Summary
Many were surprised by today’s sudden reveal of theNintendo Switch 2, as there was no lead-up to the announcement trailer, but some fans were not. In fact, among the many recentleaks and rumors surrounding the Nintendo Switch 2, it was stated by prominent figures that the teaser would be released today. Still, the Japanese company is making history, releasing a successor to the Nintendo Switch, which sold more copies than the PlayStation 2 did in its lifetime. The new handheld console is a successor through and through, as it has the original’s design with new elements and features, and it’s even called “Nintendo Switch 2.”
This makes perfect sense considering the presentation of the new console, which also has its own unique sound bound to become iconic over time, though in this case it’s no longer tied to the click made by Joy-Cons sliding into position, but by Joy-Cons being magnetically attached to the Switch 2. And yet, theNintendo Switch 2is already breaking a longtime tradition for the company, and that is to be a direct successor to the Switch, adding “2” to its name. No Nintendo console has ever done this, as strange as it may sound.
There have been manyNintendo consolesover the years, from the home consoles to the handhelds. The list includes:
Even with consoles that were meant to be successors of some kind, such as the Game Boy Color and the Game Boy Advance for the original Game Boy or the Nintendo 3DS for the Nintendo DS, no console prior to the Nintendo Switch 2 was a full-blown successor even in the name. As much as theNintendo Switch 2’s new featurescan be a game-changer, naming the console like this also breaks new ground by putting an end to a trend that started all the way back in the late 70s.
Why Nintendo May Have Called The Switch’s Successor ‘Switch 2’
There may be more to the Nintendo Switch 2’s name than a simple convention, however. With how great theNintendo Switch’s saleshave been over the years and how loved the handheld was and still is, there is a chance that the company settled on the name of the successor for familiarity’s sake. It’s no secret that familiar brands build trust, and trusted brands sell more, which might explain why the Nintendo Switch 2 doesn’t have a different name as past consoles did.
TheNintendo Switch 2 is launching alongside Mario Kart 9, it seems, or at least some iteration of the franchise. More details regarding the console will be disclosed in a Nintendo Direct on June 23, 2025.
This can be especially true if one considers the time gap between the release of the original Switch and the Nintendo Switch 2, which is over eight years. The Nintendo Switch has become immensely popular and easily recognizable, which bodes well for the Nintendo Switch 2. On top of that, fans had been calling the Switch’s successor “Nintendo Switch 2” even before today’s official announcement, meaning that there was value to this name. Regardless of the reasons for its official title, theSwitch 2’s bigger screen and new featureswill likely allow it to make a name for itself over the course of 2025.
Nintendo Switch 2
The successor to 2017’s Nintendo Switch continues down the same path as its predecessor, providing a hybrid experience that supports both home and handheld gaming. Launching on July 15, 2025, with games like Mario Kart World, the basic Nintendo Switch 2 bundle comes with the console, Joy-Con 2, straps for the controller, a dock, an AC adapter, an HDMI cable, and a Joy-Con 2 grip.
