2024 is weeks from ending without an official Switch 2 announcement, but leaks have given us some hints regarding what Nintendo has in store for next year. The latest comes from a post on the Chinese website Bilibili, in which an anonymous user shared a video that seems to reveal a pair of the Switch 2’s redesigned Joy-Con controllers in action.
At around the 2:20 mark in the video, you can see a blurry shot of what appears to be someone removing magnetic Joy-Con controllers from the Switch 2. For months, reports have suggested that rather than sliding on and off, Nintendo’s next-gen Joy-Cons would snap on to the console magnetically, and that’s what’s happening in the video.
The video then moves on to a selection of still images featuring the updated controllers. At first glance, they look nearly identical to the original Joy-Con controllers, but there are a few notable differences. First, the SL and SR buttons look significantly larger than on the originals—more in line with the L1/LB and R1/RB buttons on a PlayStation or Xbox controller.
In other images, we see IR cameras on the bottom of the controller and a brand-new trigger on the back of the Joy-Con. We have no idea what purpose the trigger serves, though it appears to be in the same spot where you would find the button to detach the old Joy-Con from the Switch. We can’t even verify the legitimacy of the leak, so we’ll refrain from guessing.
It wouldn’t have taken much effort to 3D print any of these parts or even mock up the images on one’s computer. Take all of this with a grain of salt, but even seeing a fake Joy-Con snap off of a fake Switch 2 is enough to get some fans excited at this point.
Nintendo claims that it will reveal its next console before April 2025. If that’s the case, there’s a solid chance that production has already started, which means leaks from factories could begin popping up. So, while we’re not convinced this one in particular is real, it’s only a matter of time before more like it start flooding the internet.
