Nintendo has still yet to officially reveal the Nintendo Switch 2, but that hasn't stopped others from talking about the highly anticipated console. Nintendo is expected to finally unveil the Nintendo Switch successor before the end of its current fiscal year, which ends in March 2025; however, CES has provided us our first look at the Switch 2 courtesy of replica models designed by peripheral and accessory makers.
Accessory maker Genki, which has been at CES showing off what it claims to be an accurate replica of the Nintendo Switch, also reportedly told a journalist at the trade show that the Switch 2 will be released in April.
While accessory and peripheral manufacturers do tend to have this information given to them ahead of time, it usually requires that the company sign an NDA. If that were the case, Genki would not be allowed to say the release date.
So either Genki hasn't been told the Nintendo Switch's release date and is just estimating the launch window based on the information they do have, or they are breaking the NDA, which would be a serious no-no.
On a related note, the mysterious "C Button" that was revealed on the replica is reportedly an optical sensor on the Joy-Con, but there's still no word on what it will do.
Anticipation and excitement for the Nintendo Switch 2 is continuing to build with each passing day, but we still don't know when Nintendo will make the official announcement. It was previously rumored that Nintendo could unveil the Nintendo Switch 2 sometime in January, so it's possible we could get an announcement any day now.
The Nintendo Switch 2 has a mighty big show to follow. The Nintendo Switch, which launched in 2017 as the successor to the failed Wii U, has become Nintendo's best-selling home console and third-best-selling game console of all time. With over 146 million units shipped worldwide as of September 2024, it trails only the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo DS. As of November 2024, the Switch had sold 46.6 million units in the United States, surpassing the PS2's total; however, it still trails the PlayStation 2 globally, 160 million to 146 million.