Nintendo has promised to reveal the successor to its incredibly successful Switch console before the end of the fiscal year in March 2025, and the last few days have seen a flurry of design leaks. Now, the device skin and customization company Dbrand has risked Nintendo’s wrath by publishing a full 360-degree mockup of the Switch 2, complete with dimensions.
To be accurate, it’s a 360-degree mockup of the Switch 2 in Dbrand’s upcoming “Killswitch 2” case, but given it’s mostly transparent, that’s largely the same thing.
As you can see from the image above, it’s essentially the same as the 3D-printed mockup published by the SwitchUp YouTube channel a few days ago, which was also built on specs provided by a case manufacturer.
But while that case manufacturer chose anonymity and a friendly YouTuber, Dbrand has gone all out by publishing the design on its own site. Not only that, but it’s talked openly about what it knows with The Verge. Dbrand CEO Adam Ijaz told the site that the mockup is based on a “3D scan of the real hardware” meaning that it has the actual dimensions, and isn’t guessing.
That means he’s very confident that the Switch 2 is quite a bit larger than the Switch OLED with dimensions of 270 x 116 x 14mm, compared to the OLED's 242 x 102 x 13.9mm. Though, for comparison, that still makes it quite a bit less chunky than the current spate of handheld PCs like Valve’s Steam Deck (298 x 117 x 49mm) or the Asus ROG Ally (280 x 111 x 21.2-32.4mm).
Of that 270mm width, Ijaz says 200mm is the screen, making each Joy-Con 35mm. It’s Ijaz’s “understanding” that Nintendo has opted for a magnetic connection for the controllers this time, with an “ejection button” for when they’re to be removed. The kickstand on the back measures 55mm.
These are some juicy details for hardware that Nintendo has deliberately avoided talking about, but it’s not the first time that the maverick Dbrand has deliberately irked console makers, selling a “not Animal Crossing” Switch skin, and playing a cat-and-mouse game with Sony’s lawyers over custom PS5 plates. Nonetheless, when asked where the company got the 3D scan of the upcoming hardware, Ijaz simply replied “Nice try, Nintendo.”
Still, there are some mysteries with the hardware. For one, Ijaz doesn’t know what the new square button under the Home button does. It has a ‘C’ printed on it, he says, which may indicate “capture” for screenshots or video. Older gamers will remember that the N64 pad had ‘C’ buttons on it, but these were for camera controls in the days before dual sticks were commonplace. He’s also unaware of what the dock will be like, or whether the screen will be LCD or OLED.
Most importantly, Ijaz claims to be “genuinely unsure” of when the Switch 2 will arrive, though Dbrand aims to have its case ready in late March or early April just in case.
In terms of actual hardware power, we’ve heard a mixed bag of rumors with a leaker revealing some somewhat underwhelming specifications, but a job listing hinting at faster loading times. Pleasingly for those of us who’ve been collecting the best Switch games, Nintendo has officially confirmed its successor will be backwards compatible.
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