In exactly four weeks, we’re all going to know more about Switch 2 – hopefully a lot more. Wednesday 2nd April is the day of Switch 2 Direct when Nintendo lifts the lid on its upcoming console and gives us a much better idea of what’s in store beyond the initial reveal.
Will we get a release date? Are there hardware secrets that haven’t leaked already? Are we going to see more games, perchance? What are you expecting/hoping to see?
There’s a poll at the bottom but first, over to Team NL for their predictions, expectations, and wildest desires…
Banger after banger after banger (Ollie Reynolds, staff writer)
I’m hoping now that Nintendo has ditched the onstage events entirely for clean, focused Direct presentations, it can avoid the pacing issues that plagued the Switch showcase back in 2017. Granted, with the new mouse functionality, additional USB-C slot, and mysterious new ‘C button’, there’s still going to be some technical explanations to sit through, but I suspect it will be delivered in a much more entertaining, brisker manner.
With the first-party games, I’m utterly convinced that our next 3D Mario will feature a long-awaited proper team-up with Donkey Kong, and we’ll get our first glimpse of it. Splatoon 4 will also be announced and will feature the series’ first big leap in graphical quality and presentation. A proper deep dive into Mario Kart 9 is a given, but I sincerely hope Nintendo has more up its sleeve. If there’s one showcase that’s begging for that “one last thing” moment, it’s this one.
Third-party publishers should also get their moment in the spotlight with a mix of ports and brand-new titles. I suspect there will be something Monster Hunter related, and if it’s not a Switch 2 exclusive, then it’ll be a Monster Hunter World: Iceborne port. Games like Tekken 8, Lies of P, Cyberpunk 2077, and Baldur’s Gate 3 will feature in a blood-pumping montage sequence, while Microsoft might surprise us with that rumoured port of Halo: The Master Chief Collection.
Finally, we’ll get a roof-raising one-two punch of Hades II and Hollow Knight: Silksong, both confirmed for day one. Boom.
Long-awaited returns & cheese galore (Jim Norman, staff writer)
I’ll get the boring game expectations out of the way to start. I think a closer look at Mario Kart 9 is guaranteed, something gimmicky to showcase the console’s… uhh, gimmick will be in the launch lineup, and I’d expect to see a ‘Switch 2 Sports‘ too.
Not the most exciting slate, I’ll admit, but that’s where my bigger picks come in. I think the Switch 2 Direct is where we get our first look at a Star Fox, pleasing the Nintendo fanboys and showcasing the power of the console with a Starfield-style “Look how we fly between planets with no loading screens!!” This will be where we see a Zelda remaster, too. I’m undecided whether it’s the low-hanging Wind Waker or some sweet visual upgrade on BOTW, but I’m telling ya, it’s happening. Please.
Aside from that, I’m expecting surprises — at least, I’m hoping for surprises. Show me the Switch 2 playing in vertical ‘Tate Mode’ on something other than a shmup. Show me some kind of community-focused feature that brings back some of that 3DS charm. Please, for the love of Hylia, tell me that I can use this console at a rooftop party or a basketball court or an airport. I’m expecting cheese, a lot of it, but hopefully that cheese is a little more interesting than mild, own-brand cheddar.
Switch it, flip it, cross it (Alana Hagues, deputy editor)
I really want Nintendo to go big with the Switch 2 Direct, especially after these quieter months. Outside of seeing the mice in action, please show me what that other USB-C port is for. Some confirmation of upside-down play would be amazing, but if it’s not for that, just anything. What does it do Nintendo?!
But I’m not one to get hugely excited over hardware, so I need games. And more games than the new Mario Kart, too. Before I start fantasising, I’d love to see some Switch 1 Nintendo games running on Switch 2, and for Nintendo to go into what actually changes, if anything. Show me Echoes of Wisdom running consistently at 60fps or something. Give me a less-blurry look at Xenoblade Chronicles 3 in handheld. Will Switch 2 even improve Switch 1 games? I hope so.
Okay, but new games, right? Get the third parties in. Square Enix can bring Final Fantasy VII Remake to Switch 2, right? Tango Gameworks can deliver Hi-Fi Rush, no? From Software putting Elden Ring on Switch 2? It’s an obvious winner.
Nintendo also needs to come out swinging with its first-party slate. And they will. 3D Mario is a given — something wholly original, not just a straight-up sequel to Odyssey. I don’t think we’ll get a new Zelda title, but we may get a tease. And — get ready for this — a new Animal Crossing, coming in 2026. You heard it here first.
And a release date, you ask? I think we’ll get one, and it’ll be coming in June or July this year. Fingers crossed.
Some fresh, clear, well-seasoned perspective (Gavin Lane, editor)
We’ll get a release month rather than a specific date, I expect. I just want to be dazzled by some of that old Nintendo magic – which will be quite a feat if the Direct doesn’t go hard on games.
The hardware no doubt has an unleaked secret or two hidden within, and I’m itching to see how ‘Mouse Mode’ is implemented, but as a well-known quantity (a more powerful Switch, innit), it’s the games which need to do the talking. With the Switch 2 Experiences coming shortly after, you’d hope that Nintendo has more up its sleeve than ‘just’ the new Mario Kart (which we’ve really only glimpsed), too.
Don’t get me wrong – I’m looking forward to seeing ‘MK9’ again and getting a deeper dive on the hardware. But now’s the time to surprise everyone with new IP, new ideas, something fresh that only Nintendo could/would serve up! That’s what I’m craving.
Which would go nicely with a bottle of Rhythm Heaven.
We appreciate the synergy of the Switch 2 / April 2nd thing, but Nintendo has let Switch 2sday slip through its fingers! If it’s good enough for Sonic…, actually, let’s not continue that train of thought. And hey, Nintendo could still launch the system on a Tuesday, right?
But what are you expecting? Four minutes four seconds of Diana Ross’ 1980 classic Upside Down played while sexy rendered footage rolls of a Switch 2 being repeatedly docked, undocked, rotated 180 degrees, and docked again via the top USB-C slot? Use the poll and the comments to let us know your dearest hopes, wildest dreams, and deepest fears. (All Switch 2-related, natch.)
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