/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25824271/257500_Acer_Nitro_Blaze_11_ADiBenedetto_0012.jpg "We tried to hold Acer’s giant new Nitro Blaze 11 handheld")
Another day, another fresh batch of Nintendo Switch 2 reports that combine to form an ever-clearer picture of Nintendo’s next-gen console.
After IGN went hands-on with Genki’s high-profile Nintendo Switch 2 mockup, images and videos of which you can see below, reports indicate that the Joy-Con’s alleged sensor may be used to turn the controller into a mouse.
This was speculated by fans when images of the Joy-Con leaked online earlier this week, but Genki co-founder and CEO Eddie Tsai, who insists the company’s mockup is based on a real Switch 2 system it has seen and used as the basis for its accessories, told The Verge that within the mounting channel of the Joy-Cons is an optical sensor and that by using another attachment, they may offer mouse-like functionality.
The Verge compares this functionality to Lenovo’s Legion Go handheld, which also features detachable joysticks. The right gamepad features a small trackpad beneath the right thumbstick and a mouse scroll near the top which, when used with a base, creates a vertically-aligned mouse. You can see how this works in the video below.
Meanwhile, alleged retail listings for Switch 2 MicroSD Express cards suggest the console supports the newer standard of SD cards. Via Reddit, a GameStop employee allegedly found a number of Switch 2-related SKUs on the retailer’s system, including Switch 2 MicroSDs in 256GB and 512GB form.
As Eurogamer noted, these cards have faster transfer speeds, with performance comparable to SSDs. It’s worth noting that retailers generally create internal SKUs for every possible outcome, however, meaning many list products which never actually materialize.
It’s been a busy week for Switch 2 leaks. Following the appearance of alleged images of the Nintendo Switch 2’s internals, fresh images allegedly showing the next-generation console’s Joy-Con appeared online.
The images, which show a left Joy-Con, were reportedly first posted to a Chinese social media website before they made their way to the Nintendo Switch 2 subreddit and western social media.
They include larger SL and SR buttons than on the Nintendo Switch Joy-Con, which you’d expect given the Nintendo Switch 2 is reportedly a bigger console than the original. These new Joy-Con allegedly ditch the railed lock method used by the current Switch in favor of electromagnetic suction controllers.
Last week, an image of what appeared to be the Switch 2’s internal components tallied with information suggested by previous image leaks that have helped give us a decent idea of what to expect from Nintendo’s next-gen console.
In September, unverified images — a mix of Computer-aided design (CAD) images and printed circuit board (PCB) photos — that were said to have originated from a Chinese website before making their way onto Reddit, depicted a device similar to the existing Switch console but with a larger screen and magnetic Joy-Con. There is reportedly a USB-C port on the top and bottom of the console, too.
Accompanying the images was an alleged specifications list that mentioned 12GB of RAM (the original Switch has 4GB), and 256GB of internal storage (the original Switch has 32GB). There’s a new “C” button on the right Joy-Con, allegedly, but no-one seems to know what this is for.
We also have a patent, filed July 2023 but published for the first time last week, that describes AI image upscaling technology that would help keep video game download sizes small enough to fit on a physical game cartridge while offering up to 4K textures.
Here’s what we know for sure: Nintendo has confirmed that the yet-to-be-announced Switch 2 will be backward-compatible with original Switch games and will feature Nintendo Switch Online. Nintendo has also said it will announce the Switch 2 by the end of March 2025, which means the reveal is fast approaching. As for a release date, the console is not expected to launch during Nintendo’s current financial year, so it will arrive April 2025 at the earliest.
We even have developers outright saying they plan to release their upcoming games on the console, with others teasing a Switch 2 release for their games. When Switch 2 does eventually come out, Nintendo expects to have plenty of stock available, which in turn will hopefully combat scalping.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].
