A third-party maker of gaming accessories created a mockup of Nintendo's next video game console, the Switch 2, and is showing off features Nintendo has yet to announce, including an optical sensor and a new controller button.
Genki, a US-based hardware brand owned by Human Things, is showcasing products at CES 2025 in Las Vegas. It posted to its website a video of a purported replica of a Switch 2 that it will be making accessories for. Genki says Nintendo will release its follow-up to the popular Switch portable console in April and that its new Joy-Con controllers will have several new features.
Another view of Genki's Switch mockup.
In the video, Genki says the mockup is based on a Switch 2 console it had access to, and the company included a signup form on its website for customers to get more information as it's released.
Among those features are a set of magnets to attach to the console screen instead of sliding in, an optical sensor that could allow the controller to work like a mouse, and a C button that has also been spotted on other forthcoming third-party products. Nintendo has yet to officially announce the new console or any new controller features it would include.
Replying to a request for comment, Nintendo distanced itself from Genki's actions: "Any gaming hardware that Genki is showing at CES claiming to be Nintendo hardware is not official, and was not provided to them by Nintendo," the company said in a statement to CNET.
Genki didn't respond to our request for comment.
Behold the number 2 and a logo that looks like Switch Joy-Cons.
Speculation about Nintendo's next console has run rampant for several years. The new controller information has led to suggestions that the optical sensor in the purported new Joy-Con could be used in games like a computer mouse, a feature the game maker used back in the Super Nintendo days. As for the C button, it could stand for "camera" or "chat" or simply be a random letter assigned to another console function.