These pictures appear to show us the upcoming Nintendo Switch Mini.
We’ve heard loads of rumours over the last few months that point to at least one new handheld incoming from Nintendo – with talk on a Switch Mini accompanying speculation on a more advanced Nintendo Switch 2. But the leaked images are focused on the former: a smaller, cheaper console.
The main difference between the smaller system shown and the full Switch is that there are no detachable controllers – it’s a single unit instead. And, while there are essentially the same controls, the pics show a D-Pad rather than buttons on the left-hand side.
This is consistent with many rumours we've heard before but, yes, it does rather take away the 'switch' part of the Nintendo Switch.
The info comes from accessory supplier Honson who appears to have a Switch Mini page live on its site with cases, bags and screen protectors for the new model. It has also posted some images of the products to Facebook and Alibaba for bulk sale.
As ArsTechnica notes, the Chinese company has been making accessories for around 15 years, so it’s perfectly reasonable that it would have some insight into upcoming plans. However, the company admits in one post that it has been tracking information posted on the web for information.
In addition, the images aren’t great quality and there’s obvious image manipulation – although it’s not unusual to see images like these from smaller manufacturers which are simply of poor quality rather than just being outright faked.
It’s shown here in a dark grey. We’ve seen a fan mockup of this shape before, while there was also a similar fake 3D printed version mocked up by accessory supplier iPega at E3, too. And LetsGoDigital also mocked this up in January.
Basically, take this with a pinch of salt for now, even though the concept of a Switch Mini has plenty of merit.