More details have emerged from the Nintendo Switch 2 leak earlier this week, and the most exciting of all is that the console could be announced as soon as January. The Verge spoke with Reddit user u/NextHandheld and he convinced the outlet that his evidence was legitimate, and that this leak is one worth paying attention to.
Nintendo originally promised to reveal the successor to the Nintendo Switch by March 31, 2025, and the company promised it would be backward compatible with Nintendo Switch titles. After u/NextHandheld’s leaks, we’ve been able to piece together a little bit more information.
Rumors that the Nintendo Switch 2 would use magnets rather than a physical rail appear to be true. There is no longer a rail on the Nintendo Switch; instead, the Verge describes it as a hollowed-out area with a connector pin that slots into the Joy-Con. And u/NextHandheld says there is a physical click when the devices are connected.
Nintendo’s new console will also supposedly come with Hall effect joysticks. These joysticks are contactless, meaning the wearing away of plastic and metal — one of the main causes of stick drift — will no longer be a concern.
The kickstand has apparently been replaced by a U-shaped rail, and that’s backed up by other leaks that also depict the shape.
Another big reveal is that the Nintendo Switch 2 dock is rated for 60W of power, while the handheld itself is rated for 45W. That’s a big increase over the 39W and 18W for the original Switch and implies that docking the console will give you extra performance — although the power capacity of the Switch 2 in handheld mode is greater than that of the original while docked, so it’s probably going to look good either way.
While u/NextHandheld provided a lot of information about the onboard hardware, they were clear that the Switch 2 console didn’t actually power on. They were able to inspect a lot of different parts of the console, but they couldn’t play any games. That means that, while backward compatibility was promised by Nintendo, it doesn’t necessarily mean the cartridges will work on the Switch 2; it might be a case of digital-only backward compatibility.
With luck, we won’t have to wait much longer for details. The Nintendo Switch, beloved as it may be, was underpowered at launch. It’s only fallen further behind over the years, and it’s high time Nintendo launched a more powerful console so we can play Pokémon Scarlet without all the stuttering.
