Draft:Unnamed Nintendo console

An unnamed video game console, colloquially known as the Switch 2, is in development at Nintendo. It will be the successor to the Nintendo Switch and is expected to be released in early 2025. It is set to be part of the ninth generation of video game consoles alongside Sony's PlayStation 5 and Microsoft's Xbox Series X and Series S consoles.

Development
In a June 2023 shareholder question-and-answer session, Nintendo's president, Shuntaro Furukawa, stated that Nintendo sought to make the transition between the Nintendo Switch and its successor smooth for consumers, and was planning to retain the system's Nintendo Account system. The following month, Video Games Chronicle (VGC) reported that Nintendo had sent out software development kits for its next console to development partners. VGC added that Nintendo wanted to avoid the shortages that the other ninth generation consoles, the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, had suffered at launch. Nintendo showcased the console in a private presentation during Gamescom in August; among the tech demos were a version of the Switch game The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017) running at a higher frame rate and resolution and the Unreal Engine 5 demo The Matrix Awakens (2021).

Announcements
On May 7, 2024, Shuntaro Furukawa officially acknowledged the development of the Nintendo Switch's successor, stating that more information would be revealed later that fiscal year, and additionally confirming that the console would not be discussed at their planned Nintendo Direct broadcast in June.

Release
The console was initially expected to launch in late 2024, but in February, Bloomberg News reported that Nintendo had informed publishers it was delaying the release into early 2025. The Nikkei, corroborating Bloomberg, reported the delay was to prevent shortages and scalping. Nintendo's shares fell by nearly six percent following the reported delay.

Hardware
VGC July 2023 report stated that the console, like the Nintendo Switch, would be a hybrid that could be used as both a home and handheld console, with ROM cartridges used for physical game distribution. VGC reported the console would initially ship with an LCD, rather than an OLED, to reduce costs. Sharp Corporation stated it had been providing Nintendo LCDs for the console since mid-2023, and the technology analysis firm Omdia stated these were likely 8-inch screens.

The console's alleged system on a chip, the Nvidia Tegra T239 (codenamed "Drake"), was leaked in the 2022 Nvidia ransomware attack by Lapsus$. It features an octa-core ARM Cortex-A78C CPU, a 12 SM Ampere GPU, and a 128-bit LPDDR5 memory interface. Internal Activision emails from FTC v. Microsoft indicated that in terms of power, the console would be similar to eighth generation consoles like the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, though it reportedly supports Nvidia's deep learning super sampling (DLSS) technology and ray tracing to allow for visuals comparable to more recent consoles.

Whether the console is backward compatible with Switch games is unconfirmed. Reports in February 2024 indicated the console would feature backward compatibility with physical and digital Switch games, and that developers would be able to update games to take advantage of the new hardware. According to accessory manufacturers, the new console will feature redesigned Joy-Con controllers that connect to the display with magnets, while existing Nintendo Switch Pro Controllers will be compatible.

Third-party support
In December 2022, Microsoft Gaming announced as part of their bid to acquire games publisher Activision Blizzard, that they were in negotiations with Nintendo over a ten-year agreement to bring Activision's future Call of Duty games to their platforms following the merger's finalization. The agreement became legally binding by February 2023, ahead of the merger's completion that October. By July 2023, development kits for the console had been secured by key third-party partners. A survey conducted at the 2024 Game Developers Conference (GDC) in January 2024 inquired 3,000 independent and AAA developers on game creation and which platforms they were engaging, of which 250 individuals identified themselves as already producing games slated for the Nintendo Switch's successor, while a further 32% of those surveyed expressed interest in developing for the console. In May 2024, Nintendo announced their intentions to acquire Miami-based developer Shiver Entertainment from their prior parent company Embracer Group, with the company detailing in a statement that the merger enabled them to procure specialized in-house resources for the development and porting of software, while allowing the studio to continue their commitments to Nintendo Switch and other platforms. Bloomberg News later reported that the acquisition was for bolstering Nintendo's efforts in securing games from third-party developers on the Nintendo Switch's successor, with Shiver assisting external developers in the optimization of such titles from competing platforms.