New details regarding the upcoming Switch successor have leaked online. The leak comes through an accessory brand that claims to have “felt” the console for themselves. According to the peripheral maker Mobapad, Nintendo has given certain companies a first experience with the Switch 2. However, this experience was done through a blind demo where designers were allowed to “feel” the console and controllers but not visibly see it.
Apart from some of the design features, the leak also details some technical information regarding the hardware.
First off, the peripheral maker says the Nintendo Switch 2 will still support the current Joy-Con and Pro controllers. The device will support the older controllers through the included BlueTooth chip but the older Joy-Cons won’t physically attach to the new model.
Instead, users will have to pair these Joy-Cons manually due to the redesigned next-gen Joy-Con interface. The new controllers on the Switch 2 will use a magnetic docking structure that slides the devices into the screen interface horizontally.
This magnetic system will engage and disengage the new Joy-Cons to keep them secure on the screen. These new Joy-Cons also feature HD vibration similar to the current Switch controller. However, the leak says Nintendo has added a softener to the controllers to reduce the volume of the ALPS Dual-Axis Linear Motor Vibrator.
The Joy-Cons are also slightly smaller than the current units and feature metallic SL and SR buttons (the buttons on the inner side of the controller which get covered when connected to the screen).
The screen itself is an 8-inch 1080p display with touchscreen support. The peripheral maker says this in turn, makes the Switch 2 slightly larger than the current model but smaller than the Steam Deck.
When it comes to the Switch 2 dock, it once again includes a USB-C port for docking the console into the bracket. It is claimed that the dock has been redesigned and now features a metal damping bracket for improved angle adjustment when placing the device into the dock.
Other details reveal that the Switch 2 will come with a cartridge slot that supports backwards compatibility with existing Switch games. However, the slot is universal and also supports the Switch 2 cartridges which have a different design. This means you can’t put those cards in the original Switch console.
All these details confirm one thing – the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 is definitely a “refinement” and not an entirely new piece of hardware. This aligns with previous rumours that claim the device is a “revision”.
Nintendo was reportedly gearing up to announce the new Switch 2 console earlier this year. However, it was internally delayed in order to prepare a stronger launch lineup of games for the hardware and to avoid stock issues. The device is expected to be announced before the end of 2024 with an early 2025 launch.
Source: Reddit
