The Nintendo Switch 2 is an improvement on its predecessor with important changes. Photo: Nintendo
The Nintendo Switch 2 is an improvement on its predecessor with important changes. Photo: Nintendo
The Nintendo Switch 2 is an improvement on its predecessor with important changes. Photo: Nintendo
The Nintendo Switch 2 is an improvement on its predecessor with important changes. Photo: Nintendo

Nintendo Switch 2: All the new features, prices and release date


Faisal Al Zaabi
  • English
  • Arabic

After announcing the Switch 2 on January 16, Nintendo has finally released details of the console. During a one-hour online presentation streamed on YouTube, the Japanese gaming giant showed what fans can expect from the new flagship gadget, and how much it will cost.

Three developers who worked on the Switch 2 – Kouichi Kawamoto, Takuhiro Dohta and Tetsuya Sasaki – each presented an exciting addition to the console. Here, we look at the major announcements and details revealed during the presentation.

Same, but better

Nintendo have improved the joycons on the Switch 2. Photo: Nintendo
Nintendo have improved the joycons on the Switch 2. Photo: Nintendo

The short announcement in January made it clear that the Switch 2 would be a very similar playing experience to its predecessor, with improvements. Details of these improvements led the way at yesterday’s presentation.

Firstly, the Switch 2’s 7.9-inch LCD screen is 1.6 times larger than the Switch. However, the console’s thickness has not changed. The new screen also supports a higher fidelity picture quality at 1080p.

The two detachable controllers on the side of the screen, named joycons, have been improved too. They attach to the screen with a magnet rather than the slide mechanism of the Switch. Each can also be used as a mouse on a flat surface for some games that require the function.

A new addition for any Nintendo console is the ability to communicate with fellow gamers via audio and video calls while playing. The Switch 2 will support the ability to stream video and audio between a friends group online, allowing for a more communicative experience.

A cooling fan is an important improvement to the dock that holds the Switch 2 during home play and charging. Switch players had complained that the console would heat up while playing some games.

New Mario Kart

Mario Kart fans can look forward to a new game, which will launch on day one of the release, titled Mario Kart World. This has a new open world mode which allows for cruising and exploration across the map.

New additions to the experience have also been revealed, such as races going through different worlds. Players can also participate in one grand race across the whole map which eliminates slower drivers with every checkpoint.

Mario Kart World will be the first game made exclusively for the Switch 2. It will also probably be the first game played by many who buy the console.

Other games

As announced in January, the Switch 2 will have access to most of the Switch’s library of games. It was also announced that some of the Switch’s major titles will be receiving an improved version for the Switch 2 which will upgrade the graphics.

It was also revealed that Nintendo GameCube games will be made available to play on the Switch 2 through an online subscription. Fans of the console which released in 2002 will be given access to some its best titles, with the list set to grow.

Popular titles such as Split Fiction and WWE 2K will also be playable on the Switch 2.

Release date and price

The Nintendo Switch 2 will be released worldwide on June 5. Photo: Nintendo
The Nintendo Switch 2 will be released worldwide on June 5. Photo: Nintendo

The Nintendo Switch 2 will be released worldwide on June 5. The console has different price points in different regions. In the US, the Switch 2 will cost $449.99 for the base model and $499.99 for the Mario Kart World bundle.

In the UK it will retail at £395 ($517.83), or £429 ($562.40) with Mario Kart. In Japan, there are two version of the base model. The first is a Japanese language-only version which will cost 49,980 yen ($339.36) and a normal base model that costs 69,980 yen ($475.19). The Mario Kart bundle will cost 53,980 yen ($366.51).

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
'Downton Abbey: A New Era'

Director: Simon Curtis

 

Cast: Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Maggie Smith, Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter and Phyllis Logan

 

Rating: 4/5

 
In numbers: China in Dubai

The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000

Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000

Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent

The Bio

Amal likes watching Japanese animation movies and Manga - her favourite is The Ancient Magus Bride

She is the eldest of 11 children, and has four brothers and six sisters.

Her dream is to meet with all of her friends online from around the world who supported her work throughout the years

Her favourite meal is pizza and stuffed vine leaves

She ams to improve her English and learn Japanese, which many animated programmes originate in

Milestones on the road to union

1970

October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar. 

December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.

1971

March 1:  Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.

July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.

July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.

August 6:  The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.

August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.

September 3: Qatar becomes independent.

November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.

November 29:  At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.

November 30: Despite  a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa. 

November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties

December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.

December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.

Updated: April 03, 2025, 9:23 AM`