Nintendo Switch 2: 5 biggest changes according to rumors

Rumors have been circulating for a long time about the Nintendo Switch 2, the highly anticipated sequel to the Nintendo Switch. Mario Maker has promised to reveal new hardware by the end of its fiscal year in March 2025, but exactly how the Switch’s successor will improve on the original remains a matter of speculation.

Fortunately, the leaks have provided a steady diet of new rumors, painting a pretty clear picture of the upgrades expected with the Switch 2. As much as we love the original Nintendo Switch here at Tom’s Guide, in the eight years since its launch , it’s seriously showing its age, and we can’t wait to see Nintendo revamp some of the console’s biggest problems.

That’s why we’ve rounded up the biggest rumored upgrades coming to Nintendo’s next-gen console. From better Joy-Cons to improved storage, the Big N appears to have a lot in store for the Switch 2, but be sure to take it all with a grain of salt for now until more details are confirmed.

Design overhaul

(Image credit: Dbrand)

Several seemingly legitimate leaks about the final design of the Nintendo Switch 2 have surfaced in recent weeks, painting a picture of a console that is both larger and taller than the Nintendo Switch OLED while maintaining the same thickness. Most recently, device skinning and customization company Dbrand released a 360-degree mockup of its “Killswitch 2” case for the new system, giving us our best look at the Switch 2’s dimensions yet.

Based on the case, the Switch 2 measures 270 x 116 x 14mm. That’s a bit bigger than the OLED’s 242 x 102 x 13.9 mm, but still relatively small compared to major laptops like Valve’s Steam Deck (298 x 117 x 49 mm) or the Asus ROG Ally (280 x 111 x 21.2-32.4 mm). For a better idea of what this might look like, YouTube channel SwitchUp posted a 3D printed mockup of the Switch 2 based on the same information provided by a third-party case manufacturer.

As for other design changes, the Switch 2 is expected to move to an 8-inch screen compared to the 6.2-inch and 7-inch screens found on the original and OLED models, respectively. Nintendo also appears to have added a second USB-C port on top of the console. In theory, this could indicate that the Switch sequel supports a second screen. At the very least, you’ll finally be able to charge it while it’s in tabletop mode, which blocks the single charging port on the bottom of the console.

More powerful specs

The Switch 2 could be Nintendo’s most powerful console yet, up to three times more powerful than the original Switch, if the rumors prove true. A leak in May claimed that the Switch 2 would have 12GB of RAM, compared to 4GB on current Switch models, and would feature an NVIDIA Tegra 239 SoC. It should support NVIDIA DLSS super resolution and ray reconstruction, which which will result in significantly sharper visuals than what the Switch is capable of.

However, more recent leaks suggest that the Switch 2 may not be a next-gen console like we hoped. A leaked Switch 2 spec sheet claims it will pack an eight-core Cortex-A78AE processor, 10 streaming multiprocessors (SMs), 8GB of RAM, and just 64GB of eMMC storage. While it’s still a marked upgrade over current Switch models, it would still be left in the dust by other current-gen consoles like the PS5 or Xbox Series X. The screen larger could also be a downgrade, with a recent report from VGC claiming that the Switch 2 will stay with an LCD panel instead of an OLED panel to reduce costs.

At one point, rumors were circulating about the Switch 2’s dock housing a coprocessor to improve performance when playing the docked console, but we haven’t heard much about that in years. month. The same goes for the Switch 2’s rumored ability to support 4K gaming when docked.

Improved storage

(Image credit: Nintendo)

The original Switch launched with just 32GB of storage in 2017 before Nintendo doubled that to 64GB with the Switch OLED in 2021. While it’s an improvement, modern games are notorious for the size huge amount of their files, and although the best Switch games are tiny compared to the new ones. releases on rival consoles, that’s still not a ton of space to work with.

Fortunately, Nintendo seems ready to get ahead of this problem with its next console. The Switch 2 is expected to pack 512GB of onboard storage – enough space to house all your games without having to juggle your files between the console and the cloud.

Backward Compatibility

Nintendo has confirmed few details about the Switch 2, but there’s one thing we’re sure of: you’ll be able to play Switch games on it. The Mario maker announced during its November investor briefing that its Switch successor would be backwards compatible with existing Switch software.

When the Switch launched, it didn’t support Wii U games for obvious reasons. But given that the Wii U was backwards compatible with its predecessor, the Wii, there was a good chance that Nintendo would do the same with the Switch 2 and Switch. Still, the official confirmation is good news for Switch users who have built up a vast library of games over the console’s eight-year lifecycle. Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa also suggested that users will be able to transfer their existing Nintendo Account between consoles, making the transition even smoother.

Revamped Magnetic Joy-Cons

Nintendo’s console makeover also extends to the Joy-Con controllers themselves, it seems. Leaked mockups suggest that the Switch 2’s Joy-Cons will be rounder and larger, making them more comfortable to hold for extended periods of time.

Other rumored improvements include redesigned SR and SL buttons, an auxiliary button on the right controller, different LED placement, and most interestingly, a magnetic component connecting the controllers to the Switch 2. This would be a significant change from the rail system used on the first generation Switch.

The downside is that this likely means the Joy-Cons wouldn’t be compatible with the Switch 2. Considering the high cost of backup Joy-Cons, this would be a disappointing development. And it’s unclear what impact this would have on certain Switch accessories like the Ring Fit Adventure and external controllers.