.

Source: Nintendo

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At PC Guide, Jack is mostly responsible for reporting on hardware deals. He also specializes in monitors, TVs, and headsets and can be found putting his findings together in a review or best-of guide.