Photo by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge
Nintendo isn’t officially at CES, but it might have stolen the show anyway: accessories-maker Genki brought a 3D-printed mockup of what it says is Nintendo’s Switch successor, and we got to hold it and take some high-resolution pictures.
Based on the mockup of what we’ll call the Switch 2, Nintendo’s next console appears to be wider than the original, with slightly larger Joy-Con controllers that seem like they’ll be more comfortable to hold. Compared to a Steam Deck OLED, the Switch 2 mockup still feels noticeably smaller, in part because the Joy-Cons are not as pronounced and ergonomic as the Deck’s grips. But the mockup still feels closer in size to Valve’s handheld than the original Switch.
As previous rumors have indicated, the Switch 2’s Joy-Cons will attach to the console via magnets instead of a sliding rail, Genki co-founder and CEO Eddie Tsai tells The Verge. To detach a Joy-Con from the Switch 2, you press a big button at the top of the back side of each controller, Tsai says, and that button apparently pushes out a pin that nudges against the chassis of the console, disconnecting the magnets.
You can remove the Joy-Cons with brute force if you really wanted to, according to Tsai, but he says that overall they feel secure for regular use and that the big release button detaches the Joy-Cons with ease. Tsai declined to share where he’d learned details of the new console.
Tsai also tells The Verge that housed within the mounting channel of the Joy-Cons is an optical sensor, and by using another attachment the new Joy-Cons may offer mouse-like functionality. It sounds a bit like what Lenovo does with its Legion Go handheld.
Nintendo has promised that it will announce the Switch’s successor before April 2025, and as that deadline creeps closer, there have been waves of leaks and rumors about the new hardware. In December, YouTube channel SwitchUp posted a video showing a 3D-printed, non-functional Switch 2 mockup provided by a Chinese case manufacturer. That mockup basically looked like the current Switch but bigger, and it revealed a few other potential changes like a new USB-C port on the top of the device and a mysterious new square button under the Home button on the right Joy-Con.
Days later, accessories-maker Dbrand announced its “Killswitch 2” case, and CEO Adam Ijaz told The Verge that it was designed based on “actual dimensions” based on a “3D scan of the real hardware.” Ijaz also said that it was his “understanding” that the console’s Joy-Cons are magnetically attached. And Dbrand’s imagery showed that the new square button had a “C” printed on it, though Ijaz didn’t know what it was. Days after that, our colleague Sean Hollister spoke with a Redditor who shared apparent photos of the Switch 2’s dock and the inside of what appears to be a Switch 2 Joy-Con.
With that April 2025 deadline inching closer every day, it seems like it won’t be long until Nintendo officially, finally reveals the Switch 2. But until that happens, at least we have these pictures to look at.