Nintendo Switch 2 launch – live: Console reveal just hours away – UK Times

One of the earliest rumours surrounding the Nintendo Switch 2 was its potential to support 4K gaming. While Nintendo hasn’t confirmed anything yet, a 2021 patent suggested the company was exploring 4K upscaling.

The rumour gained more traction in September when Video Games Chronicle reported that its sources had seen the Switch 2 running an enhanced version of Zelda: Breath of the Wild at Gamescom with improved resolution and framerate compared to the original Switch.

VGC’s sources also claimed the console ran The Matrix Awakens tech demo, which was originally designed to show off the power of the PS5 and Xbox Series X using Nvidia’s DLSS upscaling and advanced ray tracing, with visuals reportedly comparable to those high-end systems.

However, Insider Gaming’s Tom Henderson has heard from developers that this might not be the case. “I heard this from one developer at GDC and also heard it separately in an email but the dev kits, or some of the dev kits, don’t have a 4K output,” Henderson said in the Insider Gaming Weekly podcast.

That said, dev kits don’t usually have the same specs as what you’d get on a launch machine, so it might still support 4K.

Last week, a major retailer may have accidentally revealed the pre-order date for the Nintendo Switch 2. On 27 March, Best Buy Canada briefly published (then quickly deleted) a blog post claiming pre-orders would open on 2 April, directly after the Nintendo Direct.

That timing would mirror the original Switch launch in 2017, when pre-orders went live immediately after the console’s unveiling.

However, a new report from Insider Gaming’s Tom Henderson suggests otherwise. Internal emails and documents from a major US retailer, seen by the outlet, indicate pre-orders are set to go live on 9 April – a full week after the event.

The report also claims that the retailer expects stock to sell out on day one due to limited allocation from Nintendo.

The all-new Nintendo Today app has just been updated with a fresh promo video, and it all but confirms one of the Switch 2’s most talked-about rumours: that the Joy-Cons will double up as a computer mouse.

When Nintendo released its first trailer for the Switch 2, eagle-eyed fans spotted a Joy-Con sliding across a surface like a mouse, hinting at mouse-like functionality. Patents released in February backed this up, detailing how the new controllers could work independently for cursor-style input.

Now, in the new “one day to go” countdown video, the console is shown in various configurations – handheld, docked and tabletop. But in that final mode, one of the Joy-Cons is lying on its side, in the exact same sliding mouse-like orientation seen in the original trailer.

Nintendo will host its Nintendo Direct tomorrow on Wednesday 2 April at 2pm BST, and it will be streamed live on Nintendo’s YouTube channel.

As well as detailing anything new with the hardware and software, I’m also expecting Nintendo to announce the Switch 2’s release date, pricing and launch titles.

I’ll embed the YouTube stream on the page once it’s available.

Good morning! We’re just one day away from getting up close and personal with Nintendo’s biggest launch since the original Switch was released in 2017.

I’m The Independent’s senior tech critic and I’ll be with you as we count down to tomorrow’s big reveal, bringing you all the latest rumours, leaks and build-up ahead of Nintendo Direct. Stay tuned! Lots more to follow.