Early this month, Nintendo aired its Nintendo Direct presentation on the Nintendo Switch 2 — the company’s newest console, first announced in January of this year. The console is set to release on June 5, though U.S. pre-orders — initially set to become available April 9 — have been postponed until April 24 in response to U.S. tariffs.
The Nintendo Switch 2 boasts several improvements on its predecessor such as a larger screen, higher resolution and a built-in GameChat feature. The new console will cost $449.99 at release, a 50% increase from the price of the original Nintendo Switch.
“Even with the optimizations and added stuff they showed off, I don’t feel like the price tag is going to justify it,” junior Daniel McConville said.
As advertised in Nintendo Direct, the June 5 date will see a number of other games released for the console (though some will be available on additional platforms besides the Switch 2), with others set to release later this year or some time in 2026.
The announced games include continuations of well-loved Nintendo franchises such as “Mario Kart World,” “Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment” and “Kirby Air Riders,” highly anticipated sequels such as the “Hollow Knight” DLC, “Silksong,” and “Hades 2” — and even a port of classic GameCube games.
“A lot of people are excited about Silksong,” English teacher Samantha Darr said. “I’m really excited about the new Mario Kart.”
But the price tag of many of these games — not to mention the cost of the console itself — has left many prospective buyers hesitant to pre-order.
“I probably will get one. It might not be an immediate purchase — it’d be something I’d save for,” Darr said. “And I think, instead of having a couple, it would be just one in the household.”
For many, however, the Nintendo Direct presentation has them completely unimpressed.
“My first thought when I heard that it was announced was I already have one that I don’t use that much,” junior Daniel McConville said. “So why would I buy a second one, even for the exclusives?”
