A mockup of the Nintendo Switch 2 has appeared at CES this week — and the company behind it insists it’s based on the real thing.
Gaming accessories maker Genki is showing off its Switch 2 mockup to press at the Consumer Electronics Show, and based on a report from French publication Numerama, it has plenty to say about Nintendo’s unannounced next-gen console.
VIDEO — La Nintendo Switch 2 en avant-première au #CES2025.
L’accessoiriste Genki indique posséder la vraie console et expose une maquette 3D + des accessoires.
Les détails ici : https://t.co/5LDlnR2zC1 pic.twitter.com/IJ6taQggIQ
— Numerama (@Numerama) January 8, 2025
According to Numerama, Genki said the Nintendo Switch 2 launches in April, and that its mockup, which you can see in the images in this article, is based on a real Switch 2. Genki also claimed the rumored optical sensor on the Joy-Con (more on that below) is indeed a new feature for the console, but does not know what the mysterious “C” button on the right side of the Joy-Con is for.
Videos of this Switch 2 mockup show how the Joy-Con clip onto the console via magnets, with a button to press for release. As has been reported, the Switch 2 is bigger than the Switch, with a second USB-C port on the top.
Genki has even gone as far as to publish a video allegedly showing a render of the Switch 2 on its website, designed to promote its Switch 2 accessories.
It’s been a busy week for Switch 2 leaks. Following the appearance of alleged images of the Nintendo Switch 2’s internals, fresh images allegedly showing the next-generation console’s Joy-Con appeared online.
The images, which show a left Joy-Con, were reportedly first posted to a Chinese social media website before they made their way to the Nintendo Switch 2 subreddit and western social media.
They include larger SL and SR buttons than on the Nintendo Switch Joy-Con, which you’d expect given the Nintendo Switch 2 is reportedly a bigger console than the original. These new Joy-Con allegedly ditch the railed lock method used by the current Switch in favor of electromagnetic suction controllers.
There are what look like soft rubber glide pads at the top and bottom of the side of the Joy-Con, and what looks like a sensor of some kind, perhaps for connecting to other devices or for 3D gesture-controlled input. Some are speculating the Switch 2 Joy-Con could be used as a mouse if turned on its side and placed on a flat surface.
Last week, an image of what appeared to be the Switch 2’s internal components tallied with information suggested by previous image leaks that have helped give us a decent idea of what to expect from Nintendo’s next-gen console.
In September, unverified images — a mix of Computer-aided design (CAD) images and printed circuit board (PCB) photos — that were said to have originated from a Chinese website before making their way onto Reddit, depicted a device similar to the existing Switch console but with a larger screen and magnetic Joy-Con. There is reportedly a USB-C port on the top and bottom of the console, too.
Accompanying the images was an alleged specifications list that mentioned 12GB of RAM (the original Switch has 4GB), and 256GB of internal storage (the original Switch has 32GB). There’s a new “C” button on the right Joy-Con, allegedly, but no-one seems to know what this is for.
We also have a patent, filed July 2023 but published for the first time last week, that describes AI image upscaling technology that would help keep video game download sizes small enough to fit on a physical game cartridge while offering up to 4K textures.
Here’s what we know for sure: Nintendo has confirmed that the yet-to-be-announced Switch 2 will be backward-compatible with original Switch games and will feature Nintendo Switch Online. Nintendo has also said it will announce the Switch 2 by the end of March 2025, which means the reveal is fast approaching. As for a release date, the console is not expected to launch during Nintendo’s current financial year, so it will arrive April 2025 at the earliest.
We even have developers outright saying they plan to release their upcoming games on the console, with others teasing a Switch 2 release for their games. When Switch 2 does eventually come out, Nintendo expects to have plenty of stock available, which in turn will hopefully combat scalping.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
