Official details on Nintendo’s next console, widely dubbed the Nintendo Switch 2, remain non-existent. A new rumor, however, is claiming to have obtained information from sources at accessory manufacturing companies; specifically that the console will have new magnetic Joy-Cons.
This is according to a report by Spanish website Vandal (via VGC), which did accurately share details on the Switch OLED before it was formally announced in 2021, such as its new dock and support stand. Vandal claims the Switch 2 (or whatever Nintendo decides to call it) will be larger than the original Switch though still smaller than something like Valve’s Steam Deck. Perhaps the most interesting claim is that the console’s Joy-Con controllers will connect to the Switch 2 using magnets rather than the rail system the original Switch has.
This could mean Joy-Cons for the current Switch model won’t be compatible with the Switch 2. After all, they’re not magnetic, and need to be slotted and clicked into place. Vandal can’t corroborate if this will indeed be the case, but it does add that the current Switch’s Pro Controller will be compatible with the Switch 2.
The only other thing Vandal’s report mentions is that Nintendo is holding back its next console for a 2025 launch, so it can build up a stronger catalog of games to put out alongside it. This lines up with a VGC report from February which claimed to have heard the same thing, with a separate Nikkei report alleging that Nintendo’s internal delay is being done to avoid potential stock shortages.
Nintendo has otherwise refused to comment on any potential new hardware, though it’s believed it demoed the Switch 2 to developers behind closed doors at Gamescom 2023. A number of developers also said they were working on a Switch successor in a January survey. Assuming the Switch 2 is on track for a 2025 launch, then we should be seeing a formal reveal before the end of 2024. Then again, Nintendo is predictably unpredictable, so there’s no telling when or how it’ll announce its next console.
