Nintendo Announces Switch 2 Console, Hoping to Turn Around the Company’s Fast-Declining Sales
It’s been eight years since NintendoNTDOY released the Nintendo Switch, the hybrid console that has become the third-most-sold gaming console of all time — a performance so great that they had to make a sequel. On Wednesday, the Japanese gaming powerhouse finally announced the Switch 2, with hopes to turn around slowing sales at the company.
- The new Switch 2 will be released on Jun. 5, retailing at $449.99 in the US — a presale will begin today for users who have 50 hours of gameplay on the original Switch.
- As expected, the Switch 2 is faster, features a larger screen, more storage and battery life — it also includes magnetically-attached Joy-Con controllers.
Forward-looking: Many rumors about the Switch 2 from recent years turned out to be Great Knowns — including the hardware, backward compatibility, and new social-oriented features. What remains to be seen is whether there will be appetite for the new console at the higher price point, even with all the launch titles. Thankfully for Nintendo, which hopes to sell 20M Switch 2 units in its first year, the vast majority of Gen Z and Millennial gamers are very interested, per a survey conducted by CNET. But if, for some reason, their interest doesn’t materialize, Bloomberg Opinion columnists warn that could be a serious problem.