With the official launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 right around the corner, you may wonder how we got here and what rumors were correct.
With that in mind, we tracked down every rumor that Tom's Guide has reported on and built a timeline of the history of the Switch 2 from the release of the original Switch in 2017 to the teaser video dropped in January 2025.
Read on to see how the Switch 2 came to be via rumors and speculation.
2017 - The original Switch launches
After struggling to follow up the massive success of the Nintendo Wii with the foreshadowing Wii U, Nintendo officially launched the Switch in March of 2017.
We described it in our review as a "fantastic console for all kinds of gamers, even if you're not a Nintendo fan." It's a console that many of us use regularly, several years into its lifespan.
Its launch price was $299, a friendly price even compared to the PS4 and Xbox One, which were nearing the end of their cycles but still selling around $250.
And significantly less than the PS5 and Xbox Series X that launched a few years later.
2019 - A liter version
Two years after the original Switch launched to great acclaim, Nintendo surprised us with a "lite" version of the console.
The Nintendo Switch Lite released on September 20, 2019 for $199.
Unlike the Switch, the Lite does not feature detachable Joy-Con controllers or the ability to connect to a TV via a dock or otherwise. It's solely meant for handheld play.
It's still an excellent console, and its lower price makes for a great entry console. However, our Switch Lite review found it a little hard on those with bigger hands.
At the same time, Nintendo also launched an updated regular Switch featuring a new Nvidia Tegra X1+ SoC, which is more efficient than the Tegra X1 that came with the OG Switch. It extended the battery life to between 4.5 and 9 hours.
It was an interesting move since most other consoles don't get a new, slightly better version without other redesigned features, much like Sony's PS5 Slim or PS5 Pro.
This year was the first that we at Tom's Guide began to see rumors of a Nintendo Switch 2, though some of those were related to the mysterious Switch Mini (which turned out to be the Lite) and the first rumblings of the OLED Switch, which some thought were a sequel console.
2021 - OLED displays and a Pro
The slightly higher-end OLED Switch launched on October 8, 2021, for $349.99. Beyond the new OLED display, it also features a slightly larger 7-inch screen.
It's a nice upgrade for the Switch, though as we concluded in our Switch OLED review, "If you take it for what it is, the Switch OLED is a solid system, and an easy bet for gamers who haven’t taken the plunge on a Switch yet. But if you consider what it might have been, the Switch OLED may simply be a stopgap before Nintendo takes another big risk on another inventive idea."
In 2019, we started to hear rumblings of a new Nintendo console dubbed the Nintendo Switch Pro. This leaked console in a bit of foreshadowing was supposed to be more powerful than the Switch, with an OLED display, a new Nvidia chipset, and 4K resolution.
At this time, Nintendo denied it was working on a console and said that the Switch was about halfway through its lifecycle.
2022 - First hints of a sequel
After a year or so of Switch Pro rumors, we got our first real hints of the actual Switch 2.
In March, Nvidia suffered a serious data breach that produced a number of insights into Nvidia hardware. Importantly, for Nintendo purposes, Nvidia DLSS source code revealed something called the "NVN2." The current Switch is dubbed "NVN" in the same database, meaning that Nvidia was working with Nintendo on some kind of sequel to the Switch.
At the time, it was still speculatedthat this might refer to the rumored Switch Pro.
That same year, a Nintendo Q&A session teased a future backwards compatible Nintendo console, though Nintendo didn't say anything more about its "next-gen device."
2023 - The rumor mill heats up
While the idea of the Switch 2 was in the ether, it didn't really pick up steam until 2023 when the rumor mill really kicked into gear, helped along by Nintendo.
To start the year, a UK governmental report seemed to reveal that Nintendo was working on a new console. If there is a hive full of rumor-mongers, this seemed to kick them into gear.
In March of 2023, Nintendo of America President Doug Bowser was directly asked about a Switch follow-up. He demurred.
"One of the things we look at always is how can we surprise and delight. How can we introduce new unique ways of playing. That´s always in front of our mind,” said Bowser. He couldn’t be drawn much further noting that he “should be careful about what I personally would like to see [in a new Switch].”
Various rumors sprouted up, reporting that Switch 2 would launch in late 2023, possibly in 2024 or 2025. Nintendo officially squashed a 2023 release in May when president Shuntaro Furukawa insisted that Nintendo had no hardware releases planned for the year.
In June, Ubisoft hinted that a Switch 2 is coming after poor game sales
We did start to see some specs hinting at the features the Switch 2 could hold.
Potential Specs
- March - An Nvidia Tegra 2 chip could power the Switch 2
- August - Tipster claims the console will have a bigger LCD display and 512GB of storage, they also said Nintendo would keep using cartridges
- August - The Switch 2 might have a camera, possibly for VR
- December - DLSS 3 and ray tracing teased
Back half of 2023
In August, we got our first suggestion of a price thanks to a reportedly unreliable tipster who reported a potential price of $399, about $50 more than the Switch OLED.
In one of the stranger rumors, a leaker dubbed Jonathan Bark claimed Nintendo would drop the Switch branding in favor of a new name, the Nintendo Focus. This one went nowhere, and most leakers stuck to the Switch 2.
In September, a Eurogamer article suggested that Nintendo was showcasing the Switch 2 to developers at the annual Gamescom conference. This was apparently a tech demo, and that same month, a podcast detailed the Gamescom showing said that Nintendo's demo ran at 4K resolution with a 60 fps framerate. Huge numbers compared to the Switch, which runs Breath of the Wild closer to 720p and 30fps.
In October, a new patent hinted at the slightly redesigned console, though patents can be both illuminating and misleading, as not everything patented always makesit into a final product.
To wrap up the year, Doug Bowser returned to hint at a Switch transition.
"Our goal is to minimize the dip you typically see in the last year of one cycle and the beginning of another," Bowser said. "I can't speak to the possible features of a new platform, but the Nintendo Account is a strong basis for having that communication as we make the transition."
Another tease of the Switch 2, but not a definite confirmation, yet.
2024 - More rumors and first looks
The year 2024 started with a flurry of rumors before calming down in the summer. A lull in the storm before the autumn dam broke with seemingly unending rumors.
January to July 2024
The year kicked off with rumors that we would see the Switch 2 in March and that it might cost $400, as claimed by an analyst who also said Switch 2 games would hit the $70 mark.
In late January, a YouTuber claimed the Switch 2 would be powered by a Cortex processor, a surprise after months of leaks pointing to an Nvidia chip. They also briefly pointed to a potential second Switch 2 model they dubbed the Switch 2 Pro.
February brought a return of Nvidia CPU rumors, plus contradictory reports that the Switch would either arrive in March or not until 2025. At the end of the month, a leak suggested a June reveal.
March and April brought some quiet with only a few leaks. One in which it was claimed that Nintendo was purposely delaying the Switch 2 until "the right moment." There was also an absurd rumor we didn't believe, claiming the Switch sequel would be dubbed the Nintendo Attach — fortunately, this wasn't true.
We did get our first hint of the magnetic rail system for the Joy-Cons in April, though the Spanish gaming site Vandal didn't have more details than that.
May finally brought a real official "announcement" from Nintendo when president Furukawa said during a financial results call that a next-generation Switch will be announced "this fiscal year" — April to March, giving the company a March 31, 2025, deadline to announce something.
And thenthe rumor mill appeared to fall asleep in June and July.
August through December 2024
We briefly got one of the first Dock rumors in August, suggesting that the new console needs a second cooler and a 60W charger. Much more powerful than the current 39W-rated charger. Plus, a new release window of April 2025.
A massive leak hit in September when a Redditor claimed to have seen renders of the console, which revealed a larger device with a second USB-C port on the top of the console. We got our first hint that the new console would feature an 8-inch display.
A peripheral maker went on a Spanish podcast that same month, claimed the Switch 2 was "done" and "ready" to go, suggesting a March or April 2025 launch with redesigned Joy-Con controllers.
October took a break before Nintendo woke up in November. Furukawa spoke on an earnings call and reiterated that a new console would be revealed before the end of March 2025. He also announced that Nintendo Switch Online would be available on the "successor" console. They also confirmed that "Nintendo Switch software will also be playable on the successor to the Nintendo Switch" during a financial presentation.
December had so many rumors that it was nearly impossible to catch everyone. We saw dummy units for the first time, more claims on the reveal date, more third-party accessories makers claiming to have seen the console, hands-on videos, discovered patents, and more leaks about the dock.
Everything changed as the calendar flipped from 2024 to 2025.
2025 - Nintendo makes things official
The rumors continued as the new year started, including a bold accessory maker showing off dummy units during CES 2025 in early January. That company ended up retracting its claims about the dummy units after Nintendo leaned on them.
Nintendo also seemed to troll fans with a new product announcement that turned out to be the Alarmo clock.
Finally, on January 16, Nintendo revealed the Switch 2 with a teaser trailer that showed off the new console. It answered a lot of questions and left us with many more.
Nintendo promised that a future Nintendo Direct on April 2, 2025, would offer more details, including technical specifications, possible new games, and what the new C button does.
Which left the rumor train rumbling down the tracks.
Most of the rumors in February and March have focused on potential pricing for the new console. We've seen numbers everywhere from $299 to $499, most recently, analysts have stated that it will be closer to the $499 prices.
Several rumors have focused on the release window, which is now speculated to be sometime in June.
Technical details have been limited a bit. However, there has been more speculation about the Joy-Cons thanks to the rumor that the redesigned controllers might be able to act like a PC mouse.
And that's where we stand as we wait for the April Nintendo Direct to illuminate more about Nintendo's next console.
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