Nintendo has commented on the assorted Switch 2 mockups and photographs which have leaked in current days, insisting they don’t seem to be official.
The Japanese arm of CNET revealed an announcement in response to equipment producer Genki’s Switch 2 mockup, which it dropped at CES 2025 in Las Vegas and confirmed off to press. According to Automaton, Nintendo advised CNET that “the gaming {hardware} that Genki offered as Nintendo {hardware} at CES is unofficial and was not offered to the corporate by us.”
Genki additionally revealed a video displaying a render of the Switch 2, which adopted quite a few leaked photos of the next-gen console. Automaton mentioned that Nintendo advised Japan’s Sankei Shimbun these photos and movies “aren’t official.”
IGN met up with Genki at CES 2025 to seek out out extra about its Switch 2 mockup. At the time, Genki insisted that the mockup was based mostly on an actual Switch 2 system it had seen and used as the premise for its equipment. A Genki consultant expressed shock in any respect the fervor over the corporate’s mock-up, saying they felt that every one the details about the Switch 2 had already leaked and Genki wasn’t saying something new. “I did not anticipate this a lot media consideration, to be sincere,” they mentioned.
While Genki’s mock-up does seem so as to add important weight to a rising pool of previous leaks on what the Switch 2 will likely be, it is value noting that Nintendo nonetheless has not formally revealed something concerning the system, and all these claims are topic to vary or whole debunking. A proper announcement is anticipated within the first quarter of this yr, per Nintendo.
Subsequent experiences have steered that the Joy-Con’s alleged sensor could also be used to show the controller right into a mouse. Meanwhile, alleged retail listings for Switch 2 MicroSD Express playing cards recommend the console helps the newer commonplace of SD playing cards. Via Reddit, a GameStop worker allegedly discovered a variety of Switch 2-related SKUs on the retailer’s system, together with Switch 2 MicroSDs in 256GB and 512GB kind.
Following the looks of alleged photos of the Nintendo Switch 2’s internals, recent photos allegedly displaying the next-generation console’s Joy-Con appeared on-line. The photos, which present a left Joy-Con, had been reportedly first posted to a Chinese social media web site earlier than they made their strategy to the Nintendo Switch 2 subreddit and western social media.
They embrace bigger SL and SR buttons than on the Nintendo Switch Joy-Con, which you’d anticipate given the Nintendo Switch 2 is reportedly a much bigger console than the unique. These new Joy-Con allegedly ditch the railed lock methodology utilized by the present Switch in favor of electromagnetic suction controllers.
In September, unverified photos — a mixture of Computer-aided design (CAD) photos and printed circuit board (PCB) photographs — that had been mentioned to have originated from a Chinese web site earlier than making their means onto Reddit, depicted a tool just like the present Switch console however with a bigger display screen and magnetic Joy-Con. There is reportedly a USB-C port on the highest and backside of the console, too.
Accompanying the photographs was an alleged specs record that talked about 12GB of RAM (the unique Switch has 4GB), and 256GB of inner storage (the unique Switch has 32GB). There’s a brand new “C” button on the best Joy-Con, allegedly, however no-one appears to know what that is for.
We even have a patent, filed July 2023 however revealed for the primary time final week, that describes AI picture upscaling know-how that will assist preserve online game obtain sizes sufficiently small to suit on a bodily sport cartridge whereas providing as much as 4K textures.
Here’s what we all know for certain: Nintendo has confirmed that the yet-to-be-announced Switch 2 will likely be backward-compatible with authentic Switch video games and can function Nintendo Switch Online. Nintendo has additionally mentioned it’ll announce the Switch 2 by the tip of March 2025, which implies the reveal is quick approaching. As for a launch date, the console just isn’t anticipated to launch throughout Nintendo’s present monetary yr, so it’ll arrive April 2025 on the earliest.
We even have builders outright saying they plan to launch their upcoming video games on the console, with others teasing a Switch 2 launch for his or her video games. When Switch 2 does finally come out, Nintendo expects to have loads of inventory obtainable, which in flip will hopefully fight scalping.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can attain Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
