Summary
- Genki showcased detailed Nintendo Switch 2 mockups at CES 2025, possibly legitimizing previous leaks.
- The Switch 2 mockup boasts a sleek matte black design, larger magnetic Joy-Cons, a mystery sensor, an extra USB-C port, and a sturdier kickstand.
- Nothing is official until Nintendo announces it, but we should hear something official from Nintendo in the coming weeks.
Video game peripherals are typically sideshows at CES, but this year that all changed when accessory manufacturer Genki showed off detailed Nintendo Switch 2 mockups. Here’s everything I took away from this unexpected showcase.
Why I Believe This Leak
Leaks are a tricky business. They’re easily faked, often tread on murky legal grounds, and can be damaging to the companies involved. Plus, from an audience perspective, they quickly become fatiguing. This last bit has never been truer thanks to the myriad of Switch 2 leaks we’ve seen over the past few months and years.
It only stings more now that we know Nintendo’s official reveal will happen sometime before March 31, something we’ve known about for eight months.
Well, it seems that delaying the console’s announcement might have backfired on Nintendo after Genki showcased a convincing physical mock-up and even more shocking tell-all digital render at CES. While it’s completely possible that this is a fabrication, there are a few reasons why I’m inclined to believe we’re looking at the real Switch 2.
For one, many of the recent leaks are directly corroborated by Genki’s render. One could say it’s just copying those leaks to appear legitimate, but the timeline makes that unlikely. Some of the most identifiable leaked elements—such as the optical sensor and the blue Joy-Con highlights—would’ve been all but impossible to adjust in time for CES.
Genki is a respected peripheral manufacturer that has a lot to lose by faking us out. If this is a true ruse, the company would lose the confidence of both business partners and consumers alike. Genki was so confident in this risky move that it created an entire webpage highlighting the design and dedicated expensive booth space at CES to it. Plus, it’s highly likely Genki has a test unit by this point, making the company as credible as a “leaker” could be.
All this said, there’s little doubt in my mind that this Switch 2 leak is the real deal, even if some minor aesthetic details could differ in the final product. Nothing’s official until Nintendo announces it though, so read on with that asterisk in mind.
This Is One Slick-Looking Handheld
The visual and color design of the original Switch looked like an expensive toy, whereas the Switch 2 looks to be running away from that association.
The Switch 2’s matte black finish is a suave, more mature take that makes high-end PC gaming handhelds look like real chunkers. Yet it doesn’t entirely abandon its roots, with blue and orange highlights under the joysticks and rails. I’m curious to see how the market reacts to this, but it definitely differentiates it from the current Switch while retaining brand recognition. Nintendo’s never made anything that looks like this.
It’s worth noting that the render shows the Switch 2 in a Genki-made case, so we can’t see the full model. I can only imagine the parts we can’t see won’t be significantly different, which is probably a good thing.
Magnetic Joy-Cons Are Real
It’s all but taken as a fact after endless leaks that the Switch 2 Joy-Cons attach magnetically. Gone are the days of lining up pluses and minuses.
The small button to dislodge Joy-Cons has been replaced with sideways-oriented triggers. I’ll need to have these in hand to truly judge them, but I’m a little worried about accidentally undocking Joy-Cons when gripping them, and a little disappointed that these aren’t Nintendo’s answer to analog back paddles as my initial impression of leaked mockups had me wishing for. It even looks like digital triggers may be back once again.
Regardless, this docking mechanism sounds like a welcome upgrade so long as accidental undocking doesn’t prove to be an issue. Magnets are also just cool.
Bigger Joy-Cons Are a Couch Multiplayer Upgrade
The new Joy-Cons look bigger, which should make them much more viable for single Joy-Con local multiplayer. This is further aided by larger L and R buttons on their rails.
However, the actual spacing of the controls doesn’t look to have changed much, leaving lots of empty space on the bottom third. This is one thing I may not put too much stock into at this stage because ergonomics can be hard to judge on sight, and a third-party render may not get spacing details 100% correct.
What’s also noteworthy about the Switch 2 Joy-Cons is a new button under the home button. There’s currently no indication I’m aware of as to what this could be for. Maybe it’s the equivalent of the DualSense’s touchpad button (often used for opening maps and other menus)?
What’s This Mystery Joy-Con Sensor?
Recent leaks have shown an optical sensor in the middle of the left Joy-Con akin to that on a computer mouse, and Genki’s render corroborates this.
It’s hard to say what this will be used for given Nintendo’s penchant for unconventionality. I doubt it’ll be used as a mouse as some have speculated. I can’t imagine Nintendo wanting to cross wires with PC gaming, but who knows? Hopefully it gets used more than the original Joy-Cons’ infrared sensor.
This one was especially unexpected to me: it appears that a second USB-C port has been added to the top of the handheld, located next to the audio jack. It’s an awkward placement, but perhaps its purpose has more to do with having an accessible USB-C port when the Switch is docked. I can see that being useful even if it makes docking and undocking the Switch less elegant when tethered to another device.
This makes me wonder whether we may see USB-C ports in the new dock as well. It would be a smart call given modern standards, though Nintendo probably shouldn’t abandon USB-A altogether as most gaming peripherals still use that format.
While I’m speaking about the dock, there’s not much to report from what’s shown; it looks like the OLED model’s dock with rounded edges. This is another aspect of the mock-up I could see being a bit different from the final product, and it’s also possible this is a Genki-produced dock.
A New Kickstand Design
The Switch 2’s kickstand looks to be a retractable bar that runs the length of the device. This should hopefully offer an even more stable table experience than the OLED model’s large slab of plastic. That said, I never had any issues with that iteration, so this is going to be more of an upgrade for owners of the original Switch and its infamously flimsy stand.
Will the Switch 2 Have Wireless Charging?
The last thing I noticed about this mockup leans more toward speculation. The circle on the back of Genki’s case strikes me as identical to the marker you’d find on a Qi2-compatible phone case. Is it possible that the Switch 2 has wireless charging capabilities? If yes, that would be super cool and make me feel a little prophetic after I recently wrote that Nintendo should make a wireless charger.
Take this with a big grain of salt as we don’t see the actual back of the Switch 2 in this mockup. I’d be pleasantly surprised if wireless charging came to pass, but I’m not expecting it. At the same time, Qi2 is starting to see wider adoption, including by Samsung and Google, so the wireless charging bug may be going around.
I’d be shocked if Genki would go so far as to sabotage its reputation with a fake leak. Given that Genki felt comfortable sharing this, I’m confident that we’ll be getting more information from Nintendo in the next week or two. Mario’s makers really need to get ahead of any further leaks.
Meanwhile, here are some customization options I’d like to see Nintendo include in the Switch 2.