Last Friday, we brought you leaked dimensions of the next Nintendo Switch from the most likely source yet: a “3D scan of the actual hardware” obtained by case manufacturer Dbrand. But case manufacturers aren’t the only source of leaks.
A Redditor named “NextHandheld” claims to have seen and touched an actual final retail unit of the Nintendo Switch 2. I spoke with them, and I’ve now heard and seen enough to think they might be legit.
In particular, I’ve seen two photos of a possible Nintendo Switch 2 dock, and one photo of the inside of a possible Switch 2 controller rail, covered in certification logos and with copper contacts exposed, which also shows its metal kickstand hinge open at an angle. Notably, the dock was not included in the 3D scan that’s circulating among case manufacturers.
If NextHandheld is telling the truth, we now know a good bit more about Nintendo’s next console. For example: as much as we’d love it to be called the “Super Nintendo Switch,” it’ll likely be introduced as the Nintendo Switch 2.
Name and date
Officially, Nintendo has only called it “the successor to Nintendo Switch,” promised to formally announce the new console by March 31st, 2025, and revealed that it will be backward compatible with original Switch games.
Unofficially, NextHandheld’s source has heard it might be announced as soon as January — and shared what they claim is first-hand evidence with The Verge that it is the Nintendo Switch 2. I saw a picture of a dock, with the same logo as as the original Nintendo Switch, only with a 2 attached.
It wasn’t far off from this Redditor’s guess:
Image: u/DjuncleMC
And while NextHandheld says they’re “disappointed” that the dock doesn’t seem to have any more ports than the original — two USB-A, one HDMI, one ethernet, and one USB-C likely used for its power brick — it may have a different trick up its sleeve.
Magnetic controllers — finally with drift-resistant joysticks
In April, Spanish pub Vandal (which correctly reported minor details of the Switch OLED before launch) reported that, incredibly, Nintendo might replace the Switch’s controller rails with magnets so your Joy-Cons can magically snap into place.
Today, it no longer seems incredible, because the photo I saw of a joystick rail region contains no rail: it’s just a long, rounded, hollow area, with a 13-pin connector that sticks out so it can slot into the Joy-Con. NextHandheld says there’s a physical magnetic click when you attach them, and that you’ll press a much larger button on the controller, one that’s physically connected to a magnet, to release. (You can see mockups of such buttons in our Dbrand story.)
More importantly, the Nintendo Switch 2 might finally get rid of the infamous “Joy-Con Drift” that plagues its controllers to this day. NextHandheld claims the controllers will have magnetic Hall effect joysticks, which don’t contain the same deteriorating sensor material and can be recalibrated easily.
A U-shaped kickstand
The original Nintendo Switch had a tiny, easy-to-topple gumstick of a kickstand, and the Switch OLED had a wide, flat plate. But the Nintendo Switch 2 will feature a U-shaped rail of a kickstand, according to a photo that NextHandheld shared with me.
I understand that the 3D CAD file shows the U-shape, too — and case manufacturers have begun sharing images of similar U-shaped kickstands, too. But it looks like it could be beefier than some of the mockups floating around:
Nintendo Switch 2 New Photos
U Shaped Kickstand
Console – 118.5mm x 273mm
Switch 2 Lighter than Steam Deck
Larger ZL/ZR Buttons than Switch 1
Magnet Joycons make a “Click” Sound
2 Joycon Back Release Buttons pic.twitter.com/Ay5xUQAMg3
— Deck Wizard (@deckwizardyt) December 15, 2024
Extra power when docked?
Once upon a time, Nintendo was reportedly planning to release a Nintendo Switch Pro, one that would output 4K graphics when docked to your TV, at least partly thanks to Nvidia’s DLSS AI upscaling. That didn’t happen, but the Nintendo Switch 2’s dock might be designed to let the handheld run a bit faster.
On Reddit, NextHandheld cryptically teased that asking if the dock had a fan was “the right question,” and in a picture shared with The Verge, I can see the alleged dock has big feet around back, ones positioned so it can lie down horizontally without blocking a set of vents.
While I don’t imagine you’d intentionally put it on its back, as the handheld might fall out of the completely open slot up top, I can imagine Nintendo wanting to make sure the console doesn’t overheat if you accidentally knock it over.
Intriguingly, NextHandheld says the dock is rated for 60W, while the Switch 2 is rated for 45W, both of which would be substantially higher than the original if true. The original Switch had an unusual 39W charger for both docked and handheld modes, which only provided up to 18W for the handheld.
The many things we still don’t know
You can dig through NextHandheld’s Reddit comments or read this early summary for a lot more possible details about the new console. But the Redditor is upfront that they never got to turn the handheld on, or play any games. They don’t know whether a Switch 2 can play original Switch cartridges, or only digital Switch 1 games. They don’t know if it has a microphone, or a camera, or how much storage space it has, or its performance, or anything about its reportedly 8-inch screen, or its launch titles.
They do say it will launch in dark grey, however, like the original Nintendo Switch, and that it will be followed by a white model, and one themed with a Nintendo game that hasn’t received a themed Switch yet. And, they’re the latest to possibly corroborate a new second USB-C port on the top, though that was obviously revealed in the 3D scan.
If it’s true that Nintendo will announce the Switch 2 in January, though, you won’t have to wait long for more answers — or to find out if these ones are true.
