South Florida gamers wait in long lines for release of Nintendo Switch 2

South Florida gamers waited in long lines for the midnight release of the new Nintendo Switch 2 video game console.

Long lines were seen late Wednesday and into Thursday outside the Best Buy on Northwest 17th Street in Miami and the GameStop on W. 49th Street in Hialeah, among others.

It's been eight years since the original Switch hit shelves for $299.

Despite the $449 price tag, the Switch 2 is expected to sell more than the original did its debut year.

The new console comes with a larger and higher resolution screen than its predecessor, with improved processing power, offering smoother and more vivid graphics. Central to its updated system is a new “C” button on its controller, which will launch a “GameChat” feature that requires a subscription to Nintendo’s Switch online service.