Don’t expect this to be a consolidated timeline or anything similar. I just wanted to talk about some of the leaks that have popped up over the past few years (some hilariously fake and some really believable). Turn your brain off and have fun.
At this point, the entirety of the internet knows about the existence of the Nintendo Switch 2 (possible working name, though not likely). There was a leak way back in 2022, an Nvidia leak seemed to illustrate that the Switch 2 would utilize the T239 SoC. Later that year, a leak indicated that a mid-generation refresh had been cancelled, so naturally, speculation centered on Nintendo having switched focus to a successor.
Afterwards, not a whole lot went down. We mostly heard whispers of Samsung manufacturing the SoC, and other pretty insignificant odds and ends. As cool as this info is, the really cool stuff doesn’t show up until 2024.
The Really Cool Stuff
In my mind, the really cool stuff started up in late 2024. Early on, Furukawa Shuntaro stated that the Nintendo Switch’s successor would be unveiled before the next fiscal year, or the end of March (2025). After that, things got pretty quiet again. That all stopped in December 2024.
In the absolute chaos that has been the r/NintendoSwitch2 subreddit up until this point, a user by the name of u/NextHandheld created his now infamous I’ve come from the future post. They claimed to have “gotten their muggy hands” on a retail Switch 2 unit and its dock. He opened this AMA thread so that other users could ask questions.
r/NintendoSwitch2’s mods have a strict rule that evidence must be presented to prove their claims. After some back and forth between moderator u/MacksNotCool, the post was allowed to stay up as u/NextHandheld had seemingly supplied the necessary proof.
u/NextHandheld stated that they were part of a group of people to see the unit (but couldn’t turn it on). They also stated that they would post proof (their pictures) after Christmas so that things had a chance to chill a bit and it would be more unlikely that the images would be traced back to them.
This is all happening in conjunction while random accessory manufacturers are showing off their Switch 2 cases (even dbrand got in on the fun). They all show what we think may be the Switch 2, but of course, no one is sure.
u/MacksNotCool Reveals the Leaked Images
Christmas day comes and u/NextHandheld is nowhere to be seen. The users in r/NintendoSwitch2 are, of course, getting upset and assuming u/MacksNotCool is actually u/NextHandheld’s alt account and is trying to get clout or fifteen minutes of fame. They have enough and finally reveal the proof that they were given.
The odd part for a lot of people was that the backgrounds were created using AI, which was later confirmed to have been done out of a need for privacy, to help ensure that they are not tracked down. Some of the shots were pretty low-definition, which of course led people to assume they were fake. To be fair, later on in January, u/NextHandheld released better quality photos (with more hilarious AI backgrounds that weren’t as seemingly sneaky) of the dock.
During CES, Genki (another accessory manufacturer), revealed a ton of information they had on the Switch 2 that was produced from a unity they “bought off the black market” (which is false). They claim the Joycon will have mouse-like capabilities and show them docking to the unit via magnets, of course in an effort to sell their accessories. They back pedal a bit after getting approached by Nintendo and state that their stuff was made using a 3D print of a render that was passed around a couple of months earlier, not a “black market” retail unit.
Nate the Hate Opens the Floodgates
That brings us to the most recent event. In one of his most recent podcasts with MVG, YouTuber Nate the Hate reveals that the Switch 2’s announcement video will be unveiled this week, on Thursday, January 16th. He states in full confidence, even when questioned by MVG. It’s important to note that Nate’s inside information is generally spot on, though he does have some misses. Following this bombshell, many other reputable outlets came forward and stated the same thing. It’s entirely possible that we see a reveal this week!
That’s it! I wanted to kind of center my ramblings and talk about some of the cool things that we had seen preceding the (alleged) reveal of the Nintendo Switch successor this week. Hopefully it made sense, as my notes were literally all over the place. If you’d like to see r/NintendoSwitch2’s Museum Post that catalogs all of these events (and more), including all the images, you can find it here. There’s a lot of great stuff there (much of it inside memes, besides the leaks). It’s been an insane ride. Congratulations to Nintendo and the Switch on the last eight years of greatness. Here’s to many more with the successor! Thanks for reading, everyone!