Leaks, rumors and speculation have defined these early days until Nintendo's official reveal of Nintendo Switch 2which was confirmed to be in development earlier this year. The console is expected to be a direct successor to the first Switch, repeating its design and core features – a rarity for modern Nintendo home consoles.
For the longest time, it was believed that the new Nintendo Switch would be available for purchase in early 2025, or at least in the first half of the year. Intel straight from the horse's mouth has been pretty sparse, though Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa has previously gone on record as saying the console will be revealed sometime before March of next year. This has led many to believe that some sort of official reveal would occur this fall or early winter, chased by a large-scale release just a few months later. But now new rumors suggest that the Switch 2's launch date may be further away than many first thought.
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Why some think the Nintendo Switch 2 release has been pushed back
Famiboards Nintendo Switch 2 leaks
The latest bit of Switch 2 news comes courtesy of a user named RandomlyRandom67 on Famiboards, a forum associated with Nintendo leaks and general speculation. In a hidden post, RandomlyRandom67 claims to have details of Switch 2 component deliveries, which seems to indicate that the console has not entered mass production in August of this year. The reasoning here is that if Nintendo planned to launch its next flagship console in early 2025, then mass production would likely have begun in August, especially since Nintendo has been transparent about its hopes to avoid the supply chain issues faced by competitors. back in 2020 and 2021.
Can Nintendo Switch 2 release date rumors be trusted?
The frustrating thing about Nintendo Switch 2 leaks and rumors is that since Nintendo themselves have revealed almost nothing about the system at the time of writing, it's almost impossible to verify the validity of most sources. News outlets, discussion boards, and individual reporters often have little more than their source's track record to go by when evaluating the veracity of Switch 2 claims, and even the most consistent leakers occasionally make mistakes. So, as always, RandomlyRandom67's claims must be taken with a healthy dose of salt.
That said, there are a few aspects of the aforementioned Famiboards post that are worth dissecting. RandomlyRandom67, who claims to have access to shipping records from Vietnamese switch manufacturer HVBG, highlights a few key components, including HDMI port testers, circuit boards, and something called an “external connector for game consoles.” It seems reasonable to assume that these components are tied to the hardware of the Nintendo Switch 2, given their vague descriptions and HVBG's professional relationship with Nintendo.
Obviously, the volume of these component deliveries to HVBG is inferior to the monthly component deliveries for the production of the original switch – a ratio of 4:1 in some cases. Since the first Nintendo Switch is over seven years old at this point, and demand for the Switch 2 will of course be much higher, this difference in component shipments certainly suggests that the latter has yet to enter mass production.
At the same time, alternative explanations must not be ruled out. For one thing, while it might be natural to link these components to the Switch 2, this connection isn't beyond scrutiny, especially since most laypeople aren't privy to all that's produced at HVBG and the machinations of other tech companies; they may be intended for a different product entirely. So claims like these can be useful for establishing context and expectations, but the public should wait for an actual Switch 2 hardware reveal before jumping to conclusions.
Nintendo Switch
The Nintendo Switch is a hybrid console launched in 2017, which can be played in handheld mode or docked to a television. The Switch Lite, a handheld model, followed in 2019, with an OLED update coming in 2021.
