New Nintendo Switch 2 leak may give us our first genuine photos of its controller

Nintendo Switch Joy-Con pastel controllers
(Image credit: Nintendo)

  • A photo appearing to show a Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Con has leaked
  • It features a blue and black color scheme
  • It seems to be a finalized retail model rather than a prototype

If you thought we’d seen the end of the Nintendo Switch 2 leaks, then think again. It seems as though almost everything regarding the upcoming console is going to see the light of day before the official reveal.

As spotted by users of the r/NintendoSwitch2 subreddit, alleged photos of a Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Con controller have surfaced. They reportedly originate from the Chinese web forum Baidu Tieba and show the side and back of the peripheral.

I’m usually pretty sceptical of these kinds of leaks, but this photo certainly seems like the real deal. There are no obvious signs of editing or manipulation and the design lines up perfectly with everything that we think we know about the system so far.

First and foremost, we can see the new Joy-Con attachment mechanism in all of its glory. There are multiple smooth areas that could very well be magnets, which supports previous claims that they would be stuck on magnetically.

The color scheme, blue and black is exactly the same as a recent Joy-Con color leak - which suggested that the left Joy-Con would feature blue elements while the right would be orange and black.

We get a good look at the large side button placed prominently alongside the controller’s trigger, too. It’s still not entirely clear what this does, but its placement would indicate that it’s used to attach or detach the controllers. The rear of the Joy-Con is also crammed with regulatory markings, which would suggest that this is part of a finalized retail console rather than a prototype.

Presumably these photos were taken in an industrial setting, perhaps on the floor of a factory where the Nintendo Switch 2 is currently in production. It seems safe to assume that we’ll be learning even more about the system soon - potentially even later this month.

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Dashiell Wood
Hardware Writer

Dash is a technology journalist who covers gaming hardware at TechRadar. Before joining the TechRadar team, he was writing gaming articles for some of the UK's biggest magazines including PLAY, Edge, PC Gamer, and SFX. Now, when he's not getting his greasy little mitts on the newest hardware or gaming gadget, he can be found listening to J-pop or feverishly devouring the latest Nintendo Switch otome.