Nintendo Switch 2: All The New Features & Tech That Make This Sequel Console Special

The Nintendo Switch 2 is almost here. In just a few months, you can get your hands on the sequel to the greatest home console since the PlayStation 2, at least according to sales figures. While some features and changes are a tad concerning -– almost nobody is looking forward to the increased game prices -– others are turning heads in a good way.

While Nintendo has teased several console changes and new features, the company kept the biggest Switch 2 additions under wraps until quite recently. On April 2, Nintendo held a Nintendo Direct livestream all about the Switch 2. The video announced quite a few upcoming games — including "The Duskbloods," a spiritual sequel to the highly acclaimed FromSoftware RPG "Bloodborne" — but the real meat of the event lay in the long-awaited Switch 2 feature and tech reveals. 

Granted, we have known about some of these features thanks to prior leaks, but due to the unreliable nature of leaks, we couldn't be sure of what was real and what was misdirection until Nintendo made an official announcement. Now that Nintendo has finally put its cards on the table, we finally know just what the Nintendo Switch 2 will be capable of. More importantly, we know what upcoming features and tech will set it apart from the original Nintendo Switch -– and possibly other consoles.

The Nintendo Switch might be portable, but its screen isn't anything to write home about. Even the Nintendo Switch OLED doesn't improve too much from the standard Switch screen. The Nintendo Switch 2 finally provides the upgrade fans have been waiting for.

At 7.9 inches, the Nintendo Switch 2's screen is a beefy upgrade over the original Switch's 6.2-inch display and the Switch OLED's 7-inch screen. Additionally, the upcoming console will deliver 1080p resolution –- the base pixel number of rival consoles and gaming PCs. However, that's just when you're using the Nintendo Switch 2 on the go — when docked, the console is planned to deliver up to 4K gaming, which is not only impressive but hints at further upgrades under the hood.

While we don't know the console's exact specs, we can easily infer that the Nintendo Switch 2 is going to be far more powerful than the Nintendo Switch thanks to the upcoming library. The Switch 2 will be powerful enough to support games like "Cyberpunk 2077" and "Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade," which implies the GPU will fall somewhere between the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 in terms of performance. 

To get the most out of these titles, Nintendo is implementing an additional fan into the Switch 2's dock. Players will have to choose between two playing modes — one that will render games at 4K resolution but cap the refresh rate at 60 fps, and another that will offer a 1080p resolution at 120 fps.

The Nintendo Switch 2's larger size isn't just for show. The upcoming console's upgraded dimensions also extend to the Joy-Con controllers and help fix some of the original Switch controller's biggest problems.

It's no secret that the Nintendo Switch's Joy-Cons are small. Their buttons are small and their thumbsticks are small. Thankfully, the Nintendo Switch 2's Joy-Cons are larger and more suited for most gamers' hands. Two of the main selling points are the larger thumbsticks and the wider shoulder buttons, which should be easier to use. Also, the shoulder buttons are made out of metal, which helps make the controller's magnetic connection to the Nintendo Switch 2 even stronger.

Nintendo's controller improvements don't just end with the second generation of Joy-Cons, as the new Pro Controller launching alongside the Switch 2 will also have some upgrades. For instance, this Pro Controller will include an audio jack –- a feature present in the controllers of rival consoles but missing from current Pro Controllers. The ability to plug in earbuds and headphones will come in handy with the Nintendo Switch 2's upcoming 3D audio system. 

However, the new Pro Controller's most important feature will be additional buttons on the grips. These add-ons are already standard in many third-party Switch controllers, but they're a first for official Nintendo hardware.

All console games are designed to be controlled with proprietary and third-party controllers, but you can connect a mouse and keyboard to all modern consoles, the Switch included. One of the Nintendo Switch 2's coolest features might preclude the need to do that.

During the recent Nintendo Direct, the company confirmed that the Switch 2's Joy-Cons can be used like normal controllers and motion-control peripherals, but they will also support a third scheme. By placing a Joy-Con on its side, gamers will be able to move it around like a computer mouse. This raises several questions, such as whether players will need a smooth, flat surface or if the function will work on jeans and couch cushions. Polygon's testing indicates that it might, but we could see third-party peripheral manufacturers start selling lines of Nintendo-branded mouse pads for the Switch 2's mouse controls.

It might sound odd that Nintendo is adding mouse-like control functionality to the Nintendo Switch 2, but most gamers prefer a mouse and keyboard over a controller when playing genres such as first- and third-person shooter titles. The most common argument is that mice provide more accuracy. While Nintendo gravitates towards family-friendly games, the Nintendo Switch 2 will have no shortage of shooter-style games. "Metroid Prime 4," "Borderlands 4," "Fortnite" and "Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion" will all benefit from mouse controls.

The Nintendo Switch 2 will have a ton of stellar games at launch, but to play them you will need to spend at least $450 for the Switch 2 -– a price that could increase with recently announced tariffs – $80 for a game, and sales tax on top of that. However, the Nintendo Switch is slightly lowering the barrier of entry with the next evolution in multiplayer gaming: GameShare. 

As its name suggests, Switch 2 owners will be able to share their games with other players locally, so everyone can use their own screen if there isn't enough room on the couch. If this sounds familiar, you probably played "It Takes Two" or "A Way Out," which let people play the game online for free so long as a friend owns a copy. However, GameShare is intended for a larger variety of Nintendo titles.

Unfortunately, details are scarce, so we don't know if the feature will stream the game onto other consoles or if users have to temporarily download the titles. However, Nintendo has revealed that the feature isn't limited to the Switch 2 — sort of. People can take advantage of GameShare using a Nintendo Switch, Switch OLED, or Switch Lite, just as long as the person doing the sharing owns a Switch 2. Online, however, GameShare will only support sharing titles if all participants own a Switch 2.

Communication is often the key to a fun time while playing multiplayer titles, especially if you're gaming cooperatively. Nintendo is diving headlong into this philosophy with the Nintendo Switch 2 and its mew proprietary communication software, GameChat.

This feature is built around a built-in microphone and a dedicated button –- the mysterious C-button that caught everyone's eye not too long ago. GameChat will allow people to both chat with allies and taunt their foes competitive matches. Admittedly, we have had concerns with microphones in other console controllers such as the PlayStation DualSense, but that was because the microphone messed with controller haptics. The Switch 2's microphone is located on the console itself, and the Switch 2 will ship with background noise filter functionality.

The Switch 2's GameChat will go further than rival chat functions and also include live streaming videos, albeit at significantly reduced framerates. Plus, friends can join a GameChat no matter what game they play. Additionally, anyone who purchases a Switch 2 can also use a Switch 2 camera –- sold separately –- to stream their face in GameChat and see their friends' reactions. Some games will even integrate GameChat and its camera into special minigames that let people play the game by moving their body — let's just hope it's more functional than the Microsoft Kinect. 

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, GameChat and the camera might lower the bar of entry and complexity for live streamers who want to play Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 games on Twitch and other platforms.

These days, fast hard drives and solid-state drives with plenty of storage are essential to gaming due to the ever-increasing file sizes of titles. While Nintendo has yet to channel the power of an SSD, it is at least making strides in the fight against game file bloat.

According to the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct, the Switch 2 will come with 256 GB of internal storage. On paper, that doesn't sound like a lot, mostly because it isn't when compared to rival gaming platforms. The Xbox Series X, for instance comes with a terabyte of storage –- minus 198 GB reserved for the OS, of course. However, the original Nintendo Switch has a paltry 32 GB, which isn't even enough to install "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Complete Edition." Even at 64 GB, the Nintendo Switch OLED's internal storage is barely an improvement. However, 256 GB should be more than enough for a sizable library of Switch games.

Nintendo is also upgrading the speed at which the Switch 2 will load games. The console should read data off the hard drive and game cartridges faster than the standard Switch, with Polygon reporting that "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild" loads up to 35% faster on the Switch 2. Sadly, it's not all good news, as anyone who wants to expand a Switch 2's storage space with a microSD will have to purchase a special microSD express card. These cards are faster than normal microSD cards, but existing Switch owners won't be able to use their current microSD card with the Switch 2 – they'll have to purchase a whole new one.

While the Nintendo Switch has plenty of amazing and award-winning titles, the preservation of older titles is gaining a lot of support. Nintendo is doing its part with Nintendo Switch Online — although in the case of the Switch 2, this could be a double-edged sword.

One of Nintendo Switch Online's selling points is an ever-growing library of titles from older Nintendo consoles. Ever since Nintendo announced this feature, fans hoped the company would eventually add classic GameCube titles. Nintendo recently revealed that it would be doing just that — but only for the Switch 2.

On the bright side, this addition to Nintendo Switch Online with its Expansion Pack tier will let players discover or relive some of the biggest cult classics in Nintendo's game library. These will include games such as "F-Zero GX," "Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance," and "Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness." — and that's just the games Nintendo announced during the Direct. 

If the planets align, other lost classics such as "Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem," "Skies of Arcadia: Legends," and "Viewtiful Joe" might make their way over to the Switch 2. Of course, anyone who wants to play these games will have to buy the console and the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack. Then again, given the price of old GameCubes and rare GameCube disks these days, that might be the cheaper option.