Nintendo has announced a June 5 launch date for its latest gaming console, the Switch 2, which will introduce interactive chat and screen-share functions to connect gamers.
At its 60-minute Nintendo Direct presentation, the company revealed a more vibrant display on the Switch 2, a larger screen and several games that will launch with the console.
Nintendo will sell the Switch 2 for $449.99 US ($644.06 Cdn) at launch, according to a company media release. A separate bundle that includes the new Mario Kart World game will also be available for $499.99 US ($715.62 Cdn). The original Switch sold for $299.99 US ($429.37 Cdn) in 2017.
Central to its updated portable gaming console is a new "C" button on its Joy Con controller, which will launch a new "GameChat" that allows you to "communicate with friends and family while playing a game," and let you share your game screen with other players, according to Nintendo developers who presented the new features. The chat function will only be available to users who subscribe to Nintendo's Switch online service.
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A built-in microphone at the top of the system will also allow you to talk to other gamers.
Perhaps the most contemporary function yet for the Switch 2 is the ability to use the Joy-Con controllers like a computer mouse. The developer displayed multiple ways to use the new function in games, such as angling a club in a golf game.
The new console will be backwards compatible — meaning it's able to play physical and digital Switch games — although some games may not be supported or fully compatible with the Switch 2, Nintendo said.
Wednesday's presentation started with an extended look at Mario Kart World — the console's launch bundle game — which adds a bit of flare to the series with in-game characters doing tailwhips, flips, rail grinds and other tricks.
The developer also unveiled a new James Bond game, dubbed Project 007, revisiting a classic Nintendo 64 console hit revered by many first-person shooter fans. Nintendo also said Switch Online subscribers will be able to access a limited selection of GameCube titles such as The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker and F-Zero GX.
The company's previous Nintendo Direct presentation on March 27 announced games would continue to be made well into 2025 for the first-generation console, which debuted in 2017.
Nintendo plans to host "Switch 2 Experience" events in several countries, where gamers can get hands-on experience with the new system. Those events are planned for cities including Los Angeles, New York, London and Paris beginning this month.