Nintendo Switch 2 trailer breakdown: Every little detail you might have missed (and what we still don’t know)

Switch 2 is the name of the console

Yes, Nintendo is calling the successor to the Switch simply “Switch 2.” While it may first seem like an understated name — something Nintendo would never do — they did. If history tells us anything, Nintendo has previously used names like the Wii U, 3DS, and Game Boy Advance, and those naming schemes were more thoughtful and a bit creative. Nintendo has never used a number to define a new or even iterative console, which says a lot about how it views its products and how it aims to market them. However, the failure of the Wii U could have been the reason why Nintendo went with a numbered sequel, and hence the name Switch 2 was chosen. Think about how Apple names its next iPhone. It’s a safe approach, almost predictable, easy to remember, and helps consumers differentiate one product from another.

Nintendo’s Switch 2 sports a hybrid form factor. (Image credit: Nintendo/YouTube)

Switch 2 has a hybrid form factor

In a two-and-a-half-minute video, Nintendo made it clear that it’s sticking with the Switch’s iconic hybrid form factor. This is unusual for Nintendo, as the company typically tweaks the console’s design and introduces something different with each new generation. However, the Switch 2 looks almost identical to the original Switch. And it becomes very clear why Nintendo doesn’t want to move away from the hybrid form factor: the Switch’s design is almost perfect. You can play games in multiple ways — in handheld mode, as a home console, and in tabletop mode. No company has been able to come up with a better design that surpasses the Switch’s form factor, and that’s perhaps why Nintendo has settled on it. You could say Nintendo invented how a hybrid console should look, much like Apple did with the iPhone. This could work for Nintendo with the Switch 2 because doing goofy and experimental things with hardware and software doesn’t always work, especially given the expensive manufacturing costs and tighter regulatory environments. Maybe Nintendo is thinking of continuing to improve on the successful hybrid design in the hope that the Switch will see multiple generations.

A unified design with some resemblance and newer quirks

For all those who are saying that the Switch 2 seems like an incremental and boring update, and that it’s not Nintendo’s style — make no mistake — it’s important to note that during the original Switch’s life cycle, the console had many issues. However, with the Switch 2, Nintendo is trying to fix those. First, the Switch 2 is bigger and has a larger screen (though the exact size is still unknown, it’s estimated to be around 8 inches based on its appearance, and it seems to be an LCD display rather than a high-end OLED one). The bigger console is a welcome move, and so is the new U-shaped kickstand, which appears more rugged and better suited for playing games in tabletop mode, where you remove the console from its dock and place it on a flat surface like a table.

The Switch 2 features a larger screen which is estimated to be around 8 inches based on its appearance. (Image credit: Nintendo/YouTube

With the Switch 2, it seems that Nintendo wants more people to use tabletop mode, which is why it opted for taller but similarly shaped Joy-Cons. This time around, the Joy-Cons appear to have two sets of shoulder buttons when detached. They also feature a different docking pin connector and seem to magnetically snap onto the console, similar to how Apple’s MagSafe charger snaps onto the back of the iPhone.

By the looks of it, the Switch 2 is a sleek-looking tablet, though it’s now bigger in size. Some may not like the idea of the entire unit being dark grey, and the Joy-Cons being devoid of the fun colours (though Nintendo did pay homage by adding a ring of colour around each analogue stick, which extends to the inner edges of each Joy-Con) that made the original Switch almost instantly recognisable. But here’s the thing: the Switch 2, as a hybrid design, feels more mature — something along the lines of what the iPhone looks like today after 17 years on the market.

The Switch 2’s concept is no different from the original Switch. The display can be slotted into a dock (which has a new design but how powerful it is remains unknown) that transforms the device into a home console. Nintendo seems to have gone with a more unified design approach, where the underlying nature of the Switch remains unchanged, and the effort seems to be on keeping the newer console feeling almost identical in the hand, but with a refreshed look that elevates the Switch experience.

Nintendo Switch 2 joycon. (Image credit: Nintendo/YouTube

Joy-Cons can be used as a mouse

Every new generation of Nintendo hardware has one or two gimmicks. If the Nintendo DS had dual screens, the 3DS had a stereoscopic 3D screen, the Wii had a motion controller, and the Switch had modular controllers. So, what is one gimmick the Switch 2 might have? Well, the Joy-Cons can be used as a mouse. In the trailer video, Nintendo explicitly highlights the Joy-Cons sliding around on a hard surface like a mouse. This is further confirmed by a part of the video that shows a Joy-Con on its side with a section that really looks like an optical mouse light. Perhaps more importantly, the video shows the Joy-Con clicking onto a separate piece before going into mouse mode. As seen in the video, the other piece looks like it has small pads on the bottom, similar to those found on a computer mouse, to make it a little easier to slide around. If this is the gimmick for the Switch 2, it would offer a completely new way to play some games that involve the use of a mouse, or perhaps the Joy-Cons could be turned into a mouse highlighter, opening up new ways to play. Now, that’s weird — and it’s a thing only Nintendo can pull off.

A new button on the Joy-Cons adds to the mystery

To say the Switch 2 has been partially revealed by Nintendo wouldn’t be wrong. We still don’t know a lot about the console, including how powerful the device will be, what the operating system and interface will look like, how much it will cost, and what games (the only game we know of that Nintendo showed in the trailer video is a Mario Kart game, which has no official name) it will support when it hits the market, which suggests a May or June launch. However, the biggest mystery about the Switch 2 is that the right Joy-Con appears to have an additional button. This isn’t labelled with a “C,” as reported earlier. Instead, the square button appears almost entirely featureless, which adds a mystery to what the new button could be used for. There are different theories floating around about what the new button could do, with some speculating that it will be used for chat-related functionality, while others believe it could feature both voice and group chats for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers. However, considering Nintendo is a child-friendly company and the Switch 2 is primarily targeted at kids and parents, it’s unlikely the button would enable features that could potentially be unsafe for kids, such as chatting in DMs due to risks like cyberbullying, unwanted contact from adults, and exposure to inappropriate content. Perhaps the extra button could be used for “casting” the Switch 2 to a TV wirelessly or for screen sharing of some kind, adding a dual-screen functionality — something the Wii U tried to offer.

What we know and still don’t know about the Switch 2.

*The Switch 2 is bigger, with a bigger screen.

*There are now two USB-C ports (one on the top, one on the bottom). However, the purpose of the additional USB-C port remains unknown. Maybe it could be used to pair with some sort of accessory or a set of accessories, such as glasses or a camera.

*The kickstand is U-shaped and it reclines all the way back like the one seen on the Microsoft Surface computer.

*The Switch 2 accepts physical cartridges.

*The Joy-Cons have a similar shape but are taller, and they magnetically snap onto the console or a controller accessory.

*There is a headphone jack built-in.

*There is a new Mario Kart game but other than that we don’t know the exclusive games Nintendo has been working on for the Switch 2. The Switch 2’s third-party games lineup remains unclear. 

*The Switch 2 will support Switch games in digital or cartridge form. But Nintendo warns that not all previous games will be compatible.

*The dock has a new shape, but how powerful it is remains unknown. We still don’t know the docked resolution, whether you can dock the Switch 2 in the original dock, or if the Switch 2 will support third-party docks.

* It is certain that Switch 2 will deliver graphical improvements over the original Switch. However, it remains to be seen just how powerful the new system will be. Nintendo hasn’t revealed any details about the Switch 2’s internal hardware.

*We also still don’t know how much the Switch 2 will cost or when it will hit the market.