Nintendo showed off its Nintendo Switch 2 hardware and games to the press in New York City yesterday, and one of the rare parts of the event was a sit-down panel with the hardware designers.
The group included the tech leaders who were part of the Nintendo Direct video unveiling the details of the launch of the Switch 2, which will cost $450 and debut on June 5. They didn’t answer questions about why the console and the games cost so much — $80 for each Switch game (Trump’s tariffs may have something to do with it). But they did answer the questions the media threw them about the hardware.
The leaders included Kouichi Kawamoto, producer on Switch 2; Tetsuya Sasaki, technical director on Switch 2, and Takuhiro Dohta, director of Switch 2.
I asked them if they had an elegant solution for the emulation of the original Switch and GameCube games, either with hardware or software. They said it was software but it was too complicated to explain.
Here’s an edited transcript of the press conference.
The Nintendo Switch 2 hardware designers meet the press.
Kouichi Kawamoto: I entered Nintendo in 1997. For the past maybe 10 years, I’ve been focusing on software development. I was the producer, for example, on Ring Fit Adventure. I was also working with Mr. Koizumi, the overall director for the Nintendo Switch. This time, on the Nintendo Switch 2, I was a producer.
Tetsuya Sasaki: I entered Nintendo in 1995. It’s 30 years for me at Nintendo this year. As a developer, I first started working on systems work on the Nintendo Gamecube. Specifically on the Nintendo Switch, I helped with the hardware system, hardware development, network systems, I worked over all those in a support role. On the Nintendo Switch 2 I’m the technical director.
Takuhiro Dohta: I entered Nintendo in 2003 as a programmer. Recently I became involved as the technical director of the Legend of Zelda series, on Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. On the Nintendo Switch 2 I served as the director.
Question: How was the experience of filming the Nintendo Direct? Can you share what that was like?
Sasaki: I probably struggled the most of everyone here. First of all, I was born and raised in Kyoto. I’m from the Kansai area of Japan. When I was told I was going to be in the Direct, I spent a lot of time practicing the script. The person who coached me through all of that said, just be yourself, so I really put my all into it. Come the day of the filming, I went with confidence, I spoke my lines, and I was told, “Your Kyoto dialect is very strong. I need you to fix that.” I didn’t know what to fix where. I had to have someone guide my line by line. With their help, I was somehow able to get through the filming.
You might have noticed that Kawamoto-san and I have jackets, but Mr. Dohta doesn’t. Anything you want to say about that?
The Nintendo Switch 2 has a 7.9-inch screen with up to 4K resolution.
Dohta: When everyone got their outfits, Mr. Kawamoto and Mr. Sasaki got these nice jackets. I was waiting for mine. Then I was told, “This color looks good on you,” so I didn’t get a jacket. It’s not that I forgot my jacket. To all of you who watched the Direct, do you know why I’m wearing a shirt in this color? See, Mr. Sasaki is the actual body of the Joycon 2, then Mr. Kawamoto is the left side, and I’m the right side.
Question: In Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, there’s a lot of secrets about the Nintendo Switch 2, as well as quizzes. I thought I would hold two out and test you on it. The Nintendo Switch 2 console’s built-in chip removes noise to make voices easier for you to hear, but one type of sound is not removed to make for a more enjoyable experience. Which one?
(Multiple-choice answer is applause)
Kawamoto: The reason we did this, when you’re using game chat, we wanted to make sure that the voice comes across, but not only the language information. We wanted to make sure emotion came across as well. We wanted to make sure that clapping doesn’t get cancelled out.
Question: Nintendo released a mouse in the past. What year was it released?
(Multiple-choice answer is 1992)
Kawamoto: On the Super NES, when Mario Paint was released, they also put out a mouse. As you know, this time with Nintendo Switch 2, the Joycon 2 also acts as a mouse.
Question: Can you tell us more about the new display, especially as it relates to 120fps and the variable refresh rate?
The Switch 2 has a camera and other accessories.
Kawamoto: When it comes to refresh rate, VRR really comes in handy when sometimes the processing doesn’t work well. That becomes apparent when the screen becomes a bit choppy. VRR can help address that, so it doesn’t become apparent. That’s probably the biggest value add to having VRR.
Question: The current Nintendo Switch is compatible with old Gamecube controllers. Will those continue to work with Nintendo Switch online games?
Sasaki: Yes, that is supported.
Question: I had a question about the two USB-C ports. I’ve used display glasses made by Xreal and others with PC handhelds. Is that something that could be possible with the USB-C ports on the Nintendo Switch 2? Or do you have other types of accessories in mind?
Kawamoto: In terms of supporting glasses, it’s not an official Nintendo product, so it’s hard to say. But in terms of video output, it’s only from the bottom USB-C port. The top USB-C port doesn’t support that.
Question: Will the Joycon controllers and Pro controllers for the Switch 1 be supported on the Switch 2?
Sasaki: Yes, the Nintendo Switch 2 is the next hardware following Nintendo Switch. All the Nintendo Switch accessories will be supported.
Kawamoto: I’ll just mention that while you won’t be able to physically connect the Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch 1, titles like Ring Fit Adventure that require a peripheral for the Nintendo Switch will also be supported because those accessories are also supported by the Nintendo Switch 2.
Question: An issue that many players faced with the original Switch Joycon was stick drift. Is this something that’s been improved with the Joycon 2 and the Pro Controller 2 as well?
Sasaki: As you may have witnessed and felt, the new Joycon 2 controllers have been designed from the ground up, from scratch. They’ve been designed to have bigger movements, and also smoother movement.
Question: Are there any features, any capabilities that you wanted to implement into the Switch 2, but had to drop in the end?
Kawamoto: Those I want to keep for the future, so I can’t tell you. I will say that some of the features that were newly added to the Nintendo Switch 2 were features we wanted to have in the Nintendo Switch, but now that it’s become the Nintendo Switch 2, we’re able to add them. That’s even more of a reason why I can’t share any details.
Sasaki: There’s a lot of technology and a lot of features crammed in there.
Question: We keep hearing about how the Nintendo Switch 2 is compatible with compatible Nintendo Switch 1 games. Can you talk about what determines if a game is compatible, and can you share any games that are not?
Dohta: I’ll start with the end, which is titles that are not compatible. One example is Nintendo Labo, because it just doesn’t fit in the cardboard box. There’s a more complete list on our website when it comes to compatibility. You can check that today, and we’ll keep that updated.
Question: When we use a mouse with our computers, we usually have a desk or table in front of us, but when we’re playing video games, we’re usually on a sofa. What was the inspiration to put a mouse in this experience?
The Nintendo Switch 2 hits retail on June 5 for $450.
Kawamoto: That’s a very good question. When I was playing PC games, I thought that the experience of playing with a mouse is fun. It’s engaging. I was thinking, what if we could bring this to the Nintendo Switch 2? So we brought it to the Nintendo Switch 2. But as you mentioned, usually a table is quite far away when you’re sitting on the sofa. It really depends on the material, but we’ve made adjustments so you can control the mouse on your pants. I don’t know if you’ve had the chance to play yet, but Drag and Drive, you can play that while using the mouse controls on your pants. There are some people on the development side who prefer to play the game that way.
Dohta: Because of the environment we’re in, it’s a hands-on experience. The mouse controls had to be tethered. But if you purchase it, I hope you give it a try on your own and see what they feel like without the tethers.
Question: With the new chat features, how did you design this with safety in mind? What’s to stop players from using it in an inappropriate way, especially as a lot of people who use the Switch are younger players?
Sasaki: First of all, in terms of safety, this is compatible with the parental controls app. Parental controls for the minor who’s going to be using the hardware can be set and controlled through the app.
Kawamoto: The only people that minors will be able to chat with are those friends that their parents have approved.
Dohta: When it’s just two adults, they also need to be friends with each other to be able to chat. You won’t find yourself in a situation where you’ll be placed in a chat with strangers. You can import your friends from the Nintendo Switch to do some fine-tuning, because there are bound to be people who like to chat and people who prefer not to chat.
Kawamoto: Ultimately, if something does happen, if you’re chatting with someone you don’t want to chat with, there is also a report feature.
Question: What was your thought process with choosing the name for the Nintendo Switch 2?
Kawamoto: There’s not really a rule that Nintendo follows, but it’s true that we haven’t named a hardware like this before. The naming process for this hardware, between the three of us–throughout the year we’ve had this multiple times.
Dohta: The process went where we’d gather, have a meeting, try to brainstorm some names, not come up with anything, and then say, “We’ll try next time.” Have a meeting, brainstorm names, not come up with anything. This rinse and repeat continued for probably several years.
Kawamoto: The idea of something that you might think might be Nintendo-like – say, “Super Nintendo Switch” – I guess that did come up. But we weren’t sure that was quite the right name. The cycle continued. Calling it the Super Nintendo Switch would hearken back to the Super NES, but the NES and Super NES didn’t have compatibility. Since Nintendo Switch 2 has a lot of compatibility with Nintendo Switch titles, we thought maybe Super Nintendo Switch wasn’t the right direction to go in. At the same time we wanted to make sure that the name really reflected the idea that this is the latest Nintendo Switch, a new standard for what Nintendo Switch is. Hence we came up with Nintendo Switch 2.
Question: When did development of the Nintendo Switch 2 begin? What were the main guidelines and philosophy that you started with?
Kawamoto: For the three of us, when we were assigned to this project it was back in 2019. With that said, even before that, the hardware team had always been looking into what kind of hardware could be used for the next iteration. It’s really hard to tell when the exact start date was.
Sasaki: Take the Joycon 2 for example. The idea of using magnets was something that was already in our thoughts amid other considerations during the Nintendo Switch. Again, it’s hard to pin down when it was that we started. You could say that development is always ongoing for us.
The Switch 2 has Joy-Con controllers that can serve as mice.
Question: Should we expect similar battery life to the Nintendo Switch 2, or better? Do you have an estimation?
Sasaki: In terms of battery life, it depends on the environment and the conditions you use it in. With the Nintendo Switch, we stated estimates for specific titles.
Dohta: With the Nintendo Switch 2, because of things like game chat, the workings of the system side are a lot more complex. That’s why, because of that, the variability of battery life is even broader than it was for Nintendo Switch. Comparing battery life between Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 is difficult to do because of those variables between the two systems.
Kawamoto: The CPU for the Nintendo Switch 2 does take a lot more power. But to adjust for that, we’ve also increased the battery size. Again, though, it depends on the conditions and the environment you’re playing in, so it’s difficult to give a precise answer.
Question: Did you come up with an elegant solution for either hardware-based or software-based emulation for Gamecube and Switch software?
Sasaki: It’s a bit of a difficult response. Taking into consideration that it’s not just the hardware that’s being used to emulate, I guess you could categorize it as software-based.
Dohta: If you let Mr. Sasaki actually answer this in full, it’ll take a long time to explain.
Question: I know that you’re using DLSS in some of your games with the Switch 2, AI upscaling. What possibilities has that opened up for game development?
Dohta: You’re right that we use DLSS upscaling technology. It’s something that we’ll continue to use as we develop games. When it comes to the hardware, it’s able to output to a TV at a maximum of 4K. Whether the software developer is going to use that as a native resolution or go to a smaller resolution and upscale is something that the developer can choose. It opens up a lot of options for the software developer.
Question: Will there be Switch 1 titles that automatically have faster load times, better resolution, or higher framerates on Switch 2, or is that only reserved for Switch 2 upgrade titles?
Dohta: There are titles where, if you take the Nintendo Switch version and play it on the Nintendo Switch 2, you might experience faster load times and improvement in framerate. But that will vary widely from title to title.
Question: When you developed the system, did issues around chip shortage and costs, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic, factor into your process?
The Switch 2 is about the same thickness as the original Switch.
Sasaki: Yes. For example, COVID certainly had a large impact on the development and design process. With the chip shortage, as we worked with our partners we had to be creative in how we worked our way around that. Even the Nintendo Switch was hard to get at one point.
Question: Why did you choose to go back to the LCD screen, which could be seen as a downgrade from the OLED Switch?
Sasaki: There are a lot of advancements that have been made in LCD technology. During development we took a look at the LCDs that were available to us now, and after a lot of consideration, we decided to stick with LCD.
Kawamoto: Even with the OLED version of Nintendo Switch, we didn’t have support for HDR, and that’s something we can support now.
Question: Can the Nintendo Switch 2 support hardware raytracing?
Dohta: Yes, the GPU does support raytracing. As was the case with DLSS, this provides yet another option for software developers, another tool for them.
Question: We saw that Nintendo Switch 2 will support third-party cameras for game chat. Is there any way to tell if an existing 4K USB-C camera will work with Switch 2? Is there any limiting factor that can affect whether cameras will support facial recognition features?
Sasaki: From a hardware perspective, we wanted to try to support as much as possible. However, from the perspective of fine-tuning and making sure that everything works, it’s a lot easier for us on the software side to adjust if the camera used is one provided by Nintendo.
Question: Can you give any more details on the Nvidia GPU in the Switch 2 and how it helps the machine reach its full potential?
The Switch 2 comes seven years after the original Switch.
Sasaki: Nintendo doesn’t share too much about the hardware specs. What we want to focus on is the value we can provide to our consumers. But I do believe that our partners at Nvidia will be sharing some information that pertains to that chip, so you can look forward to that.
Question: When I was playing Metroid Prime 4 I was surprised that the controller could go from mouse to traditional Joycon with just a turn of the wrist. How does that work, and why do you choose to make that an organic movement as opposed to something you’d toggle in a menu?
Dohta: When it comes to being able to organically or seamlessly switch from mouse control to Joycon control, we wanted that to also be an available option for the software, depending on the software. What that means is, if a software application decides that it’s actually better to have a setting or a switch that turns it from mouse control to Joycon control, that’s also available. With that said, one of the unique features of the Joycon 2 is that, aside from the mouse sensor, there’s a gyro sensor and an accelerometer. Doing something like a seamless switch between those control schemes is another unique option that the Joycon 2 provides.
Kawamoto: From my side, part of me is happy that we did it, and another part of me is happy that you were surprised by it.
Question: When you take off the Joycon, there’s a connector between the Joycon and the console that looks like it might break easily. How do you make sure that that doesn’t break?
Kawamoto: It may look a bit flimsy at first glance, but for those of you who’ve gotten your hands on and been able to touch it, I was hoping that–I think you’ll see that it’s not as flimsy as it looks.
Sasaki: From the hardware side, we did our best to make sure that it’s sturdy.
Kawamoto: When you actually snap the Joycon 2 back into place, the force is applied mostly on the colored portion. There’s not a lot of force applied to the connector portion. This is a little detailed, but if you look at the connector, it has a bit of give. If there’s a lot of force applied, that give will dissipate that force so it doesn’t bear too much on the connector itself. That’s the kind of information you’ll find in the Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, so I hope you play it!
Sasaki: Because Mr. Kawamoto is very knowledgeable about our hardware, he’s able to create a game like that that teaches so much.
Question: Have you improved the Bluetooth connection for the Joycons while in TV mode, or the audio connection for earphones in table mode with Joycons attached or detached?
Mario Kart World is one of the big Switch 2 titles.
Sasaki: If I were to go too far into it, I feel like it would take forever, but yes, it has improved. To add a bit more, a lot of those features depend on size. That has a lot of impact. The bigger the antenna, the better the connection. Because we’ve been able to do that, I think you’ll find that the connection has improved. Aside from increasing the number of antennas, there’s a lot of other adjustments that we’ve made to improve that. I like talking about this, but I’ll try to save myself because we have a limited time.
Question: Why did you decide against analog shoulder buttons on the Joycons and Pro controller?
Sasaki: From the hardware side, we worked on what we were asked to do. There were a lot of, let’s say, very fussy developers around us who wanted to go this route. That’s why we went the route we did.
Kawamoto: In terms of analog buttons on the shoulders, there are positives, but also negatives. You lose a little bit of instancy when they’re analog. We considered it and decided that instant input would be the better option. That’s why we decided to move forward with this decision.
Question: Is the eShop going to be faster for Nintendo Switch 2? Any improvements compared to the previous one?
Dohta: In terms of the development of Nintendo Switch 2 and the eShop, Mr. Kawamoto has strong feelings about the eShop, so maybe I’ll toss that question to him.
Kawamoto: When it comes to the eShop, maybe we can back up a little bit. This might be a bit controversial, but in terms of applications on the Wii, I probably booted the Wii Shopping Channel the most out of any application. When it comes to the eShop, I wanted to make sure it was a smooth experience, that the scrolling of the list was very smooth, that the pages load fast. These are all requests I made to the team in great detail, in great amounts.
Sasaki: With those requests from Mr. Kawamoto, the network service team in charge of the infrastructure, the team in charge of the server app, the team in charge of the client side of the software, everybody gathered to put all their forces together to make Mr. Kawamoto happy.
Kawamoto: I’m really excited for the Nintendo Switch 2 release, and I hope you’ll take a look at the eShop.
Disclosure: Nintendo paid my way to New York.
GB Daily
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