The hour-long Nintendo Switch 2 Direct presentation revealed a ton of information and details about the new gaming system from Nintendo, but surprisingly we didn't actually get to see the console's main menu. For that, eagle-eyed gamers scoured Nintendo's website, discovering the new menu tucked away on a specific page about Switch 2 Edition games.
Towards the bottom fo the page, in the "How to purchase an upgrade pack," we can get our first look at what looks to be the Switch 2's main menu. Perhaps the reason Nintendo didn't take time to showcase it during the presentation is because it's not all that different from the current Switch menu. Like the system itself, it's more of an iteration of the current Switch menu.
The new menu is simple but effective. There's the gallery of game art in the middle which is presumably how you'll be able to launch the games you have installed. The only game shown in the screenshot is the newly announced Mario Kart World.
Other details include the user account, time of day, Wi-Fi connectivity, and remaining battery charge at the top.
At the bottom of the screen is a second row of icons. The Nintendo Switch Online, Album, Controllers, System Settings, and Sleep Mode icons are all similar to the ones on the Switch 1, while the Nintendo eShop icon has undergone a slight color change and now looks to be a darker shade of orange. There are also some icons that appear to represent the Switch 2's new features, Virtual Game Cards, GameChat, and GameShare. The only icon we're not sure about is the one that looks like.a green sheet of paper.
Overall, it's not that much different from the menu of the current Switch, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. But it could indicate that several fan-requested features, like game folders, have not been added.
While the menu appears largely the same, the Switch 2 itself boasts multiple improvements over its predecessor, including a larger 7.9-inch LCD screen that displays in full HD a 1080p, Joy-Con controllers that magnetically attach and can be operated like a mouse, 256GB internal storage, and just overall more impressive internal hardware that allows for better third-party game support. New features include the aforementioned GameChat, which is basically the equivalent of party chat on Xbox or PlayStation, a built-in microphone, and external camera support to allow for video chat that can also be implemented in specific games.
The Nintendo Switch 2 is set to launch on June 5th and is priced at $449.99. The Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World Bundle will retail for $499.99 and includes a download code for Mario Kart World which costs $80 standalone digitally ($90 for a physical copy).