Nintendo Switch 2 leak by factory worker is not what you’d expect

Photos have seemingly leaked showing the new Joy-Cons and larger screen of the Switch 2, as well as its complete technical specifications.

While the reveal of Nintendo’s follow-up to the Switch is set to happen at some point before April 2025, rumours have circulated in recent weeks that something might be planned before the end of 2024.

The growing rumours were further supported by reports of developers being invited to Nintendo of America for meetings, although it’s unclear whether this was connected to an early reveal of the next console, or something else.

But now, images have appeared online which claim to show a prototype version of Nintendo’s next console, dubbed the Switch 2 by fans.

The pictures themselves were uploaded to a Chinese website, although their exact origins are unclear. We’ve not uploaded them here in case Nintendo’s lawyers hunt us down with a blue shell, but they have been widely circulated on Reddit and you can see them in the tweets below (assuming Nintendo don’t get to them).

What gives the pictures some legitimacy is that the design matches up with prior leaks, in a way that seems difficult to fake. A picture of the Joy-Cons shows some sort of magnetic connection, which was previously rumoured as a replacement for the slide-in controllers used in the original Switch back in April 2024.

While that picture is an actual photo, along with one which seemingly shows the inner circuit boards of the console, other images seem to be low resolution CAD (computer-aided design) files.

These show comparisons of the new machine with the original Switch, emphasising the new console’s larger screen, the lack of slide-in rails for the Joy Cons, and what seems to be the same revamped kick stand from the OLED model.

In the description, there’s also a mention of two USB-C ports, placed at the top and bottom.

Overall, the images make it look exactly like the ‘iterative’ improvement, over the original Switch, that was previously rumoured – with a sleeker console with more rounded edges, but essentially the same design.

A translation of the caption also claims the console has an 8-inch screen, a magnetic slide rail, and measurements of 270mm (length) x 115mm (width) x 14 mm (thickness).

For comparison, the OLED model of the Switch is 242mm x 102mm x 13.9mm, so that would make the successor slightly thicker.

A list of console specifications was also uploaded to the same Chinese website around the same time as the images, although they come from a different source. These list the console as having 256GB of internal storage, HDMI 2.1 ports, and 7500 MT/s for 12GB of RAM.

As broken down by Neoxon on ResetEra, the list of specs would make the console slower than the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X/S in terms of speed, but it will have more RAM capacity than the Xbox Series S – so similar to the Steam Deck.

Nintendo’s next console being somewhat comparable to the Xbox Series S was also previously rumoured. These specifications also line-up with a previous leak in May, which came via shipping information posted on Famiboards.

Also, one source, who has not seen the final console but has been briefed on Nintendo’s plans, has told VGC that the leaked images match with what they know about the hardware.

None of this has been confirmed by Nintendo itself though, and the CAD style images are easy to fake, but all signs are pointing to a reveal of Nintendo’s next console very soon.

This article was first published on 6th August 2024.

Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter.

To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here.

For more stories like this, check our Gaming page.

MORE : Nintendo Switch 2 rumours are reaching fever pitch as imminent reveal teased

MORE : Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom already being pirated as Nintendo lawyers leap into action

MORE : Nintendo Switch 2 rumour points to October reveal and very reasonable price

Sign up to all the exclusive gaming content, latest releases before they're seen on the site.

Sign up

Privacy Policy »