Nintendo quietly showed Switch 2 demo to developers at Gamescom 2023 behind closed doors

Nintendo quietly showed Switch 2 demo to developers at Gamescom 2023 behind closed doors.

Nintendo reportedly showed a demo of the ‘Switch 2’ console at Gamescom which included visuals comparable to the PS5 and Xbox Series X.

A recent report pinned Switch 2’s arrival for the latter part of next year, with development kits now in the hands of some key partners. This chimed with what Eurogamer had also previously heard, though on timing I understand Nintendo is keen to launch the system sooner if possible.

Publicly, Nintendo has announced a strong line-up of games to see the current Switch through the rest of 2023 and into the start of next year, with the impressive-looking Super Mario Bros. Wonder, a Super Mario RPG remake and a new WarioWare all coming this side of Christmas.

2024 will bring a new Princess Peach game and a port of Luigi’s Mansion 2. The long-awaited Metroid Prime 4, meanwhile, still holds a “TBA” launch date.

Although specific details on the hardware are being kept closely guarded, VGC sources indicated that the next-gen console would be able to be used in portable mode, similar to the Nintendo Switch.

Tokyo-based industry consultant Dr Serkan Toto told VGC that a 2024 console launch would make sense for Nintendo, since it’s projected to see double-digit declines in hardware and software sales this year for Switch, which launched in March 2017.

“I would generally say that looking at Nintendo’s financials, it seems clear that it’s time for a new piece of hardware in 2024,” he said. “Hardware is already projected to fall 16.5% year-on-year in the current fiscal, while the minus for software is expected to hit 15.9%.

Developer presentations for Switch 2 took place behind closed doors, Eurogamer understands, with partners shown tech demos of how well the system is designed to run.

One Switch 2 demo is a souped up version of Switch launch title Zelda: Breath of the Wild, designed to hit the Switch 2’s beefier target specs. (To be clear, though – this is just a tech demo. There’s no suggestion the game will be re-released.)