Nintendo has officially announced that the upcoming Switch 2 will include several accessibility features right before its launch. Among these enhancements is a text-to-speech function, along with live captioning for the GameChat feature, which facilitates in-game communication. Additionally, the company has provided details regarding the variable refresh rate (VRR) capabilities of the new console, stating that this feature will be limited to handheld mode.
Text-to-Speech Capability
The text-to-speech feature has been demonstrated in a gameplay video that showcases the GameChat functionality, as highlighted by user OatmealDome on Bluesky. In the footage, players can enter a message in GameChat, which the Switch 2 will then vocalize. The user suggested that the console will likely accept USB keyboards for text entry, similar to its predecessor.
GameChat on Switch 2 features text-to-speech. If you enable it, your text input will be read aloud by the system. USB keyboards are expected to be supported as well, much like they are on the first version of Switch.
— OatmealDome (@oatmealdome.bsky.social) May 16, 2025 at 9:19 PM
In an additional video shared by OatmealDome, the Switch 2 demonstrated support for live captions within the GameChat feature. This allows a chat box to appear on the screen, providing real-time transcriptions of other players’ messages.
Variable Refresh Rate Details
In other news, Nintendo has clarified that the Switch 2’s variable refresh rate will not function while the console is docked, with VRR support available exclusively in handheld mode. This was confirmed in a statement issued to NintendoLife, where the company acknowledged an earlier mistake regarding the information presented on its website.
“Nintendo Switch 2 supports VRR in handheld mode only. We apologize for the error that was initially published,” the statement read. While the company refrained from commenting on the possibility of enabling VRR for docked mode in future firmware updates, they previously listed that capability on their website before retracting the claim.
Despite the VRR limitation, the hybrid console is also confirmed to support up to 4K resolution, HDR, and framerates reaching 120fps when connected to compatible televisions.
The Nintendo Switch 2 is scheduled for release on June 5, with a starting price of $449.99 in the United States. Nintendo has expressed an ambitious target of selling 15 million units of the new console within the current fiscal year.