Nintendo Switch 2

A bigger, sharper screen

The 7.9-inch screen runs at 1920 × 1080, so games get full HD in your hands, where Switch OLED shows 720p on 7 inches. The catch for OLED owners is the panel type: Switch 2 uses an LCD, with a wide color gamut and HDR10. Variable refresh rate (VRR) up to 120Hz lets the screen keep pace with a game’s frame rate. Nintendo doesn’t give a brightness figure.

Storage

Switch 2 has 256GB of UFS storage, 8 times what the original Switch had, with part of it reserved for the system. To add more you need a microSD Express card, up to 2TB. Ordinary microSD cards only work for copying screenshots and videos over from a Switch, so budget for a new card if you buy a lot of digital games.

Joy-Con 2 and GameChat

The Joy-Con 2 attach to the console with magnets. Each has an accelerometer, a gyroscope, HD Rumble 2 and a mouse sensor for games that support mouse controls. The right one adds NFC and the new C Button, which opens GameChat. For chat, the console has a built-in microphone with noise cancellation, echo cancellation and automatic gain.

Each Joy-Con 2 has a 500mAh battery rated for about 20 hours, and recharges in about 3 hours 30 minutes on the console or a charging grip. The left one weighs 2.3 ounces and the right one 2.4.

Battery and charging

Nintendo rates the 5220mAh battery for about 2 to 6.5 hours depending on the game, well short of the 4.5 to 9 hours it gives Switch OLED. Turning on Handheld Mode Boost uses more power still, Nintendo says. If you play on flights or long commutes, plan on a power bank or a charger.

A full charge takes about 3 hours with the console asleep. Either USB-C port can charge it: the bottom one also connects to the dock, and the top one is free for accessories.

Playing on a TV

Docked, Switch 2 can send a 4K picture to your TV at 60fps, or trade resolution for speed at 120fps in 1080p or 1440p. HDR10 and VRR up to 120Hz carry over to the TV, and sound goes out over HDMI as 5.1 linear PCM.

The dock has HDMI, a power input, a LAN port for wired internet and two USB 2.0 ports, and weighs about 0.84 lb on its own.

Chip, size and connections

Nintendo calls the chip a custom processor made by NVIDIA and doesn’t give clock speeds or memory. With the Joy-Con 2 attached, Switch 2 measures about 4.5 × 10.7 × 0.55 inches, or 1.2 inches deep at the sticks, and weighs about 1.18 lb, or about 0.88 lb for the console alone.

It has Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth, stereo speakers in their own enclosure and a 3.5mm headset jack, and it can add a surround effect to headphones.

Switch 2, Switch OLED or Steam Deck OLED?

Spec	Nintendo Switch 2	Nintendo Switch OLED	Steam Deck OLED
Screen	7.9-inch 1080p LCD, HDR10, VRR	7.0-inch 720p OLED	7.4-inch 800p HDR OLED, 90Hz
Storage	256GB UFS, microSD Express	64GB, microSD	512GB or 1TB NVMe, microSD
Software	Nintendo system software and eShop	Nintendo system software and eShop	SteamOS 3
TV output	Up to 4K60 through the dock	1080p through the dock, with LAN	DisplayPort up to 8K at 60Hz or 4K at 120Hz

Pick Switch 2 over Switch OLED for the screen, the storage and 4K on a TV; pick Switch OLED if you’d rather keep an OLED panel and the longer battery. If your games are on Steam, Steam Deck OLED is the one to look at.

Nintendo Switch 2 vs Nintendo Switch OLED and Lenovo Legion Go 2 vs Nintendo Switch 2 go into more detail. The earlier models have their own guides: Nintendo Switch OLED, Nintendo Switch (HAC-001-01) and Nintendo Switch Lite.

Price

Switch 2 launched in the US on 5 June 2025 at $449.99, or $499.99 in a bundle with Mario Kart World, and Nintendo held those prices when US retail pre-orders opened on April 24. Bundles and colors change over time, so check nintendo.com for the current price before you buy.