Ah, another day, another round of 'Switch 2' speculation. Today's chatter, however, is actually rooted in something on the Switch, after Nintendo's Intellectual Property Notice was updated on the console to include a suspicious new product code.
Initially flagged on Twitter by @necrolipe, Nintendo's official Wireless Regulatory Information now applies to electronic labels "BEE-006, HAC-008", the former of which is ringing some alarm bells for those who have been in the 'Switch 2' product code speculation trenches for a while.
You see, this isn't the first time we've seen 'BEE' in relation to 'Switch 2'. Earlier this year, the code popped up in Nintendo shipping data alongside the commonly-used 'HGU' — the assumed product code for most things 'Switch 2'. While there was no indication of what product the code was linked to, its inclusion in the shipping data led some to speculate that it was likely also linked to the Switch successor.
And so we arrive at the code making another appearance in Nintendo's updated Intellectual Property Notices — which you can find in the System settings, or by just checking out the screengrab above. Its position alongside HAC-008 (the code for 'Switch 1' carts) has led some to believe 'BEE-006' signifies 'Switch 2' cartridges, though, again, that's just speculation for the time being.
If it is a 'Switch 2' cart, however, what's it doing in the IP notice? Some online like @necrolipe, @CentroLeaks and more have speculated that it's a sign the next console will use the same operating system as its predecessor (probably due to the 'BEE-006' mention on the current Switch OS). This wouldn't be all that surprising given how often operating systems are reused between models, nor would it rule out some 'Switch 2' utility upgrades — come on, give us some Themes! — but it might suggest the base is staying the same.
That said, its inclusion could just as easily be the foundation of an error message, "You cannot play that software on this system" or something similar. Or, of course, the code could have nothing to do with 'Switch 2' — it has some provenance in old analysed shipping documents, but there's still a fair amount of mental leaping going on here.
All this is to say, there are plenty of reasons why a 'Switch 2' code (if we're assuming it is a 'Switch 2' code) might pop up on the new Intellectual Property Notices, but we'll have to wait for its official reveal to have any real idea of what it's doing there. If only Nintendo would reveal the damn thing, eh?