Fans Debate If First Look At Switch 2 Is Real Or An AI Fake

earlier this monthan anonymous Reddit user suddenly claimed to have seen the Switch 2 model in person. edge and others He was found to be a potentially reliable source, but fans hungry for the meager information they need about Nintendo’s long-awaited next-gen console have to settle for mere written descriptions. Now, the same user is back with real photos that soon found themselves at the center of a huge debate over whether they were legitimate or AI-generated fakes.

The Reddit user posted under NextHandheld that sharing actual images of the console was too risky. However, on December 25th, they returned to X (formerly Twitter) to do exactly that. “This holiday season, I couldn’t help but share this gift with you all,” they release. “Some may call this an early reveal…but I call it the best-kept secret of the year.” The message was accompanied by a photo showing a hand holding a device to its side in what appears to be a hardware testing studio. The so-called Switch 2.

The greedy Switch 2 leak community immediately took stock of the strange artifacts and mismatches in the footage, accusing it of being an artificial intelligence-generated fake. NextHandheld followed up with a second post, sharing an image of an alleged Switch 2 dock and cheekily writing: “This is all AI generated.” Once again, there were strange anomalies in the background and the outline of the console. Looking more closely at the shared images, believers speculated that the cracks were too clean to have been generated by AI, instead stating that, possibly to protect their identity and the location where the photos were taken, NextHandheld simply replaced the images using AI everything in . but The hardware itself.

DoctorHoneywell, a user on the Switch 2 subreddit, compared various silhouettes and sizes from previous alleged Joy-Con leaks and found that the NextHandheld’s photos are very close, which may indicate that both are actually from production unit designs that are close to the final version. and shape. “It could be a really high-quality resin 3D print with a nice surface finish and then put custom stickers on it. That could be a really good Photoshop job compared to an AI image.” But That means, until they come out, every time someone asks me that question, what I say is still true: it’s either real or a high-quality fake.”

The debate has raged over the Christmas period, with a NextHandheld poll on of fakes. The mysterious leaker also promises to reveal new details in the coming days. Other famous Nintendo leakers of the past Like Pyoro, who previously admitted A source with access to the backend of Nintendo’s website is also trying to get involved, but did not share anything explicit. For some, the whole thing is reminiscent of 2018’s infamous “Grinch Leaks” Super Smash Bros. Special Editionlist. It turned out to be an elaborate scam. Is NextHandheld pulling a similar trick?

The risk of these breaches remains fairly low. Unless everything that has leaked so far is completely fabricated and far from the truth, all available rumors and reports suggest that Nintendo’s next-gen console could be very similar to the existing Switch, with just specs upgrades. Every time it feels like the speculation surrounding the Switch 2 might die down again, a new data point emerges for fans to argue about, and that’s likely to keep happening until Nintendo finally releases official information. The company has committed to achieving this goal by April 2025, with the time for its big traditional February direct sales event just around the corner.

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