Switch-tember continues apace with more wild speculation about the Switch 2 or whatever Nintendo ends up calling its upcoming gaming console. This time it’s due to allegedly leaked manufacturing information out of China which appears to show renders of what the Switch 2 might look like as well as its specifications.
The images for the alleged factory prototype of a Switch 2 were sourced to a Chinese website and aggregated on the GamingLeaksAndRumors subreddit. They show a device, ostensibly the Switch 2, looking very close to the existing handheld hybrid, just with a larger screen and more sleek profile. The bigger difference is on the Joy-Con, which seem to include extra grooves for the magnetic strips that were previously rumored for the mounted controllers. The renders also show a USB-C slot on top of the console, and a much smaller bezel around the screen.
While the veracity of the renders is completely unverified, VGC reports that one of its sources, who has not seen the official Switch 2 but has been briefed on it, believes the renders line up with what development partners were told to expect. Nintendo did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Today’s alleged leaks also included possible specs for the upcoming hardware including 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. Those line up with previously rumored specs that appeared earlier in the year and also pointed to an 8-inch screen for the Switch 2. Some analysts have predicted that Nintendo’s new console will cost $400 and sell games for $70, the current standard price for high-end games on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.
If true, all of these leaks point to a much more straightforward upgrade from the Switch to its successor, bucking Nintendo’s usual trends of structuring new hardware around unique design quirks and gameplay functionality. Instead, the Switch 2 would end up keeping Nintendo firmly in the growing arms race for handheld PC gaming which, since the original launch of the Switch, has seen the Steam Deck, Asus ROG Ally, and others devices enter the mix.
We won’t know for sure until company actually reveals its Switch 2, which is expected to be in an upcoming Nintendo Direct happening this month or next. The company will be in a race with potential leaks until it does.
Update 9/18/2024 12:50 p.m. ET: Some additional information and analysis about the alleged leaks has begun pouring in. While the renders appear to be an enthusiast recreation of the Switch 2 based on components, the pieces themselves are more convincing, according to the tech analysts Digital Foundry. The group focused on the battery compartment in the Switch 2 shell and it’s relatively slim size tweeting “keep expectations firmly in check on handheld performance.”