The successor to the Nintendo Switch might feature magnetic Joy-Cons, according to a new rumour.
Citing sources at peripherals manufacturers, Spanish outlet Vandal (via VGC), says Nintendo’s next console, colloquially referred to as the ‘Switch 2,’ will have magnetic stripes on either side of the display. Joy-Cons, the wand-like Switch controllers, will then attach to these magnets.
However, this raises a few questions that Vandal wasn’t able to fully answer — chief among them whether the Switch 2 will support existing Joy-Cons. After all, these gamepads attach to the Switch display through a sliding mechanism. Vandal also reiterates previous reports that the console will be larger than the Switch, which could be further indication that the current Joy-Cons won’t work with the Switch 2.
What Vandal does clarify, however, is that the Switch 2 will support the existing wireless Switch Pro controller. Therefore, Nintendo may also allow the old Joy-Cons to connect wirelessly as well, although that remains to be seen. It’s also unclear whether the new magnetic Joy-Cons are part of an effort to improve the build quality of the existing Joy-Cons, which are notorious for suffering from drifting issues.
It’s worth noting, as VGC points out, that Vandal did successfully leak details about the Switch OLED model in 2021, including its new stand and ethernet port. On the flip side, more notable publications, including Bloomberg, have been wrong about Switch hardware in recent years, including reports that a ‘Switch Pro’ would be released in 2022.
Unfortunately, Switch 2 rumours are all we have to go by for now, as Nintendo has yet to officially reveal or even talk about the device. Other things that have been reported about the Switch 2 include the system retaining the Switch’s console-handheld hybrid functionality, the inclusion of an LCD screen over LED to cut costs and a launch delay from 2024 to 2025.
Alongside the Vandal report, a new rumour from Business Korea also suggests that Nintendo will primarily build the Switch 2 using components from South Korea’s Samsung, rather than companies in China.
Nintendo, for its part, hasn’t indicated when it might even begin talking about the new console. Instead, it’s still supporting the current Switch with new games like the recent Mario vs. Donkey Kong and Princess Peach: Showtime!, as well as the upcoming Paper Mario and the Thousand-Year Door and Luigi’s Mansion 2 remasters.
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