After weeks of leaks and wild speculation, Nintendo has finally released the Switch 2, the highly anticipated successor to its popular hybrid handheld console. The game's producer released a two-minute trailer today, giving the first look at the console, which looks very similar to the original Switch, but larger.

Nintendo also announced Thursday that it will hold a Direct presentation on April 2 to provide more details about the Switch. In a video announcement, Nintendo debuted the larger screen, complete with a pair of black-pink and black-blue Joy-Cons. The video also appears to tease a new mario kart Footage of the game is only shown for a few seconds.

Nintendo said in a press release that the handheld will play both Switch 2 and Switch games, 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, when Nintendo was still recovering from poor sales of its previous console, the Wii U. However, while the Wii U failed to find an audience, Switch sales soared. In 2023, it became the third best-selling console of all time, behind the Nintendo DS and PlayStation 2, a position it still holds today.

However, by 2024, the console seems to have reached its peak. Sales were plummeting and rumors of a next-generation product were already starting to circulate. About a year ago, when Nintendo announced Pokémon Legends: GO It's set to launch its "system" in 2025, with fans speculating that a new console is imminent. (Nevermind, the plural "systems" here probably just refer to the Switch's Lite and OLED models.)

Last May, the company promised to release a new console by April 2025. Details and purported photos of the device leaked from the manufacturer last month and were later leaked on platforms like Reddit and X.

At least Nintendo diehards have been having fun with these leaks - whether it's using tarot cards to predict a release date, or teasing features like "imported Italian air" or screws. "It has 10 grooves. So reveal January 10th," one Reddit user joked. Another man built a "summoning circle" filled with old games and statues of Mario and Luigi.

The next-gen Switch will launch into a vastly different console ecosystem than its predecessor. In 2022, Steam released the handheld Steam Deck, allowing players to play more PC games anytime, anywhere. During this year's CES, Jason Ronald, Microsoft's vice president of "next generation", hinted to The Verge that the Windows gaming experience will be updated this year. Microsoft gaming chief Phil Spencer also mentioned the possibility of a handheld Xbox device.