Summary
- Eight years ago today, Nintendo revealed the Switch release date and launch line-up.
- With the fiscal year nearly over, we’re due the Switch 2 reveal any day now.
- According to leakers, there’ll be a similar announcement to the Tokyo livestream, finally giving us a release date.
The Switch 2 was finally confirmed after years of unending rumours and speculation in peak Nintendo fashion, a random Tweet on a Tuesday morning. In this incredibly understated post, Shuntaro Furukawa revealed that it would be announced properly within the fiscal year, which ends this March, so the new console is due to be unveiled any day now.
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The first Switch was announced with a dedicated trailer on October 2016, nearly nine years ago. We were shown the console’s hybrid nature, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild gameplay (which was a Wii U exclusive at the time), detachable joy-cons, and third-party titles like Skyrim running on the system effortlessly, a huge feat for a handheld console at the time.
This was a far more eventful reveal than a tweet, but it was a presentation in Tokyo, eight years ago today, where Nintendo would finally reveal its price, release date, specifications, and launch line-up.
Nearly A Decade Ago, Nintendo Revealed All
In this hour-long, extensive breakdown of the Nintendo Switch, we learned how the joy-cons worked — that they could not only be detached, but combined to form a controller when the console was docked — and how long the battery would last.
Nintendo also unveiled the many first-party titles the console would launch with, including the aforementioned Breath of the Wild, 1-2 Switch, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Splatoon 2, Super Mario Odyssey, and who could forget, Arms and Snipperclips. But the real highlight was its March 3 release date, which at the time was right around the corner.
As reported by Vice, leaker Average Lucia Fanatic claims that the Switch 2 will finally be unveiled this Friday, likewise revealing a release date of March 3, which is again right around the corner. Supposedly, we can also expect a new Mario Kart and 3D Mario game, as well as a Red Dead Redemption 2 port.
If true, it sounds like Nintendo is gearing up for a similar reveal to its Tokyo livestream from eight years ago, albeit more condensed and in keeping with the newer Direct format.
As with any leak, it’s worth taking this with a grain of salt, but the wait is at least coming to a close. Even if it isn’t unveiled this week, the fiscal year is nearly over, which means that the Switch 2 will be revealed within the next two months, nearly ten years after its predecessor.
Nintendo Switch
The Nintendo Switch is both a home console and a handheld gaming system in one package, with various versions offering better specs for dedicated enthusiasts.