ENTERTAINMENT

After today’s Switch 2 Nintendo Direct, Nintendo confirmed the Nintendo Switch 2 price: $449.99.

Available on June 5, 2025, the Nintendo Switch 2 was fully revealed today ahead of pre-orders going live on April 9.

“Nintendo Switch 2 is the next step in at-home gaming that can be taken on the go based on eight years of play and discovery that began with Nintendo Switch,” said Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa.

“With its new features that expand the possibilities of gaming experiences, I truly believe that Nintendo Switch 2 is a leap forward in our journey of putting smiles on the faces of everyone that Nintendo touches.”

Nintendo Switch 2 comes with the following:

Nintendo Switch 2 console

Joy-Con 2 controllers (L+R)

Joy-Con 2 Grip

Joy-Con 2 Straps

Nintendo Switch 2 Dock

Ultra High-Speed HDMI Cable

Nintendo Switch 2 AC Adapter

USB-C Charging Cable

The Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World Bundle has a suggested retail price of $499.99 in the United States, which includes a system and a download code for the Mario Kart World game, available from Nintendo Switch 2 launch day on June 5.

While it’s normal to hear lots of curiosity as to how much a new console will cost, the Nintendo Switch 2 in particular has been the focus of a lot of debate due to the unusual economic environment it’s releasing in. As experts told us back in January, factors such as supply chain constraints and uncertainty around tariffs could have impacted Nintendo’s decision around price setting. However, analysts have also said that Nintendo is likely to sell lots of consoles at launch, regardless of the price.

You can catch up on everything from today’s Nintendo Direct right here.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Ever since the Nintendo Switch 2 reveal, fans have been wildly speculating on a tiny detail from the trailer: the Joy-Cons. Specifically, their seeming use as mouse controllers, like on a PC, and the way they moved in the trailer. Now, we finally have official confirmation as to what they do: The Joy-Cons can operate in “mouse mode,” which will allow players to slide the Joy-Cons across flat surfaces and use the analog sticks to simulate a left-click and right-click similar to a standard mouse. Additionally, two Joy-Cons can even be used in mouse mode simultaneously with one in each hand, or one in standard mode with the other in mouse mode. In other words, the game is your oyster.

Fans have been theorizing about the Joy-Con mouse since we saw the reveal trailer, which had the Joy-Cons sliding around just like PC mice. In an effort to get more information, we tried to ask Firaxis, developer of Civilization 7, about it, and got a very cryptic answer in response. Features like this and the new C button fueled conversation about the console over the last month, especially as a rebuttal to criticisms that the Nintendo Switch 2 was playing things “safe” compared to Nintendo’s usual adventurous spirit.

You can catch up on everything announced at today’s Nintendo Switch 2 Direct right here.

Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.

Nintendo Switch 2 features new game cards that come with a sleek new red look and faster data reading speeds.

Nintendo dived into the details on how physical game cards will work for its upcoming console during today’s special Switch 2 Direct. In addition to a first look at these updated game cards, the company detailed how additional storage will work. The Switch 2 will only be compatible with microSD Express Cards, meaning you won’t be able to bring your old storage cards over when you pick up the console this summer.

For a better look at everything else Nintendo had to show during today’s Nintendo Switch 2 Direct, you can click here.

Developing…

Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).

Dbrand isn’t waiting for Nintendo to roll out the red carpet. Ahead of the highly anticipated Switch 2 Nintendo Direct (set for 6 am PT / 9 am ET / 2 pm BST), the company has opened reservations for its Killswitch case for Switch 2. It’s one of the first major third-party accessories available to order for the new console. If you plan to reserve the case, there’s a $3 fee, which will be credited toward the final purchase and is fully refundable.

Another April Fools’ Day has come and gone and we here at IGN had some fun with it by presenting the second round of casting announcements for Avengers: Doomsday following the 27 actors Marvel revealed last week. We loved how the internet reacted to our joke, and we thought we’d share the best ones right here.

While we started off by teasing that actors like Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, and Sydney Sweeney were the next choices to be part of Avengers: Doomsday, Meta shared that “we were holding our breath until slide 10.” As you can see in our Instagram slideshow, slide 10 is none other than Marvel Rivals’ Jeff the Land Shark.

The official Sonic the Hedgehog Movie account was next to join the party after seeing Shadow the Hedgehog made the cut, saying, “Shadow’s getting top billing for sure, like cmon now.”

The official M3GAN account was also excited that their beloved, murderous AI-powered doll would be joining the likes of Chris Hemsworth’s Thor, Letitia Wright’s Black Panther, and Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom. In fact, M3gan herself wrote, “I’m always #1 on the call sheet babes.”

There were a few, like bryce.nicholls, who were fooled at first with the chairs of Reynolds’ Deadpool and Jackman’s Wolverine. However, they were brought speeding back down to earth with the news that they’d be joined by such heavy hitters as ‘The Sandworm From Dune.’

The aptly-named WeAreVenomNME wasn’t so easily fooled and knew this was all a ruse once they saw Morbius actor Jared Leto’s chair plop into place. NicFlem229 was happy about Leto though, as they replied in the perfect way with “It’s Morbin Time.”

Controller noted that “The Cat From Flow” is all they care about, and that echoed the funny reaction Zoë Rose Bryant had with the real Marvel announcement. It was one of many joke castings that we laughed at and included in our internet reacts to the Avengers: Doomsday casting reveal alongside Emperor Palpatine, Jennifer Coolidge’s Tanya, Knack, and more.

The cat from ‘FLOW’ will return in ‘AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY’ pic.twitter.com/f2mFcbDeMN

— zoë rose bryant (@zoerosebryant) March 26, 2025

Those like Mr.Figures loved our addition of Danny DeVito, especially since we mirrored Paul Rudd’s smaller chair from the official reveal.

Which chair was your favorite from our April Fools’ Day video? Was it Heel John Cena? Maybe Dominic Toretto? Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg? Shrek? The Broom From Wicked? The Rizzler? Let us know below!

For more, check out some of our older April Fools’ Jokes, including our infamous Legend of Zelda movie trailer and the fake Nintendo Direct that is the perfect way to gear up for the big Switch 2 reveal happening today!

Adam Bankhurst is a writer for IGN. You can follow him on X/Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on TikTok.

A video purportedly taken from the next iteration of The Sims has popped up online, and fans have expressed their concern about what it may mean for the much-loved series.

Project Rene – the codename sometimes used interchangeably with The Sims 5, although EA maintains Project Rene is, in fact, a spin-off project – has been bubbling around for a few years now, but early access footage from a game entitled “City Life Game With Friends” has many players thinking that this could well be the next Sims game.

The video itself is a full 20 minutes long and shows the player clicking through text prompts to select their outfit, hair, watch, activities, and so on. He then spawns into a sunlit Plaza de Poupon where he buys some food and mingles with the locals. He later goes to work in the outdoor café.

Characters are clearly called Sims throughout the playtest, talk in Simlish, and are adorned with The Sims’ tell-tale Plumbob.

“I am terribly disappointed with Project Rene. Yes, I know, according to EA, ‘this is not the final game.’ Is this a joke or what?” said one unhappy player on The Sims’ subreddit on a post entitled “I think Project Rene is a redflag (I hope not)” that has been upvoted hundreds of times.

“EA clearly wants to kill off normal Sims games and push people toward the mobile-style experience. So in their mind, a reboot literally means this — at least that’s what I THINK.”

“This is not going to be for me, I can tell already,” said another. “It just seems so basic and I don’t want to play The Sims on my phone.”

“The funny thing is, making a PC/mobile cross-compatible Sims game isn’t a bad idea,” posited a fan. “EA just believes that mobile games HAVE to be ugly for some reason. They’re chasing all of the design trends of the past decade, but it means that this thing already looks dated and it’s not even out yet.”

“The way The Sims was a literally [sic] satire about capitalist suburban consumption-as-happiness…. And this is where the Sims ended up. Endless consumption-as-happiness,” suggested another.

Project Rene — the codenamed game initially thought to be The Sims 5 until EA distanced itself from those rumors — was first teased in 2022 during a Behind the Sims Summit. It’s a free-to-play Sims game that features multiplayer inspired by Animal Crossing and Among Us. It hasn’t yet been formally revealed or received a release date, but EA has been holding small, invite-only playtests for the game since its announcement, with the game’s latest playtest presumably spawning these recent leaks.

The name Rene was chosen because it references words like “renewal, renaissance, and rebirth” that “represent the developer’s renewed commitment for the Sims’ bright future.”

Last October, however, images of Project Rene leaked from a closed online test, prompting complaints about the art style, limited features, and the use of microtransactions. It was the addition of a café that drew the most skepticism, primarily due to the smiliaries to 2018’s The Sims Mobile. It was then that EA said Project Rene was not The Sims 5 but would, in fact, be a different “cosy, social game” released under The Sims franchise.

Don’t forget that The Burglar, a familiar sight for those of us who’ve spent time with any of the older Sims games snuck back into our lives as part of the latest update for The Sims 4.

Vikki Blake is a reporter, critic, columnist, and consultant. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.