Nintendo Switch 2 Direct: Top 7 Revelations

New video game hardware announcements can become somewhat predictable. With each new generation of consoles, you can expect to see staples like better graphics, faster load times, and new iterations of beloved, plumber-and-turtle-oriented franchises. Nintendo has consistently delivered these improvements across several generations, from the N64's analog controller to the tiny GameCube discs, wacky Wii motion controls and Virtual Console, the Wii U's tablet screen, and the Switch's built-in portability. The Switch 2 continues this tradition, but being Nintendo, the company once again unveiled a few genuine shockers during the Switch 2 Direct.

It's 2025, and we finally get online play. As a lifelong Nintendo fan since 1983, when my babysitter used to roll footballs at me like Donkey Kong rolling barrels at Mario, I've experienced my share of Nintendo's ups and downs. So, I say this with a mix of excitement and loving bitterness: it's going to be impossible to talk about this awesome reveal without some emotional context.

Nintendo has historically struggled with online play. Apart from Satellaview and Metroid Prime: Hunters, the company has barely scratched the surface of what's possible with a unified multiplayer platform like those created by Sony and Xbox. It's never been as easy to find and talk with friends on a Nintendo platform. Even the original Switch required a separate app for voice chat. But change is here now. During the Direct, Nintendo unveiled GameChat, and it looks genuinely impressive. It supports a four-player chat with noise suppression, video cameras for showing friends' faces, and screen sharing across consoles, allowing you to keep an eye on up to four different displays inside a single screen. GameChat also supports text-to-voice and voice-to-text, enabling multiple communication methods. While we haven't seen a unified matchmaking interface yet, this is already a big step forward, and I'm hoping it means the end of the friend code system.

When I saw the first frames of the trailer, I thought I was watching Bloodborne 2. The ambiance, character design, and environments all screamed FROM Software's signature style. Thanks to Eric Van Allen at IGN, I now know that I was watching footage from The Duskbloods, a multiplayer PvPvE game designed by Hidetaka Miyazaki, the softly-smiling monarch of video game masochism. I'm not sure how he found time to direct a Nintendo-exclusive game, but I'm grateful. FROM Software doesn't miss anymore, so I'm anticipating a tasty treat.

Speaking of surprises, Super Smash Bros. director Masuhiro Sakurai has moved on from Smash to a new Kirby game. This was unexpected. The original Kirby's Air Ride was a pleasant-looking but aggressively unfun Kirby racer for GameCube. But Sakurai's deep affinity for Nintendo's round, pink elder god promises a more refined and enjoyable experience this time around.

In a throwaway moment, Nintendo announced the Pro Controller 2, which now includes an audio jack—a welcome feature about a decade late. More importantly, it features two mappable extra buttons. As a fan of customizable controls, this tiny surprise genuinely excited me.

The absence of Mario genuinely shocked me. It seems that the Odyssey team has been working on Donkey Kong Bananza, a captivating new 3D platformer with a focus on destructible environments. Nintendo is once again playing against expectations, trusting hardcore fans to flock to Donkey Kong's biggest game in generations and saving Mario for another day. The Switch 2 will also launch with extensive third-party support and Mario Kart World. While World looks like a system-seller, I expected it to be a Christmas-window family game. Nintendo is betting on Mario Kart 8's record sales and Bananza to help move enough Switch 2 units to make the launch a success.

Open-world Mario Kart is here, whether it be for good or for ill. I'm betting on good, as the zany physics, weird vehicles, and combat mechanics of Mario Kart should lend themselves well to navigating between and across tracks, battling friends, and sowing chaos. The short look we got seems to indicate a continuous world, much like Bowser's Fury, but larger and supporting myriad drivers.

The Switch 2 comes with a hefty price tag. At $449.99 USD, it's the most expensive launch in Nintendo's 40-plus US sales history. It costs $150 more than its predecessor's launch price and $100 more than the next-most-expensive Wii U. While I understand the economic factors at play, such as tariffs, the yen's value, and American inflation, the Switch 2 will need to succeed without the price advantage that has historically been a key differentiator for Nintendo's consoles and handhelds.