09 February 2024 , 13:00
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As hype and anticipation for Nintendo’s successor to the Switch builds, one particular podcast host has stoked the fire about a potential upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 reveal.
Nintendo has made it no secret that support for its wildly successful hybrid console, the Nintendo Switch, is winding down. After a stellar 2023 packed to the rafters with exclusive titles such as Pikmin 4, Super Mario Bros Wonder, Fire Emblem Engage, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, this year seems suspiciously less exciting. Sure, Princess Peach: Showtime! launches soon on March 22, 2024, but what follows is a flurry of ports and remakes of games from prior systems. This has led many to question if the Nintendo Switch 2 hype machine is about to get going.
According to the most recent episode of the Game & Talk podcast, it seems like it will be. At the 40:39 mark, host Nate the Hate states that “Nintendo will announce the Switch 2 in March”. He goes on to express that these are the rumblings he’s been hearing ever since Gamescom last year, which perfectly lines up with reports that Nintendo was showing off the hardware’s raytracing support behind the scenes to certain partners during the show.
Nate then goes on to double down on his belief that Nintendo has major plans to announce the Nintendo Switch 2 sometime next month, revealing that “talk has resurfaced in the past few weeks, and it is indicating that the Switch 2 is set for a reveal or an announcement in March”. None of the hosts go into any more specifics. However, it sounds like the Nintendo Switch 2 announcement they’re referring to, if true, would stand separately from this month’s heavily rumoured Nintendo Direct which at present remains unannounced.
2 Switch 2 Furious
The writing is very much on the wall when it comes to all things Nintendo Switch 2 release. Next month will mark seven years since the original Nintendo Switch release, which is generally the time other platform-holders like PlayStation and Xbox start talking about their next console generation plans. This, combined with the lack of truly exciting first-party exclusives this year, means that a Nintendo Switch 2 announcement could very well come next month, with a potential release later in 2024.
Nintendo Switch 2 release set for next year as Zelda ushers in the end of Switch
Of course, as with any rumour, it’s best to take it with a pinch of salt, as a Nintendo Switch 2 announcement happening is just as likely as one not happening. If Nate the Hate’s belief does turn out to be true, odds are we won’t know when it’s happening until a couple of days before maximum. I guess that we’ll hear something swiftly following the launch of Princess Peach: Showtime! as it won’t want to risk cannibalising the sales of what could very well be the last original first-party Nintendo Switch exclusive game.