Switch 2 is launching June 5 and will cost R12500!

April 20, 2025

Well, that was the Direct we’ve been waiting for! Yes, it’s been a long time coming, but we now have all the details about the upcoming Switch 2. If you’re a big Nintendo fan, it’s probably watching the whole around-60-minute showcase, but here’s a quick recap for those of you who are just looking for the highlights:

Official Launch Date: 5 June 2025

Yes, it’s around two months away, and pre-orders will go live soon after the show (perhaps a little while longer for us here in South Africa).

New specs

A bigger and ‘brighter’ LCD screen (now 7.9 inches), with a 120 Hz refresh rate. Internal storage has been bumped up to 256GB (plus a microSD Express slot) and two USB Type-C slots. In docked mode, it’ll be able to output 4K at 60 frames per second, or 1080p at up to 120 fps (game-dependent), 1920×1080 in handled (also apparently at up to 120 fps).

 

New features

The two standout features from the Direct are likely to be GameChat and the fact that Joy-Cons 2 will feature mouse-movement when placed on a flat surface. GameChat is pretty much what it sounds like, but coming from Nintendo, this is quite a big deal. Not only will you be able to chat with friends in what seems like a way more seamless fashion (no more separate Discord app running needed), but thanks to new camera functionality, Nintendo even showed off seeing friends’ camera in-game and even some screen sharing too. The mouse movement had been rumoured for a while, however, from what we saw in games like Metroid Prime 4, it seems like it will be Nintendo’s one true ‘out-there’ innovation jump for the upgraded Switch.

New Games! 

As teased in the reveal trailer a little while ago, we will indeed be getting a new Mario Kart game. Mario Kart World will feature an open-world, so many characters, 24 racers per race and a new Knockout Style mode. Along with that (and perhaps a little surprisingly – no new 3D Mario title?!) Donkey Kong Bananza will have the newly designed ape taking on almost fully destructible worlds. We’re also getting an interesting-looking (but crazily not-free) Switch 2 tech-demo game called Welcome Tour, upgrades for existing Switch games including Breath of the Wild, and Drag x Drive and Kirby Air Riders. Third-party developers are also coming to the party with The Duskbloods, Cyberpunk 2077 and Split Fiction, just some of the games players can look forward to.

New sky-high prices

And while this was all very exciting, the one bit of big news that wasn’t included in the Direct was the pricing. This should have already had us a little worried, and when news later broke that the US prices would be 450 dollars for the Switch 2 and $499 for the Switch 2 Mario Kart World bundle 9 (and SA officially falls under NOE), we knew the prices for SA would be very high.

Later (as first reported by Marco Cocomello writing for Glitched) our fears were confirmed when local pricing featured the Switch at R12 499, the Mario Kart Bundle at R13 499, the new Pro Controller at R2299 and first-party games ranging between R1799 and R1999.


The pricing is a really tough pill to swallow, but given the weak Rand, tariffs and all the other costs around hardware and tech these days, it sadly wasn’t completely unexpected. That aside, though, the Switch 2 (and Mario Kart World) looks almost exactly like what a lot of us have been hoping for, and I, for one, cannot wait to try them out.

Now, all I need to do is find that high-paying second job Sony told us about back in 2005.

April 20, 2025

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