Nintendo Reportedly Showed Off Switch 2 at Gamescom

Nintendo reportedly showed off the successor to its Switch, which is currently just being called the Switch 2 by fans and journalists, to developers at Gamescom in Cologne, Germany, last month.

As reported by Eurogamer, Nintendo showed tech demos to various developers. One of those demos was an upgraded version of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. As that outlet notes, showing off a tech demo for the game in no way implies Nintendo is aiming to re-release the title, and it’s quite common for console makers to use enhanced versions of older games to showcase their next offering’s hardware.

In its reporting, VGC confirmed Eurogamer’s claims, adding that their sources showed off Epic’s The Matrix Awakens, which is a tech demo made in Unreal Engine 5. This gave the Switch 2 graphics comparable to those on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.

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At this time, details on the Switch 2 are scare. However, it’s generally been agreed upon that Nintendo is aiming to release a new console sooner rather than later, as the current Nintendo Switch hit shelves in 2017. Earlier this year, reports claimed Nintendo was looking to release the Switch 2 in the second half of 2024. In that reporting, backwards compatibility for the console had not yet been confirmed, though the Switch 2 is said to use cartridges. Still, those reports remain unconfirmed as of this article’s writing.

I’m quite excited for the Switch 2. The current Switch has proven one of my favorite consoles, and the idea of getting an update that can do a bit more technically is genuinely quite appealing. At this point, my only reservation is just how hard a Switch 2 will be to get at launch, as current-gen consoles have been notoriously difficult to buy due to chip shortages and scalpers. I’ve never had much luck with getting a Nintendo console early in general, and I’m not expecting anything different this time around. Regardless, I’m looking forward to the day I finally get my hand on a beefier, stronger Switch.