It’s late 2024, and we know better than to expect any exciting Nintendo Switch 2 updates from the Japanese console maker. It’s not like Nintendo would announce the Switch successor this time of year. The company confirmed it will unveil the next-gen console in the first quarter of 2025, at which point we’ll learn the official Nintendo Switch 2 release date and price.
If you were hoping to buy a Switch 2 by March 2025, you won’t like the newest leaks out there. A report now says the new console will not hit stores before next summer, suggesting a June 2025 release date is more likely. If that’s accurate, you’ll have to wait a bit longer than expected to buy the Switch 2, though a scenario where Nintendo starts taking preorders in the first quarter of 2025 might still make sense.
Nintendo pleasantly surprised fans a few weeks ago by confirming that next year’s console will be able to run games developed for the current Switch model. But that was it. Nintendo didn’t even call the console Switch 2, which remains an unofficial name for the device.
Separately, leaks from China showed us purported accessories for the Nintendo Switch 2 this week. We also saw images of the alleged Switch 2 Joy-Con controllers in the wild.
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Apparently there’s new images of the Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Cons being shared around on a Chinese video sharing site that give a view of the bigger SL/SR buttons, the release buttons on the back and a curved design
I’ll have a video on my thoughts about it + more info later today pic.twitter.com/axh1UrPowJ
— Aero (@ActualAero) December 2, 2024
Meanwhile, a couple of new reports give us even more interesting insights into what Nintendo might be up to.
First up, Nintenduo.com says it learned from no fewer than six development studios that the Switch 2 console will get a release date between June and early July 2025. These studios are all working on titles for the new Switch 2 console.
Apparently, Nintendo wants the Switch 2 in stores in the second quarter of its fiscal year 2026. That’s the September 2025 quarter, as Nintendo’s fiscal years end in March. With that in mind, a mid-June release date for the console makes sense.
The same report cites Switch 2 price rumors from earlier this year that Nintendo might charge more for the new console than the first-gen model. The price might go up to $500 for the Switch 2, though there’s no confirmation for it.
Assuming this scenario is accurate, Nintendo could unveil the Switch 2 by March and start preorders for the console several months before that summer release date. Unfortunately, there’s no way to confirm any of this.
There is another interesting Switch 2 rumor going around this week. The Game Post reports that Famiboards user fwd-bwd discovered that Foxconn Tech, a Nintendo assembler, posted a massive revenue spike for November compared to last year. That’s a 223% increase that might be explained only by an enormous spike in manufacturing.
The Nintendo Switch 2 is likely the device responsible for the impressive revenue increase. While that’s speculation, the report says that Foxconn Tech can only post the earnings once the recipient has received the goods and paid for them. Also, Nintendo might have paid for this first batch of assembled units 30 or 60 days after invoicing. The assembly might have started back in September.
This isn’t the main Foxconn assembler responsible for manufacturing most of Apple’s iPhones. Also, Foxconn Tech apparently hinted that the revenue spike is related to new game console technologies.
The thinking here is that Nintendo already has a significant supply of assembled Switch 2 units waiting to be distributed to vendors. The company could be working up an inventory to satisfy initial demand and prevent speculators from piling up orders during the preorder window. That’s also speculation.
The question is, will Nintendo pile up Switch 2 units for another six months before shipping them to users? Or is the June 2025 release date rumor incorrect, and a March in-store launch is more likely?
We have no way of answering any of that. Maybe both reports are incorrect. Maybe Foxconn Tech assembled something other than the next-gen Switch.
On the other hand, I’ll remind you of the Switch 2 controller sighting and the purported accessories that appeared in different reports. Maybe the Switch 2 production is underway, and we’re bound to see the console leak in the near future.
