The rate of leaks about Nintendo’s next console is intensifying — although the same can’t necessarily be said of genuinely new information emerging from those leaks. However, a particularly substantive report has emerged from Reddit user NextHandheld, who claims to have seen and handled a “final release” version of the console and its dock, albeit powered off. The Verge reports that it has spoken to NextHandheld and “heard and seen enough,” including photos, to believe their claims.
Among those claims: The console appears to be called Nintendo Switch 2 — the same moniker used as a convenient shorthand by almost everyone since it became clear that Nintendo was making a straightforward successor console to the Switch. (Say farewell to your dreams, Super Switch fans.) The Verge says the system’s dock displays “the same logo as as the original Nintendo Switch, only with a 2 attached.”
NextHandheld also claims the Switch 2’s Joy-Con controllers will have Hall-effect joysticks. These sticks work using electromagnetic fields and don’t require physical contact between their sensor components, making them much more reliable and immune to the drift issues that have plagued the Switch’s Joy-Cons. Hall-effect sticks are common in third-party controllers but have been rare in official console controllers up to this point, so this is a significant upgrade.
Even more fascinating: The NextHandheld leak suggests the Switch 2 will have extra power when docked. The leaker teased that asking if the dock had its own cooling fan was “the right question,” and the The Verge has seen evidence of vents on the dock. NextHandheld also said the dock is rated to draw 60W of power, versus 45W for the undocked console. The implication is that the dock will increase the console’s graphical capabilities, either through its own upscaling hardware, or by allowing the Switch 2 to run hot in an essentially overclocked mode. This is suggestive of the old rumors of a “Switch Pro” device that never materialized — supposedly a Switch that would be capable of 4K display on a TV when docked. It’s a little tenuous, but the report does bring the dream of 4K Nintendo gaming one small step closer to reality.
Elsewhere, The Verge said it had seen a U-shaped kickstand on the back of the unit — a more stable alternative to the original Switch’s single slender kickstand. This is coincidentally backed up by some unsubstantiated, blurry, but nonetheless plausible photos that were separately posted to Reddit by user Future31, showing a familiar-looking, slightly sleeker console in a dark grey finish.
NextHandheld also confirmed the reports from earlier this year that the Switch 2’s Joy-Cons will attach magnetically, rather than using a slide rail. The Verge says it has seen photos of the side of the console that substantiate this.
We may not have too long to wait for official confirmation of some or all of these details. NextHandheld claimed Nintendo could announce the Switch 2 as early as January.
