Nintendo revealed its eagerly anticipated Switch 2 console on Thursday, exciting gamers and offering the video game industry a potential bright spot amid a broader slowdown.
The Switch 2 is set to be released this year with more information expected to come in April when the company hosts Nintendo Direct, one of the company's press product launches.
The console's unveiling, made in a YouTube video, comes after growing speculation this week from die-hard fans that a release was coming and has been anticipated by an industry that has hit by mass layoffs and an ongoing strike from the video game performer community.
A new platform could help to spark new games, which could put laid-off developers back to work and signal new lines of revenue for publishers both big and small.
The first iteration of the Switch was a major hit for the Japanese company, selling roughly 146 million units, according to Nintendo, making it the third-bestselling console of all-time, behind the PS2 and the Nintendo DS.
In the video, Nintendo showed a larger screen and Joy-Cons (the controllers on the side of the screen) that are bigger and black rather than the first edition's blue and red. The Joy-Con also now snap into place by magnet. No more sliding the hardware into place.
Nintendo, however, did not release any details on the new equipment.
Two new additions include a c-button on one of the Joy-Cons and new PC mouse-like movement for both Joy-Cons. It was not immediately clear what that button would do. The mouse-like movement of the Joy-Cons could be an indicator that the new hardware will support optical tracking.
Additionally, the video showed off a Mario Kart game, though it was unclear if the game was a previous installment. The video said that the Switch 2 will allow for backward compatibility, meaning that older Switch games will work on the Switch 2.
The Switch 2, like the original Switch, will also play physical copies of games while allowing players to play digital copies at their discretion. This means there will be a port where users can insert a physical game they've purchased — or they can decide to download a copy of the game instead.
Nintendo said it will hold a series of "hands-on events held around the world" leading up to the Switch 2's release.
