Nintendo Switch 2's Joy-Con leaks explained

As the end of the year approaches, Nintendo fans are increasingly restless for more information about Nintendo Switch 2which was long assumed to be revealed before 2025. While there have been occasional announcements from Nintendo regarding the Switch successor, most of the online discussion and speculation about the upcoming console has arisen from countless leaks and rumors, some of which are more substantial and plausible than others.




With Nintendo confirming some tidbits of information, like the Switch 2 will be backwards compatible and remain a hybrid system, the gaming crowd has turned its attention to more tangible questions, literally; Speculation has swirled around the actual physical design of the device, as the idea of ​​it being a more direct follow-up to the Switch is somewhat unprecedented for modern Nintendo, which has historically taken a revolutionary approach with its new consoles, rather than an iterative one. A common rumor on the hardware front is that the Switch 2 will not only retain the Joy-Cons from its predecessor, but change them to be magnetically attached to the console instead of being secured with hard plastic rails. A new leak purportedly showing a build of the Switch 2 seems to confirm this.

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The Nintendo Switch 2 may hit shelves later than originally expected, according to recent leaks and rumors about its production schedule.

The Nintendo Switch 2 may have magnetic joy cons, according to a recent leak


The implications of magnetic joy cons

A video originating from Chinese video sharing platform BilliBilli shows what appears to be an iteration of the Nintendo Switch, albeit with Joy-Cons that look and function noticeably differently than the current Switch model. At the beginning of the video, a user appears to be pulling these controllers away from the console instead of sliding them up and out, supporting the notion that the Switch 2 will have magnetically attached Joy-Cons. The video also shows what appears to be an additional, trigger-like button on at least one of the controllers, which could serve to disconnect them from the console.

Assuming for a moment that this leak is reliable, it's hard to say exactly why Nintendo would take this route with the new Joy-Cons. Current Joy-Con models suffer from a number of issues, including patchy connection when playing in handheld mode, so perhaps a magnetic connection could be more reliable somehow. Magnetic controls can also be much safer, as they can simply be disconnected from the console in the event of a fall or other form of trauma, rather than breaking off and potentially damaging the system. It could also be a simple quality-of-life change, as a magnetic mount is arguably easier and more satisfying than the sliding functionality of the current Joy-Cons.


This Joy-Con leak should be taken with a particularly heavy dose of salt

While the BilliBilli video in question confirms previous Nintendo Switch 2 rumors, it is far from credible. First, the BilliBilli user doesn't seem to have any references to support their claims. Also, and more obviously, the video provided is excessively blurry and doesn't show important parts of the device. It's possible that the uploader simply has a low-quality camera, but this seems like an easy hurdle to overcome, especially for someone genuinely interested in sharing information about the Switch 2. Likewise, if the device in the video is indeed the Switch 2, it's a wonder it wasn't shown more. It could probably make it to some kind of splash screen, for example, if it was representative of the final product.

Once again, the topic of the video appears to be legitimate. It's nothing like previous “leaks” of the Nintendo Switch 2, which are obviously fake or 3D printed. However, the poor video quality and inexplicable lack of additional information definitely paint this leak in a suspicious light, so it should be taken with even more salt than usual, especially since this information is being spread throughout the gaming community.


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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.

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