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🕹️ Switch 2 Announcement Showcases Big Changes for Nintendo's Handheld

We're breaking down the best new features announced for the Nintendo Switch 2 as well as the questions that still remain for future reveals.

Author

Michael Ahr
January 17, 2025

Friday Edition January 17, 2025

One of the worst kept secrets in video game console manufacturing history is no longer a secret. Nintendo finally revealed the brand-new Switch 2—at least what it looks like and some of the improvements fans can expect when the console hits stores later this year. POWER-UP, Den of Geek’s premium gaming vertical, took a deep dive into what’s different about the Switch 2 as well as what a few rumors and leaks tell us about the console.

The few things confirmed so far certainly suggest a better Switch experience than ever before. While the Switch 2 unsurprisingly retains the hybrid functionality and form factor of its successful predecessor, the Switch 2 boasts a larger display as well as larger Joy-Con controllers that snap onto the console rather than slide onto rails—definitely a welcome improvement if you’ve ever had to deal with accidentally getting a controller stuck on one of the Switch’s pesky rail connections.

But there are also plenty of questions yet to be answered. Just how powerful is the company’s latest hardware? What games can we look forward to playing on the new console? When is the Switch 2 actually hitting shelves and how much will it cost gamers? What does the console’s mysterious new C button do?! Nintendo confirmed it will shed more light on its plans during a Nintendo Direct broadcast on April 2.

The Switch 2 comes at a time when lots of other hardware manufacturers have entered the handheld gaming space Nintendo shepherded: Valve has the Steam Deck, Asus has the ROG Ally, Lenovo has the Legion, and there are many other competitors popping up by the day. There really is no bigger testament to the Switch’s legacy than seeing how many other companies are now trying to follow suit.

Of course, Nintendo’s advantage over all the rest is their unique ability to see the future and innovate. Back in 2017, the company saw that the future of gaming wasn’t just about bigger and better graphics and game worlds—the unsustainable hamster wheel Xbox and PlayStation seem to be stuck on right now—but also about truly giving players the freedom to take their favorite home console games with them wherever they go. In other words, we’re excited to see what future Nintendo has imagined for gamers this time.

— John Saavedra, Editor-in-Chief

GAMES
Nintendo Switch 2 Revealed: The Improvements, Rumors, and Questions We Still Have

Need a further breakdown of all the changes coming to the Nintendo Switch 2? We went through everything from the larger display to the reconfigured Joy-Cons in a larger article for the site. Can you play your old Switch games on it? Can you play both physical cartridges and digital games? These questions and more are answered!

We’ll even take you through the rumor mill to speculate on what game titles might be available when the new console drops later in the year. The release date and price point are still unknown, but it’s never too soon to make some educated guesses!

GAMES
POWER-UP: The Big Zelda Moments That Shaped a Generation of Gamers

What a couple of years it’s been for The Legend of Zelda. Nintendo’s foremost fantasy series has enjoyed nonstop hits since 2017’s Breath of the Wild took the franchise in a whole new and exciting direction on the Switch, and with the Switch 2 now officially announced, Echoes of Wisdom as the most recent game iteration really showed what was possible for the beloved handheld-home console hybrid.

On a recent episode of our gaming podcast POWER-UP, host Sam Stone reviewed the latest franchise entry and breaks down why it’s the “thinking gamer’s” Zelda adventure. He’s also joined by Den of Geek games expert Matthew Byrd to look back on almost 40 years of this celebrated franchise.

Watch now or listen below!

MOVIES
Free LSD, a Punk Rock Showcase with Aliens, Visits the Talking Strange Podcast

Musician and filmmaker Dimitri Coats — guitarist for the punk supergroup OFF! and frontman for Burning Brides — joined host Aaron Sagers on the Talking Strange Paranormal Show to discuss his punk rock sci-fi comedy feature film Free LSD, which stars OFF! singer Keith Morris in the lead role as a sex shop owner and podcaster who finds out he’s actually the lead singer in a punk rock band in another dimension.

Aaron: Who among the cast of musicians took to acting in a surprising way?

Dimitri: That would have to be Keith. People would pull me aside and say, ‘Hey, are you sure you know what you’re doing? He has the lead role!’ … And I would tell everybody, ‘Look, I wrote this role for him; I know his strengths; I know his weaknesses; and I truly believe that he can do it!’ And something really remarkable happened in editing where we made him more reactionary… His face and his eyes were so expressive, like a window into how he was feeling.

Aaron: Knowing how he is as a performer on stage and then seeing this, it felt like two different people.

Dimitri: Yeah, as we assembled his performance in the editing process, this kind of Forrest Gump quality started to emerge, and we were like, ‘Oooo, that’s great! This is working!’

That’s the thing about this film: we knew our fans would appreciate it, and maybe punk rock fans in general would appreciate it because of all the people who are in it… and then we started thinking, ‘What is somebody going to think that’s coming at this completely cold… and has no idea that there’s actually a band called OFF! and that record exists?’

I am extremely proud of the outcome, and I think in some ways it’s a touching film. We didn’t set out for it to be such, but there are times when it’s moving. And that was the psychedelia that we wanted.

EDITOR’S PICKS

From Metroid Prime 4: Beyond to Tales of the Shire, here are the exciting new games and remakes that Nintendo Switch owners should look out for this year.

Through good times and bad, Nintendo's handhelds have been the company's most consistent gift to gamers.

Nintendo America posted a video on X announcing a special LEGO set where builders can make their own 1989 Game Boy.

Elsewhere on the POWER-UP podcast, we countdown our favorite games of 2024 — expect a few surprise picks and some spicy takes.

TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION

Which of the following Nintendo devices was the first to feature built-in Internet connectivity without requiring additional accessories?

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