Fans are currently waiting for an announcement of the Nintendo Switch 2 – the Japanese game company is not fazed by the constant rumours and is creating surprises in its own way. This has ultimately become a huge joke.
The announcement of the Nintendo Switch 2 before Halloween? That would have been a real blast for fans. However, things turned out completely differently, despite several rumors that suggested the release of official information about the new Nintendo console. It is now almost strange that Nintendo announces everything possible, just not Nintendo Switch 2.
Nintendo Switch 2: Console is there when it's there
Admittedly, if you are a die-hard Nintendo fan waiting for the Nintendo Switch 2, it is not easy at the moment. New rumors keep cropping up, some of which even give specific dates on which the console will be announced. So far, all the leaks have turned out to be nonsense. Around eight years after the release of the original Switch, it is actually time for a technically refurbished, but not necessarily extremely powerful Version.
There were plenty of rumors: about games, about technology, about production processes, about the announcement and about the release - but ultimately Nintendo has not officially commented on any of these topics. And the Japanese company has not even been idle - and that is precisely where the unintentional humor lies.
A museum, new Mario games, a new part of the Zelda series, Pikmin paper folding instructions, an alarm clock, a secret MMO project and recently a music app: Nintendo has released many small and large, sometimes even surprising, news. Only the information about the Nintendo Switch 2 were not released, even though they are the ones that fans wanted the most. So what often happens in such situations happened: expectations caused Nintendo fans to downplay the new products and services than they really should be.
The alarm clock idea, for example: Of course, there is no need for the umpteenth alarm clock with a Mario print on it, but for fans, the device in Nintendo design with its features relating to popular game series is still a pretty nice gimmick. It is similar with Nintendo Music. Of course, you could also listen to all of your beloved melodies via the well-known streaming services, but with the app, Nintendo is giving Nintendo Online subscribers a powerful feature - and there are still not enough of them on the subscription service, which is justified either by nostalgic reasons or by the desire for multiplayer games. But paying fans have not been particularly spoiled in recent years. Now, at least - surprisingly - there is a feature that can keep you entertained away from screen time. Many other popular game subscriptions cannot say the same. So there is a little bit of courage to innovate. Typical Nintendo.
The clock is ticking...
But all the announcements cannot appease the fans: They are waiting for the Nintendo Switch 2, insisting that Nintendo would have to announce the console fairly soon in order to be able to keep to the supposed release in spring or early summer 2025. But that is precisely what is not a given. It is time for Nintendo to release a successor, but that does not necessarily have to be linked to a retail launch next year. Only the fact that an announcement will be made this fiscal year is officially set. Nintendo's president Shuntaro Furukawa said exactly that on Platform X.
The company's fiscal year runs until March 31, 2025. The reveal should have taken place by then - but this information would still not necessarily be linked to a timely release, even if industry experts assume that 2025 will be the hot year for the Nintendo Switch 2. But the coming year may also bring other announcements: for a Nintendo vacuum cleaner that glows Mario red when in use, for example; or an electronic door viewer that drives away unwelcome guests from the front door with a Bowser roar. Nobody knows what plans are still slumbering in the drawers of the developers and the marketing department. There may also be another tactic behind it.
The fact that fans and the entire scene are in an information vacuum regarding the Nintendo Switch 2 may not seem particularly fair, but it is the path that Nintendo has chosen. With every miss, the ever-popping rumors become enormously more entertaining. But the extremely long dry spell will hardly be relevant to the success of the Nintendo Switch 2. As soon as the console is there, it is there - and then it starts as if nothing had happened before.
There are now even fans who wish that the release of the Nintendo Switch 2 would be delayed even longer. One frequently cited reason is personal finances. The current world situation is recovering, albeit very slowly. Price increases are still hurting people's wallets, and the increased cost of living is still an everyday challenge for many gamers. Having to spend hundreds of euros on a new console now would put an additional strain on budgets. Fans are therefore hoping that Nintendo will take its time and bring the new Switch onto the market when the price spiral is no longer spinning quite so rapidly.
