After years of intense rumor and speculation, Nintendo finally revealed the Switch 2 in January of this year. While the company hasn’t yet announced each and every new feature the Switch’s successor will sport, the company did confirm a number of details leakers had been hinting for a long time, including a larger display, redesigned magnetic Joy-Cons, a new kickstand, backwards compatibility, and, least consequentially, a large “2” embossed on the console and dock.
Since the initial announcement, we’ve learned a bit more about the Switch 2 in advance of its full unveiling later this year. Nintendo announced a worldwide tour, where fans can try out the Switch 2 early. It also appears that the new Joy-Cons will have a “mouse mode” that will let you drag a controller around on a table…like a computer mouse. Other than that, things have been a tad quiet—until now.
Here are new Switch 2 details, courtesy of FCC filings—and what they might hint for the future of the system.
The Switch 2 will use NFC, which bodes well for Amiibo support
As spotted by The Verge, Nintendo has submitted a number of filings to the FCC. The outlet scanned through these documents, and discovered the Switch 2 will support NFC (near field communication)—the technology the enables products like Amiibo to wirelessly communicate with the console. (It’s also the tech behind tap-to-pay features like Apple Pay and Google Play.) If you’ve used Amiibo before, you might remember NFC communication happens through the right Joy-Con on the Switch. That appears the be the case for the Switch 2 as well.
A second USB-C port
Another interesting confirmation in these filings concerns the console’s second USB-C port. You could see this new port in the official Switch 2 announcement video, but Nintendo didn’t elaborate on what it was meant for. Now we know: You’ll be able to charge your Switch 2 via either USB-C port, which is great news for portable players. With the first generation of Switch, the USB-C port is on the bottom, meaning you can’t charge the console while playing with the kickstand out (unless you get very creative). A second port on the side will solve for that issue. This isn’t a necessarily reason to upgrade to a Switch 2, but it is a perk—perhaps one that should have been thought through a decade ago with the first Switch.
Wi-Fi 6 support
Finally, the filings show that the Switch 2 supports Wi-Fi 6 with up to 80MHz of bandwidth. The OG Switch supports Wi-Fi 5, as Wi-Fi 6 wasn’t even a thing when it came out back in 2017. The upgrade should enable faster internet speeds for game downloads and online play while potentially increasing battery life, as Wi-Fi 6 connections can turn off when you aren’t using them. That said, we won’t know how much the Switch 2’s speed and battery life improve over the original Switch until reviewers are able to put the console through its paces.
Mark you calendar for an April 2 Nintendo Direct
The Switch 2 has no current release date. However, the company did say in the announcement video that there will be a Nintendo Direct on Wednesday, April 2 at 6 a.m. PDT, specifically intended to offer “a closer look at Nintendo Switch 2.” We’ll see how much more information is leaked before that date.
