Now that the Nintendo Switch is in the seventh year of its lifespan, rumours and speculation naturally turn to its inevitable successor.
Even Nintendo itself has admitted that "it will not be easy for [Switch] hardware sales to continue at the same pace going forward as seen in the past few years", signaling that although the console is still selling reasonably well, it's safe to assume that attention will soon turn towards the company's next major piece of hardware.
As such, "leaks" will inevitably rear their ugly heads on the internet, and we're here to make sure that you're aware of their validity (or lack thereof, in most cases). Take the below tweet from user @ChitoGamingLive, for instance. It showcases two images of what is being referred to as the 'Nintendo Switch 2', but frankly, we're not convinced in the slightest.
So let's break down why this is almost certainly fake, shall we?
First of all, just look at the overall concept. We know Nintendo has strayed into the realms of 'what the heck' with its console designs of yore, but this one really takes the cake. It's just ugly, right? The Joy-Con design is particularly egregious, with its weird sliding mechanic and overly-rounded corners. No thanks.
There also looks to be two separate SKUs for the console, too. We've got the standard 'Switch 2' on the right and the 'Switch 2 Max' on the left. One would assume that the Max version simply offers up a dock for use with TVs, but if you look closely, the actual design of the console itself is different. We don't know about you, but we can't see Nintendo forcing its customers to choose between two SKUs at launch.
Finally, there are just oodles of iffy details in the images that simply don't add up. Why does the UI only show current Nintendo Switch games, for example? Why is the Splatoon 3 box art inverted? Why is every word capitalised in Tears of the Kingdom? And why is it called 'Switch 2'?! Nintendo's more creative than that. Well, we could see that happening after the Wii U confusion, but still.
Then there’s the case of what appears to be someone’s reflection in the screen:
Look, the point is, don't fall for it. Please.