All our Switch 2 predictions ahead of the Nintendo Direct

It’s the dawn of the final day. On Wednesday, April 2, Nintendo promises to give its fans a closer look at Switch 2, the successor to its wildly popular portable-console hybrid. And while Nintendo is famously secretive and unpredictable, there’s a lot we already know about Switch 2.

Still, there are many unanswered questions about Switch 2, and Nintendo’s ability to keep information under wraps and preserve surprises means that what we think we know about the next-generation Switch likely pales in comparison to what this week’s 60-minute Nintendo Direct will reveal.

That said, here are our best predictions for the impending Nintendo Direct that’s all about Switch 2.

Nintendo announces Switch 2 release date, price, and pre-orders

With the Switch 2 expected to launch as early as June, Nintendo will likely reveal the release date, price, and when customers can pre-order the system. Based on what we’ve heard, Switch 2 pre-orders should go live at most retailers on April 9, giving Nintendo fans a window to consider their purchases and not have to scramble to pre-order one immediately after the Nintendo Direct. (In some territories, like Nintendo’s home base in Japan, the Direct won’t conclude until late at night.)

Switch 2, based on what we’ve heard, is expected to launch in the first half of June.

We expect the price to be somewhere between $399 and $449. Nintendo may be waiting until the very last minute to decide price, which — in this economy — seems like a tough decision to make.

Switch 2’s C button mystery revealed

Nintendo not only added a brand-new button to the Switch 2 Joy-Cons, it’s been teasing that new C button’s functionality ahead of time on its recently launched Nintendo Today app. What the C button does is still a mystery for now, but all signs point to a new chat tool or community-focused feature.

We’ll find out what the C button is for, officially, on Wednesday. But based on Nintendo’s increasing fascination with big multiplayer games, and last year’s Nintendo Switch Online: Playtest Program, which tested “the boundaries of mass multiplayer functionality and gameplay” on Nintendo’s servers, we expect some sort of big, Nintendo-controlled community feature or MMO-scale game to be shown — and that would be a great opportunity to showcase the new C button functionality, if it is indeed chat- or community-focused.

Switch 2 games, new and old

We’re getting a new Mario Kart, that’s for sure. But what else Nintendo has planned for Switch 2 is a big mystery. We expect at least one game to show off the Switch 2 Joy-Cons’ new mouse-control features and probably a new Super Mario game.

Nintendo also has to give Switch owners a long list of reasons to upgrade to Switch 2, and the best way to do that is through compelling software. Mario Kart 9 would be a big deal, of course, but we expect Nintendo to show up with a teaser or announcement of at least one other big franchise, like Animal Crossing, Super Smash Bros., or Splatoon.

But Nintendo will also likely showcase how well Switch games run on Switch 2. Maybe the best way to do that would be to show The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom running on Switch 2, at higher resolution and with better frame rates. First details on “Switch 2 Edition” versions of games will definitely be a talking point.

Select third parties show up

Third-party software publishers will likely open the floodgates of their back catalogs to bring games from PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X to a new console. But don’t expect that flood of ports to be showcased at the Nintendo Direct. Instead, we anticipate that only a handful of major third-party publishers like Capcom, Sega, Microsoft, and Ubisoft will get some space during the Direct to show their support for Switch 2.

Nintendo is reportedly being cautious about which third-party developers are getting Switch 2 development kits ahead of launch, but we expect that to change once details about the new system are in the wild.