The Grand Global Launch of Switch 2

For Nintendo fans, this was an extraordinary day. On June 5th, the Nintendo Switch 2 was officially released simultaneously worldwide, with players lining up to get their hands on the new console. According to an April announcement from Nintendo on X, 2.2 million people in Japan alone entered a lottery for the chance to purchase the system. In the U.S., nearly all Best Buy stores opened their doors shortly after midnight to accommodate eager fans.

This marked the first time in eight years that Nintendo fans could relive the excitement of queuing up for a new console launch, with many spending hundreds of dollars on the Switch 2 and its accessories. The new system succeeds the original Switch, which debuted in 2017 and sold 150 million units worldwide. The Switch 2 is expected to drive a new wave of growth in the gaming console market in 2025, thanks to its AI-powered graphics, ray tracing, and 4K output, significantly enhancing the visual fidelity and performance of handheld gaming.

The international multilingual version is priced at ¥69,980 (approx. $450 / €415 / 3,399 RMB), with a bundle including the hit game Mario Kart Deluxe also available—the Hong Kong version priced at around 3,489 RMB. Notably, Mario Kart World is the first truly new installment in the series in a decade, and fans couldn’t wait to dive in.

“These are crazy hard to get. I don’t have a lot to do today, so I’m gonna see if I can save a spot in line for them.”  said one eager fan waiting outside a store.

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang previously stated that the Switch 2’s custom Tegra chip delivers a 10x performance boost over its predecessor, incorporating three major technological breakthroughs: cutting-edge mobile graphics processing, full hardware-level ray tracing with HDR support, and a natively optimized architecture. This makes the Switch 2 the most advanced portable gaming console on the market today.

Nintendo’s decision to stick with the winning formula of the original Switch not only proves its enduring popularity but also bets on its appeal lasting well into the next decade. While the 2017 Switch introduced gamers to the hybrid “home console + portable” concept, the Switch 2 doubles down on this vision, even as it faces growing competition from PC handhelds like those from Valve and Lenovo over the past three years.