Nintendo Patent Confirms the Biggest Rumor About the Switch 2

A Nintendo patent from Japan describes the Switch 2 JoyConβs βsensor for mouse operation.β
Since our first glimpse of the Switch 2 last month, we've been left guessing on many crucial hardware details, including the all-important launch price. Now, Nintendo has hinted that the unsteady state of the international money market may play an outsize role in that pricing decision.
Addressing a question about Switch 2 hardware pricing during an investor Q&A session Wednesday, Nintendo president Shintaro Furukawa said (via machine translation):
In addition to the current inflation, we are aware that the exchange rate environment has changed significantly since the launch of the Nintendo Switch in 2017. We also need to consider the affordable price that customers expect from Nintendo products. When considering the price of a product, we believe that it is necessary to consider these factors from multiple angles.
At this time, we cannot disclose the specific price of the Nintendo Switch 2, but we are considering it while taking various points into consideration. At this time, we do not plan to change the price of the Nintendo Switch hardware.
Most of that is the usual polite executive-speak shorthand for "we're not ready to answer that yet." But the bit about exchange rates and inflation got us wondering just how vulnerable a Japanese company like Nintendo might be to the yen's historic weakness, and what this might mean for the Switch 2.
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Nintendo shared the first images of the Nintendo Switch 2 in a video posted on YouTube. The successor to the widely popular game console will be simply called the Switch 2. As the name suggests, it shares the same design philosophy with a modular form factor. Right out of the gate, the video shows the [β¦]
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With CES 2025 finally in the rearview, itβs time to move on to the next round of big hardware announcements. Rumors have emerged over the last few weeks, pointing to an imminent announcement for the next generation of Nintendoβs wildly successful hybrid Switch console. In particular, word from industry stalwart Eurogamer (among others) pegs a [β¦]
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Nintendo may be getting ready to make its Switch 2 console official. According to "industry whispers" collected by Eurogamer, as well as reporting from The Verge's Tom Warren, the Switch 2 could be formally announced sometime this week. Eurogamer suggests the reveal is scheduled for this Thursday, January 16.
The reporting also suggests that the reveal will focus mostly on the console's hardware design, with another game-centered announcement coming later. Eurogamer reports that the console won't be ready to launch until April; this would be similar to Nintendo's strategy for the original Switch, which was announced in mid-January 2017 but not launched until March.
Many things about the Switch 2's physical hardware design have been thoroughly leaked at this point, thanks mostly to accessory makers who have been showing off their upcoming cases. Accessory maker Genki was at CES last week with a 3D-printed replica of the console based on the real thing, suggesting a much larger but still familiar-looking console with a design and button layout similar to the current Switch.
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