Tune in for the next Nintendo Direct on Tuesday, June 21 at 10 a.m. ET / 7 a.m. PT. While Nintendo says its focus will be Switch titles launching later this year, that hasn't stopped speculation that the long-rumored Nintendo Switch 2 will finally be announced.
The showcase will last roughly 40 minutes and be live-streamed on Nintendo's YouTube channel, the company said in a surprise announcement on Monday. It marks the third Nintendo Direct of this year and the second focused primarily on games coming to Nintendo Switch.
We can expect new details about Pikmin 4, Nintendo's long-running real-time strategy series where players grow, pluck and direct tiny plant-like aliens, which has a release date of July 21. In addition to information about the rest of Nintendo's release slate for 2023, such as Everybody 1-2 Switch later this month and the first DLC expansion for Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet. Nintendo has yet to reveal exact release dates for the Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet expansions, other than to say it will be broken into two parts launching this fall and winter, respectively.
Tune in on June 21 at 7:00 a.m. PT for a #NintendoDirect livestream featuring roughly 40 minutes of information focused mainly on Nintendo Switch titles launching this year, including new details on Pikmin 4.Watch it live here: https://t.co/utzePnKjGc pic.twitter.com/ro5jotd6rDJune 20, 2023
Rumors about a follow-up to Nintendo's aging Switch hardware have circulated for a while now. The Nintendo Switch is six years old and hasn't received a significant upgrade since last year's Nintendo Switch OLED, which revamped the display but left the internal hardware unchanged. With the Switch 2 (or whatever Nintendo ends up calling it), we're hoping to see big improvements in power, an OLED display out of the box, and the ability to output in 4K to keep up with the best TVs you can buy right now.
In May, Nintendo tried to put Switch 2 rumors to rest for now, saying it has no plans to release any hardware during its current fiscal year, which runs through March 2024. And it's unlikely Nintendo has any big announcements lined up so soon after the release of a massive game like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom earlier in June.
But that hasn't stopped fans from speculating that tomorrow's showcase could contain new details about a possible Switch successor. Switch 2 became a trending term on Twitter following the Nintendo Direct's announcement. Buzz about games that have long been in development like Hollow Knight: Silksong or Metroid Prime 4 also made the rounds, with fans desperate for new details hoping to learn more tomorrow. In any case, we won't have long to wait to find out exactly what Nintendo has in store.
