With CES 2025 finally in the rearview, it’s time to move on to the next round of big hardware announcements. Rumors have surfaced over the past few weeks, pointing to an imminent announcement for the next generation of Nintendo’s wildly successful hybrid Switch console.

In particular, word from the strong industry Eurogamer (among others) placed an announcement on January 16 – that is, Thursday. If it is true that the big reveal is coming this week, it points to one more additional announcement. The company will likely provide information in one Nintendo Direct at a time instead of a single, large keynote with specs, availability, and launch titles.

We know for sure that the company has its sights set on a Q1 announcement for the Switch 2 – preferably, before the end of March 2025. Another important bit that Nintendo confirmed is backward adaptation of the device to its predecessor. That’s good news for the 150 million or so who bought the first Switch.

The biggest question at the moment is how big of an upgrade we’re finally talking about here. Nintendo’s console names mostly point to major departures for each subsequent generation. With a few exceptions – like the ill-fated Wii U – things are less straightforward than, say, Sony’s PlayStation.

It’s reasonable to expect that the Switch 2 will be an evolution of the existing product, rather than a significant departure. After all, Nintendo spent some time in the wilderness before the Switch’s March 2017 launch. The flexible form factor and some excellent titles are exactly what the company needs to re-establish itself in a distinctly different gaming landscape after the Wii U stumble.

There’s no doubt that the new console will best the original’s specs, but it’s also important to temper expectations, given Nintendo’s history. The days of going toe-to-toe with competitors on elements like the GPU are decades in the company’s past.

Other rumors are just that: magnetic Joy-Cons and a jump in screen size up to eight inches from six on the classic Switch and seven on the Switch OLED, arriving at the end of 2021. Among those console upgrade and the portable-only, budget-minded model that Nintendo introduced with the Switch Lite in 2019, have upgrades on the way.

(Nintendo Switch 2 not pictured)