Monday, December 16, 2024

Nintendo Switch 2 leaker hints at Christmas Day surprise and launch game details

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This is supposedly the Switch 2 with a third party cover on the top (Reddit)

More leaks have emerged around Nintendo’s next console, including new images and hints as to a potential launch game.

Nintendo Switch 2 leaks have become an almost daily occurrence over recent weeks, between videos of the seemingly magnetic Joy-Cons and Chinese accessory manufacturers releasing images of the console.

The console is set to be announced at some point before April next year, but it seems like an official reveal could be just around the corner based on the volume of new information cropping up online.

Among the new leaks is Reddit user NextHandheld, who claims to have a final unit of the Switch 2, and in the spirit of the festive season, has promised to provide proof on Christmas Day.

While these antics would usually be brushed aside as fake, especially as the leaker joked they were ‘from the future’, moderators on the Nintendo Switch 2 subreddit have said the person provided them proof of their claims ‘at least to some extent’. They do, however, admit he could just be ‘a really good hoaxer’.

‘They did not want to share the evidence because it could reveal their identity to people around them,’ the subreddit moderator wrote.

While NextHandheld apparently hasn’t turned on the console itself, because they were ‘not allowed to’, they answered various questions about it on Reddit. One of their claims is that there is ‘something new’ in the Joy-Cons not mentioned in prior leaks which ‘could create new experiences’, although they don’t say what.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Mario Kart 9 might be a launch game (Nintendo)

They also claim a special edition Switch 2 bundle is planned, alongside a game with ‘the number 9’ in the title. When asked if it is Mario Kart 9, as everyone would assume, they replied with a face-covering emoji suggesting that is the case.

Elsewhere, they claimed it’s ‘hard to even tell’ the difference between the two consoles, describing it as a ‘bigger Switch’, with the main difference visually being on the back with the ‘Joy-Con release button and the U-shaped kickstand’ – both seen in prior leaks. As a small touch, they also claim the Switch 2 logo is a ‘giant 2 next to the original logo’.

They also claim the Switch 2 has *hall effect* joysticks, which would solve the Joy-Con drift issue which has plagued the original Switch. As for when it will be announced, the leaker states that they expect it to be revealed in January, although it’s unclear what this information is based on.

This isn’t the only Switch 2 leak doing the rounds today either. A poster who shared rendered images of the console back in September on, Chinese social media app Xiaohongshu, has released new computer-aided design (CAD) renders allegedly showing the top and bottom of the Switch 2, complete with an additional USB-C port and the U-shaped kickstand.

Another case manufacturer called Dbrand, which is already advertising a ‘Killswitch 2’ case for the console, has claimed to have ‘actual dimensions’ for the Switch 2 console too. Speaking to The Verge, Dbrand CEO Adam Ijaz said Nintendo’s next console will be larger and taller than the Switch OLED model.

According to Ijaz, the Switch 2 will measure 270mm wide, 116mm tall, and 14mm thick, while the console itself will take up 200mm of the width. In comparison, the Switch OLED is 242mm wide, 102mm tall, and 13.9mm thick. They also support previous rumours that the Switch 2 will have an 8-inch LCD screen.

There are more alleged images of the console from a Chinese case manufacturer too, which closely resemble other recent mock-ups. At this point, considering the amount of similarities between the leaks, it’s safe to assume these at least partly resemble the final console.

Nintendo has not confirmed anything about the Switch 2, except that it is backwards compatible. While there’s no firm release date in 2025, some have suggested it could launch around June.

Nintendo Switch console
It’s time for a new console (Nintendo)

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