We have at least four months from Nintendo Switch 2 official releasebut the peripheral manufacturers are beating Nintendo. Judging by the latest trailer, Nintendo’s a next-generation pluggable handheld device will likely feature a new Mario Kart game, and one manufacturer wants you to ride your JoyCons in style.
On Friday, Nintendo life first meeting with the accessory manufacturer Nacon’s early peripheries. This includes a controller with docks for the new JoyCons. The 29.90-euro, or roughly $30, steering wheel uses vacuum cups to stick to your desk or workbench when you’re turning heavily in a yet-to-be-announced cart. It has two modes of operation, one upright and one flat, which is a unique feature that you don’t normally get with many similar handlebars. Still, it’s not something we haven’t already seen with the original Switch, which also included motion controls in its JoyCons.
Early renderings of the Switch 2 controller look nothing like Nintendo’s recently revealed device, especially the joystick, which doesn’t have a large, overlapping bezel. This is likely another device designed according to specifications sent to peripheral manufacturers before Nintendo could announce its Switch follow-up. Nacon also has a few JoyCon skins with silicone inlays, some external skins for the Switch 2, and a carrying case.
Nacon’s peripherals are fueling fans’ suspicions that we’re finally expecting a sequel to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Although gameplay footage only appeared for a few seconds in the Switch 2 reveal trailer, fans have already spotted that there could be up to 24 racers on the track at once. Fans have also noticed that he is a Donkey Kong character model it resembles the one it appeared in Movie Super Mario Bros of in an almost 8 year old buggy racing game.
Thanks to their own leaks, we know that Dbrand, Genki, and probably many other small brands are planning to share their own Switch 2 accessories. DBrand’s Killswitch case includes a cover and an extra stand to go with the Switch 2’s U-shaped stand.
Genki’s original images seem particularly interesting, given that he revealed early models of the new JoyCons, which were virtually identical to what Nintendo revealed on January 16th, right down to the blue and red accents around the joystick. The Genki also shared a charging station big enough to fit two couples together.
VIDEO — Nintendo Switch 2 shown on #CES2025.
Prop maker Genki says he owns the real console and shows the 3D model + accessories.
Details here: https://t.co/5LDlnR2zC1 pic.twitter.com/IJ6taQggIQ
— Numbers (@Numbers) January 8, 2025
Switch 2 Leakers Take Flak From Devs
We already know of many third-party cases thanks to an obscene number of leaks of early mockups of the device. However, we don’t have anything to suggest new possibilities for the Switch 2 JoyCons or the console itself. Based on Nintendo’s video, we can only guess that the controllers could work like a mouse when gliding across a table. We’d also like to know if the Switch 2 dock adds any graphics capability to the handheld. Rumors and leaks suggest a Switch 2 could support 4K resolution when he is tethered.
The unknowns continue to ravage the collective, not some ill-advised idea that these brands have ruined the “surprise”. On Friday, Bayonetta’s original director and current lead in the upcoming Okami sequel, Hideki Kamiya, he wrote on Twitter how much he despised those who leak. According to a machine-translated post, he said: “I hope all those who leaked information about the Switch 2 are cursed for the rest of their lives with poop on the soles of their shoes whenever they go home.”
He continued: “… Now that I’ve enjoyed Okami’s surprise announcement with all the users, I truly believe that… all those damn writers should be damned… The crappy leaker is only working for his own pleasure and self-gratification, not only does he not contribute to anyone’s well-being, he exposes himself all kinds of losses in opportunities and he did not do anything that he could be proud of in front of others.”
Former Nintendo PR manager Krysta Yang expressed a very similar sentiment about her YouTube channel along with fellow ex-Nintendo employee Kit Ellis. She said she’s “100% sure” that Nintendo is “really mad… very, very, very upset” about the leak, saying it will be harder for Nintendo to surprise fans. Ellis said Nintendo’s regular processes to control the spread of information “didn’t work” and the leak was “worsened [Nintendo’s] the mindset that I can control everything.”
Nintendo has been working on the Switch 2 for years and has only offered the barest of information at the time. The company’s corporate accounts had to finally confirm the existence of the console because of the investors, not because of the fans. Nintendo’s own tight-lipped attitude created this drooling feeling among everyone who wasn’t directly in the know. If someone is going to have to scrape poop off their shoes, Nintendo should look at their soles first.