Nintendo Switch 2: all the leaks and rumors so far

Nintendo’s announcement of a Switch successor is imminent. How inevitable this is is anyone’s guess, given that the company says it will show information on console until the end of the financial year in March. There are just over two months left until the promised date, and there are speculations about the console, its characteristics, physical profile and much more. reached its climax. So, ahead of the official announcement, here’s everything we know about Nintendo’s next console.

The only concrete, Nintendo-confirmed information we know about the new console is that it will be backwards compatible with Switch. Everything else happened thanks to leaks and information provided by third-party manufacturers. Late last year, one of these manufacturers, Dbrand, introduced a Killswitch carrying case designed for Switch 2. According to Dbrand CEO Adam Ijaz, Killswitch is based on the “real dimensions” of the new console, obtained from “3D scans of real hardware.” But in the interview EdgeHe declined to say how or where Dbrand obtained such information.

If the Killswitch’s design is indeed borrowed from the real thing, the new console will be larger than the Switch OLED, with an 8-inch screen, and will have a stand that will span the entire length of the console, just like the OLED model. The fact that the new switch will be larger than previous iterations is confirmed leaks And information from other accessory manufacturers as well as the idea that Joy-Con controllers will attach magnetically instead of sliding and snapping into place. The new controller design will also include magnets in the joysticks to combat the dreaded “Joy-Con drift” that plagues the Switch even now.

CES 2025 brought even more rumors to the table thanks to accessory maker Genki. demonstrating a 3D-printed console mock-up at the exhibition site. In an interview with EdgeGenki CEO Eddie Tsai detailed what he knows about the new Switch, confirming rumors about its larger size, magnetic Joy-Con, and more.

While there is a lot of speculation and potential evidence about what the new console will look like, less information has been shared about what it will actually be capable of. Outside alleged photo of the console motherboardThere is not much information about the technical characteristics of the console. Because Nintendo never made cutting-edge consoles (or, frankly, even at the forefront) graphics or processing power, it’s difficult to predict how well the console will perform or what additional features, such as a microphone, it will have.

While the console’s internals remain a mystery, we do know that it will be backwards compatible with Switch games. We can also reasonably assume that at least one game will be a launch title: Metroid Prime 4. Announced in 2017 and There is a change of studio and a reboot of development two years later, Nintendo unveils gameplay footage for the first time last year and shared a soft launch window of 2025. Twilight Princess released in 2006, it debuted on both the GameCube and Wii. Breath of the Wild was also cross-gen, debuting on Wii U and released on Switch in 2017.

Knowing that the new Switch and Metroid Prime 4 both will be launched in 2025 and from Twilight Princess And OTV As an example, it is assumed that the reason Metroid 4the long stint in development was hell, at least in part because the game was developed for both the Switch and its successor. Plus, you simply can’t have a new Nintendo console without Mario game. Super Mario Odyssey came out the same year the Switch debutedand although there were other new releases such as Super Mario Miraclethere was nothing new autonomous (put down the pitchforks Bowser’s Fury fans) 3D Mario game since then. It will almost certainly be announced alongside the new Switch. Recently announced Pokemon Legends: ZA is also a good candidate for a launch title, as Nintendo curiously worded the game’s debut trailer for a “simultaneous worldwide release on Nintendo Switch in 2025.”

Despite all the rumors and reasonable speculation backed by increasingly compelling evidence, it’s good to remember that, at the end of the day, we’re still talking about Nintendo. The company has always moved forward a separate and unpredictable path from the other two major console makers, and this strange strategy has mostly worked very well. Although the company not insured against the same dismissals And delays (Switch 2 was originally locked to class of 2024) annoys his colleagues and really has his own manifold problems with the way it treats and pays its employees and contractorsIt appears to be the largest publisher best positioned to deal with the current crisis ravaging the industry.

It’s foolish to try to predict what Nintendo will do, and that applies to its new console. All we can count on is that it will come soon, and when it comes, it will be big.

Corrections from January 12: This story initially incorrectly stated the launch timeline for Super Mario Odyssey and how close the Switch 2 release date was. Odyssey debuted the same year as the Switch; it was not the name of the launch. The Switch 2 deadline is just over two months away, not less.