PARIS, April 3, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Nintendo's new Switch console will be
launched on June 5, the Japanese video game giant said Wednesday, starting
the countdown for one of the most hotly awaited gaming launches in years.

Millions of fans tuned in on YouTube for an hour-long presentation about the
Switch 2 -- an update to the 2017 original model that has sold around 150
million units.

But shares in the Kyoto-based company tanked nearly six percent in early
Japanese trade on Thursday, partly on profit-taking but also as investors
apparently baulked at the gadget's high price.

The shares' fall also followed US President Donald Trump's announcement of
sweeping global tariffs, including 46 percent on Vietnam and 49 percent on
Cambodia, where Nintendo has reportedly shifted an increasing amount of
production in recent years.

The Switch 2 retains many of its predecessor's features, including its
detachable "Joy-Con" controllers.

But it comes with a larger, higher resolution screen and quicker processing
speeds.

After giving a glimpse of the new console in mid-January, Nintendo provided
further details about some of the changes including a "C" button that
activates "GameChat", allowing players to speak with one another while
playing.

"Even when you're apart, you can play games and hang out as if you were
together in the same room," the firm said.

Nintendo also announced a new version of its best-selling Mario Kart game,
"Mario Kart World", which allows players to go exploring off-grid.

- High price -

Other notable new games, intended to drive uptake of the more expensive
hardware, include "Donkey Kong Bonanza" and "Kirby Air Riders".

They will be priced around 30 percent higher than existing Switch games at
80-90 euros ($86-$97), while the console will also be at least a third more
than its predecessor.

The recommended retail price is listed as $449.99 in the United States,
o395.99 in Britain and 469.99 euros in France -- which quickly became a sore
point among commentators on game sites and forums.

"These price tags have created such negativity around its release that I'm
actually flabbergasted," streamer Sendo DX wrote on social media platform X.

The Switch 2 will have eight times the memory of the first Switch at 256 GB,
and a screen that measures 7.9 inches (20 centimetres) versus 6.2 inches for
the original.

Its controllers, which attach with magnets rather than sliding on, can also
be used like a desktop computer mouse, a new functionality the company
clearly hopes game developers will make use of.

A new "GameShare" function will also enable users to share games with friends
to allow them to temporarily play together.

- 'Higher performance' -

Analysts had predicted that the company would opt to bring out an improved
iteration of a winning formula, rather than announce revolutionary changes --
and that appeared to be the case overall.

Gamers "mention performance and game software, but in reality, they seem to
want the same experience as the original Switch", Hideki Yasuda, an analyst
at Japanese brokerage Toyo Securities, had said beforehand.

"I think what they truly want is simply higher performance."

The Switch won favour with all ages thanks to its hybrid concept, which
allows players to use it on the go and connect to a TV.

Despite recent diversification efforts into movies and theme parks,
Nintendo's core business still relies heavily on video games.

The company cut profit forecasts in February due to slowing sales of the
original Switch, but its shares have risen this year overall on expectations
of strong demand for the Switch 2.

Nintendo could sell around 19 million units in 2025 and 21 million the
following year, Toyo Securities estimated.

The video game industry has been struggling with a global slowdown, with
sales down by 35 percent in 2024 year-on-year in the United States, according
to US market research firm Circana.