This is the Nintendo Switch 2 (allegedly)

Nintendo has finally briefed development partners on its next-generation console, commonly referred to as the ‘Switch 2'. As a result, a fresh batch of leaks are in, giving us our first look at what the new system should look like, as well as a detailed breakdown of technical specifications. 

While there are two leaked photos of a physical device, the more interesting images are actually 3D Renders, based on all of the information Nintendo has revealed to partners so far. The two photos of the physical hardware simply show a bare logic board, and casings for the Switch 2 itself, as well as the newly-tweaked Joy-Con controllers.

These images first appeared on the GamingLeaksandRumours subreddit, but after asking around its game development sources, VGC found that the renders are accurate to what Nintendo showed to partners during briefings earlier this month. The end result is a sleeker version of the Switch and annoyingly, they've opted to leave the USB-C port at the bottom of the console rather than moving it to the top, which is about the only criticism I can offer about the device at this time – although I do understand that this is only an issue for someone like me, who uses the Switch entirely in handheld mode, without ever wanting to dock it. With the Switch 2's more powerful hardware, that could very well change once this new console comes across my desk.

Through shipping manifests tied to Nintendo and its known suppliers, we also have a pretty detailed look at the technical specifications of the Switch 2. The new console will utilise dual-channel LPDDR5X memory running at fast 7500MT/s speeds. Nintendo will also catch up to current-gen consoles when it comes to storage standards, with a much faster 2100MB/s UFS 3.1 drive under the hood, which is just a little under the speed of the SSD found in the Xbox Series X.

The new Switch system will utilise a new SoC, known currently as the GMLX30-R-A1, which will contain updated Nvidia graphics architecture, enabling support for features like AI-assisted upscaling to aid in performance testing. It is expected that the Switch 2 will be roughly on par with a PS4 in handheld mode, and capable of boosting to near PS4 Pro levels of performance in docked mode. To handle all of this, Nintendo has opted for a more powerful dual-fan cooling solution.

The last little nugget of info worth noting is that the Switch 2 will utilise the HDMI 2.1 standard, which paves the way for 4K at 120Hz, although we are unlikely to see any games actually running anywhere close to 120Hz at such a high native resolution.

As Nintendo has now briefed developers on its new hardware, it is expected that the company will announce the console publicly before the end of the year, with a launch planned for the first half of 2025.

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KitGuru Says: I loved my Switch for the first four years but after that, the hardware really began to struggle with some of the games I was most interested in playing. Thanks to upscaling techniques, it is my hope that the Switch 2 will have a bit more longevity, especially for third-party AAA games. Considering all current-gen titles have to support the Xbox Series S, developers may not need to scale graphical features back much further in order to support the Switch 2. 

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