Nintendo unveils the Switch 2: backwards compatible, bigger screen, new Mario Kart

Rumours about the Nintendo Switch 2 being announced this week turned out to be true. In a "first-look trailer" posted to YouTube, Nintendo unveiled a detailed, close up look at the upcoming games console.

What's clear from the video (and also from the name) is that this is definitely a sequel to Nintendo's massively successful Switch console. There's no outrageous pivot to some other gaming mechanism here: The Switch 2 is a handheld console with a dock that allows you to play it on the big screen.

There are no detailed specifications to look through yet. What we can see from the trailer is that the Switch 2 has a larger display, a freshly designed kickstand, magnetically attached Joy-Con controllers and a new button underneath the Home button on the right Joy-Con.

There's a USB-C port on both the top and the bottom of the Switch 2, and it will still offer a standard 3.5mm headphone jack.

We also know that the Switch 2 will be backwards compatible, so all of your Switch games will run on the newer console.

What about games?

New console launches always come with a long list of new games to accompany them, and I expect we'll see that happen when the console gets more than a First-Look trailer.

For now we don't know a huge amount for certain other than the fact there will be a new Mario Kart game for the console, as it was shown off in the trailer.

When will we know more?

In a brief slide at the end of the video, Nintendo highlights 2 April for a Nintendo Direct focusing on the new console. Which means that we'll have to wait another few months before we get into the finer details of Nintendo's Switch successor, though I'm sure the leaks will be coming thick and fast between now and then.

There will also be a series of hands-on events around the world in May, including one in Melbourne. It's set to run between 10-11 May, with tickets going on sale tomorrow (18 January) at 11am for Aussies with a Switch Online account.

Pricing and availability?

At this stage of the game, it's too early to say how much Nintendo will charge for its new console, or when it will officially launch. My guess would be after the hands-one events though, which means mid-to-late May at the earliest.

What's certain is that the next few months will be an exciting time for Nintendo fans, as anticipation builds for the new console. I'm keen to see how Nintendo builds on the huge success of the original Switch with this sequel.