Nintendo has officially announced the Switch 2

After weeks of leaks and wild speculation, Nintendo finally announced Switch 2the long-awaited successor to the hugely popular hybrid handheld console. The game maker released a two-minute teaser today with a first look at the console, a handheld device that looks a lot like the original Switch, but bigger.

Nintendo also announced on Thursday that it will hold a live presentation to provide more details about the Switch on April 2. In the video announcement, Nintendo debuted a larger screen with a pair of black and pink and black and blue Joy-Cons. The video also seems to tease a new one Mario Kart a game with frames shown in just a few seconds.

The handheld will play both Switch 2 and Switch games, Nintendo said in a press release, but added that “some Nintendo Switch games may not be supported or fully compatible with Nintendo Switch 2.”

The original Nintendo Switch launched in 2017, at a time when Nintendo was still recovering from poor sales on its previous console, the Wii U. Where the Wii U failed to find an audience, the Switch jumped in. In 2023 it’s up the third best seller console of all time behind Nintendo’s DS and PlayStation 2, a position it still holds.

Until 2024 however, the console seems to have peaked. Sales were sharp falland there were already rumors of a next-gen entry. Almost a year ago when Nintendo announced Pokémon Legends: GO will come to its “systems” in 2025, fans have speculated that a new console is on the horizon. (Never mind that the plural “systems” here could simply refer to the Lite and OLED models of the Switch.)

In May of last year, the company promised that it would reveal a new console by April 2025. Last month, details and alleged images of the device leaked by manufacturersand later on platforms like Reddit and X.

Nintendo diehards at least had fun with the leak – be that as it may using tarot card readings to guess the announcement date or to make guesses about features like “imported Italian air” or screws. “There are 10 channels. So reveal January 10,” joked one Reddit user. another constructed a “summoning circle” full of old Mario and Luigi games and figurines.

The next-gen Switch will launch in a much different console ecosystem than its predecessor. In 2022 Steam has launched its handheld Steam Deckallowing players to take more PC games on the go. During CES this year, Microsoft’s VP of Next Generation, Jason Ronald, hinted that The Verge that there will be updates to the Windows gaming experience this year. Microsoft Gaming boss Phil Spencer also hinted at the possibility of a handheld Xbox device.