What the Most Credible Leaks Say About the Nintendo Switch 2

The Nintendo Switch 2 rumor mill seems to have been churning almost since the Switch originally launched, yet for the last seven years, Nintendo has been mostly silent on the issue. The company did break its silence on its plan for its newest console (on social media, no less), but, surprise: It still didn't reveal much.

With a lack of any official intel, it's easy to dismiss any new claims as mere speculation. Still, I think some Switch 2 rumors are more solid than others, and may actually give us a glimpse into what Nintendo has planned for what is possibly the most anticipated new console in years.

Nintendo confirms the Switch 2's existence

The best rumors aren't rumors at all: On Tuesday, May 7, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa posted on X, revealing the company would "make an announcement about the successor to Nintendo Switch within this fiscal year."

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That doesn't tell us much, but it is the first time the company has publicly acknowledged the existence of the Switch 2. Plus, we now have some timeline for some official Switch news: By the end of this fiscal year, we'll get at least a glimpse into what Nintendo is planning for its newest console.

If the original Switch is any indicator, we may get quite a bit of information on the initial announcement: The Switch's first reveal video showed off its now-famous ability to "switch" from TV to handheld mode, as well as its ease as a portable multiplayer machine. Hopefully, any Switch 2 news offers us at least the same level of insight.

The Switch 2 won't arrive in 2024

As for when the Switch 2 will launch, that's another story. In August, Chris Dring, head of GamesIndustry.biz, wrote that no developer he's talked to expects the Switch 2 will be out this financial year. Dring says many hope to see the new console in April or May of 2025, but, to me, the word "hope" is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. Knowing Nintendo, the Switch 2 will get here when it gets here, whether that's early next year, or otherwise-but it's definitely not coming in 2024.

An early 2025 launch would put the gap between console generations at eight years. That would track with Furukawa's promise of an announcement by end of this fiscal year. Whatever's Nintendo's reasoning for holding off on the Switch 2, it seems it won't be on shelves in the immediate future, or in time for the holidays. If you've been holding out, you're missing out on a lot of great games-with more planned for this calendar year, including new Zelda and Metroid titles-so unless you're OK waiting up to another year, you may want to pick up an OLED Switch.

Did we just get our first look at the Switch 2?

While Nintendo hasn't officially unveiled the Switch 2 in any way, it's possible someone else beat them to the punch. The Verge's Tom Warren posted on X sharing pictures leaked to a Chinese messaging board that purport to be CAD (computer-aided design) images of the Switch 2's design. In addition, the leaker posted an image of what could be the new Joy-Cons, as well as a Switch 2 with its top case removed, showing its motherboard:

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If these diagrams are accurate, you'd be forgiven for thinking the Switch 2 was actually the original Switch. To my eye, these designs represent a slightly thinner handheld with a larger display. Of course, none of these images can be verified, so we'll need to wait and see if they turn out to be accurate.

Rumors with a bit of credibility

In April, writer Ramon Varela dropped a breakout piece for Spanish outlet Vandal that included several claims that hadn't circulated previously. Those claims were then corroborated and expanded upon by Mobapad, a company that makes Switch controllers and accessories.

While all rumors should be taken with a grain of salt (and a massive one at that), there is reason to put stock in Vandal's reporting. The outlet's piece on the "Switch Pro" in 2021 actually got many of the details correct, for what turned out to be the Switch OLED. While Vandal was incorrect in predicting the Switch OLED would output 4K when connected to a TV, it accurately reported Nintendo would increase the display size without increasing the size of the console, and that the company would use an OLED panel for the display rather than an LCD. It also correctly claimed the upgraded stand would resemble a Microsoft Surface's stand, and that the dock would have USB 3.0 ports, as well as an ethernet port.

That's not to say you can expect every claim in Vandal's latest report to be true. But it's good to know the rumors aren't coming from a source with zero credibility, and it certainly helps that a Switch accessory maker can back some of them up.

Old Joy-Cons, new connections

The rail design of the current Switch Joy-Cons is iconic: You align the Joy-Con's rail with the corresponding rail on the Switch, then slide and click it into place (hence, the Switch's famous "click" sound effect).

For the Switch 2, it seems likely Nintendo is sticking with a similar Joy-Con design, which makes sense: Detachable controllers are a fun way to make a portable console instantly multiplayer-although I hope they've figured out a way to prevent stick drift, going forward. One big difference is the new Joy-Cons may connect with magnets, rather than by rail. Vandal doesn't share many details about how this magnetic tech actually works, but Mobapad says they're made with "magnetic suction" and use an electrical current. Perhaps there's some type of locking mechanism that clicks into place once the magnets do, similar to the locking system in the current Switch.

In any case, switching to a magnetic connection from a rails option would likely mean your old Joy-Cons wouldn't be fully compatible with the Switch 2, unless Nintendo or a third party made magnetic rail attachments for them. That said, Mobapad believes the current Joy-Cons will be compatible at least via Bluetooth, and both outlets think the existing Pro Controller will be as well.

Mobapad also says the Joy-Con buttons are getting an upgrade. The SL and SR buttons are supposedly going to be metal, and Nintendo is adding a third button to each of the Joy-Cons. In addition, there will be a new function button below the HOME button on the right controller.

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Vandal says that the latest rumors don't definitively say one way or another whether the Switch 2 will be backwards-compatible with original Switch games, but report that manufacturers "believe and assume" that the console will be backwards compatible.

I'm with the manufacturers here: If Switch 2 isn't backwards-compatible, that sounds like a disaster for Nintendo. The Switch was the first Nintendo console since the GameCube that wasn't backwards-compatible with the generation before it. (It would've been difficult to fit a Wii U disc in theSwitch's cartridge slot, anyway.) But seeing as the Switch 2 is a likely spiritual successor to the OG Switch, it would be silly to expect customers to upgrade to the latest console generation without an option to play their existing Switch library.

Nintendo, you already made us buy all the best Wii U games as Switch ports. Please don't make us do it again.

Beefier hardware

Specifics on hardware specs are still pretty hard to come by in the Switch 2 rumor mill, but we do know the Nvidia is likely to be involved. An unnamed source told Reuters back in February that Nintendo was planning to use a custom Nvidia chip for the Switch 2, while a previous Vandal report indicates Nintendo is planning to use an Nvidia chip based on the GeForce RTX 30 series. If rumors are to be believed, this chip is known as the T239, a customized version of the existing T234 chip.

Vandal believes the hardware will support DLSS (deep learning super scaling), which uses AI to create upscaled frames, and that the Switch 2 will support ray tracing, a modern lighting technique that produces realistic lighting environments. These changes, plus a rumored 4K output, would definitely put the Switch 2 well above the original in the graphics department. And if outlet Centro LEAKS is to be believed, the Switch could also launch with 12GB of RAM. (Centro corroborates many of Vandal's leaks, as well.)

Even if we had the exact hardware specs in hand, we wouldn't know for sure how powerful the Switch 2 really could be. That's because Nintendo will likely underclock the chip to balance the system's power with its portability, as it does the current Switch. If Nintendo allowed us to use the SoC's full potential, it would likely drain the battery too quickly and overheat the system. You can overclock your Switch, improving performance in demanding games like Tears of the Kingdom, but it isn't recommended.

All that to say, it's safe to assume the Switch 2 will increase the graphical performance of the current Switch, but the difference will not necessarily be seismic, especially if you're coming from a Sony or Microsoft console, or even the possible PS5 Pro. But Nintendo has never prioritized having the best quality graphics: As long as the next generation of Nintendo's IP looks and plays great, and there continues to be support from third-party developers on the platform, the Switch 2 will do what it's supposed to.

Games should look good in handheld mode, too: Mobapad says the system will come with an eight-inch display, larger than even the seven-inch display on the Switch OLED. and 1080p resolution. All current Switches have a 720p display, so even though the Switch 2 won't run at 4K in handheld mode, it should look crisper than anything we've seen so far. That said, many outlets, including Centro, believe the Switch 2's display will be LCD, not OLED. That's a bit surprising, as it might seem like a step back in display tech for a brand-new handheld. Players with an OLED Switch may upgrade to a Switch 2 to find their games running at a sharper resolution, but with a much more limited contrast than they're used to.