[Vandal] Exclusive new details about the next Nintendo console (Bigger than Switch, smaller than Steam Deck, joycons will be magnetic)

[Great Martinez Jr.]

Not going to lie: The whole black box thing/touch but don't look stuff sounds so incredibly goofy and fake.

...but then you remember Nintendo really IS that secretive and idiosyncratic, so it circles back to believable. XD

 

[Neoxon]

Not going to lie: The whole black box thing/touch but don't look stuff sounds so incredibly goofy and fake.

...but then you remember Nintendo really IS that secretive and idiosyncratic, so it circles back to believable. XD

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A classic case of "It's so ridiculous, it HAS to be true".

 

[Dr. Zoidberg]

I can't think of a reason to be able to touch it but not see it.

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You guys are assuming it's basically going to be like the current Switch but more powerful. This is Nintendo. There's some gimmick with the device that they didn't want people to see. Think dual-user-facing cameras because they're trying the 3D thing again, or some other nonsense that would be obvious if you got to look at it.

 

[delete12345]

Not going to lie: The whole black box thing/touch but don't look stuff sounds so incredibly goofy and fake.

...but then you remember Nintendo really IS that secretive and idiosyncratic, so it circles back to believable. XD

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Also a great bait trap to find actual leakers of sensitive info. If any leakers were found to reveal things Nintendo deemed to be classified, they can then go ham at them.

 

[IMACOMPUTA]

Maybe you can comment on this then, since you have some experience: how would you design something that's strong enough to keep the neo-joycons attached, but then easily detachable when (and ONLY when) you want to detach them?

I keep thinking about Magsafe connectors, which don't detach very easily when pulled directly away from the port, but then snap off incredibly easy if you tilt them. I know this is the intended design of the connectors, but I think I'd feel incredibly nervous as someone who plays 99% handheld that I'd be playing a Switch 2, get to an intense section of a game, and then mistakenly snap the controllers off because I got too grippy with the console or whatever. At best this would be a constant annoyance and at worst a very expensive mistake to make! Even the Razor Kishi controller I have for my phone doesn't feel particularly stable and at least that has multiple physical points of contact that aren't broken by tilting the grips away from the device (at least, not easily).

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Maybe there would be little protruding alignment posts that can be depressed via a button allowing the controllers to slide off.

 

[NateDrake]

I'm trying to figure out how an accessory company would benefit from touch but don't see or how they determined the dimensions to be less than Steamdeck based on touching -- unless they meant thickness, which would be easily noticeable based on feel. If you were to say they saw a generic plastic molding of the shape of the tablet or controllers, it would be beneficial as it provides measurements and such for the accessory company to use in product design.

 

[Cokomon]

Another change is on the joy-con side, which will trade their current attachment system using rails for a magnetic system.

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[Renna Hazel]

I really hope the pro controller is only compatible with Switch 1 games. I don't want Nintendo bound to the same gyro tech they've been using.

 

[Shoichi]

Pro controller being compatible means no analog triggers, eh?

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it could end up as the Switch successor games will have multiple trigger responses depending on controller or that original Pro Controllers will work on the Switch successor because of backwards compatibility with Switch 1 software. It doesn't necessarily rule out analog triggers.

 

[Neoxon]

I really hope the pro controller is only compatible with Switch 1 games. I don't want Nintendo bound to the same gyro tech they've been using.

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Games would still benefit from a better gyroscope even if the old Pro Controller is compatible.

 

[Renna Hazel]

Games would still benefit from a better gyroscope even if the old Pro Controller is compatible.

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I was hoping for something like the Wii for more accurate aiming (closer to VR). Gyro just doesn't click with me. Maybe it's not possible though.

 

[Rodney McKay]

On one hand, the Switch 2 really needed a better way to attach the joycons without being so loose and bendy.

But on the other hand, I was kinda hoping I could use the joycons I've bought over the years on the Switch 2, and if it's a totally new attachment mechanism, I doubt they'll work. Maybe wirelessly they can work, but probably not attachable.

Glad I didn't spend $70+ recently on a pair of high end third party joycons I saw that looked really good. I already bough those hall effect Gamecube style ones and was sadly disappointed with (not actually comfortable to hold when attached, and the buttons, especially the A button, we're reeeeally mushy).

Hopefully 3rd party joycon devs are able to make Switch 2 versions of their good Switch models quickly. I feel like it took to near the end of the Switches life before we finally started getting great joycon alternatives with all the features (gyro, rumble, wireless, AND good feeling joysticks and buttons).

 

[gblues]

Can't you make a magnet that deactivates or activates by pressing a button, depending on whether the electric current passes?

Like, you press a button and it comes off, you press it again and it sticks.

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Yes. they're called electromagnets and they'd be a constant power drain on the batteries while the joycons were attached.

 

[cardboardboxer]

All sounds good so far, seems like Nintendo is making good decisions when it comes to console design.

Would love to get some leaks soon about how they would plan the online service

 

[KarmaCow]

I refuse to believe the part about only getting to touch it because it's so nonsensical. How would that help accessory manufacturers when they need to be precise to the dimensions of the device to be worthwhile? I'm not sure what not being able to see it prevents from leaking either.

 

[NSESN]

If it really is releasing late this year I guess we will get a hin on the FY briefing

 

[crimsonECHIDNA]

What does that even mean?

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Clearly they had to wear a blindfold

 

[Great Martinez Jr.]

A classic case of "It's so ridiculous, it HAS to be true".

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Also a great bait trap to find actual leakers of sensitive info. If any leakers were found to reveal things Nintendo deemed to be classified, they can then go ham at them.

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Indeed.

I'm trying to figure out how an accessory company would benefit from touch but don't see or how they determined the dimensions to be less than Steamdeck based on touching -- unless they meant thickness, which would be easily noticeable based on feel. If you were to say they saw a generic plastic molding of the shape of the tablet or controllers, it would be beneficial as it provides measurements and such for the accessory company to use in product design.

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I refuse to believe the part about only getting to touch it because it's so nonsensical. How would that help accessory manufacturers when they need to be precise to the dimensions of the device to be worthwhile? I'm not sure what not being able to see it prevents from leaking either.

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The report states the black box thing was a demonstration at a trade fair.

I would assume the accessory manufacturers would later receive proper specifications sheets and CAD files.

 

[DarrenM]

Pro controllers being compatible is awesome, I hope that's true.

 

[Calamari41]

Magnets seems like an awful design. Either they're too weak and the joycons will just come off during gameplay, or they're too strong and will be an accessibility nightmare for people with low grip strength.

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There are a bunch of kid/toddler toys that use magnets like this, and I don't have a way to quantify it but they feel good. Through experiencing these, I know what the intention potentially is here and I think it will work. They are strong enough to secure the toys in place without having them accidentally fly apart, but weak enough to where adult and toddler alike can pull them apart when they want to. IF true, I don't foresee an issue here.

 

[TripleBee]

There are a bunch of kid/toddler toys that use magnets like this, and I don't have a way to quantify it but they feel good. Through experiencing these, I know what the intention potentially is here and I think it will work. They are strong enough to secure the toys in place without having them accidentally fly apart, but weak enough to where adult and toddler alike can pull them apart when they want to. IF true, I don't foresee an issue here.

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Agreed magnets can work for children's toys. Have my doubts for something an adult will be gripping. If they are weak enough for a child to unattach them with effort, they won't be strong enough for an adult will be my guess.

 

[mute]

Magnets sound like they would be even less stable. I guess we'll see

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I'm imagining that the vertical movement of the main switch body will be supported by some plastic housing that the joycons will insert into, and the magnets are only there to prevent the horizontal movement force which should be much less.

Like you are plugging the joycons into something, and the something is actually supporting the weight, and the magnets are only there to keep it from being unintentionally unplugged, and to provide some positive feedback when it is inserted.

 

[Calamari41]

Agreed magnets can work for children's toys. Have my doubts for something an adult will be gripping. If they are weak enough for a child to unattach them with effort, they won't be strong enough for an adult will be my guess.

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I understand the concern and anything is possible, but in my experience adults can handle these toys just fine as well. I also doubt that Nintendo would put the feature in if there were a high chance of the thing falling apart while being handled and falling to the ground. It will be interesting to see, that's for sure.

 

[Sander VF]

View: https://youtu.be/HQj5fW-Xlkk?si=T3W5SRz-QhWWxgHt

 

[Burai]

There are a bunch of kid/toddler toys that use magnets like this, and I don't have a way to quantify it but they feel good. Through experiencing these, I know what the intention potentially is here and I think it will work. They are strong enough to secure the toys in place without having them accidentally fly apart, but weak enough to where adult and toddler alike can pull them apart when they want to. IF true, I don't foresee an issue here.

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My son had a wooden train set that had magnetic couplers and it took a ridiculous amount of force to get them apart. He'd be running around the house, trailing a load of trucks behind him, trying to find a parent to pull them apart.

 

[Mass Effect]

As long as they keep making games named "Smash Bros," that USB GameCube adaptor will stay in production.

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I truly hope so.

Plus if we finally get GCN games on Nintendo Online, it would be nice to use actual GCN controllers.

 

[Calamari41]

My son had a wooden train set that had magnetic couplers and it took a ridiculous amount of force to get them apart. He'd be running around the house, trailing a load of trucks behind him, trying to find a parent to pull them apart.

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That's funny, my kids have the same kind of trains but the magnets are so weak you can barely have a train turn a corner without them falling apart. Just goes to show there's a variance with these things, and if the right level of strength can be found, it could work. Or, as others have suggested, a button that cuts the magnets when you want to pull them apart.

 

[KeRaSh]

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My god. 10/10

 

[lexony]

I can't imagine a reason they'd let you touch it but not see it?

That would essentially mean there is something new, surprising and very visible on the console that they don't want known or leaked yet, but that it can't be felt so they're ok with people gripping the controls and seeing how everything else is.

But that doesn't make much sense, I can't come up with a single idea of new tech that would fit that.

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They simply don't want to leak it? Nintendo probably fears that their ideas they have get copied by others or that certain features get misinterpreted wrongly by the public without the right context. If this is justified or not from their perspective I don't know. The interest in this thing is very high though and considering that even this info got out, they are right in that if they wouldn't do those precautions that the device would already have leaked.

 

[Conrad Link]

Nintendo: Touch but don't look, don't tell anyone about any of this.

Sounds kinky.

 

[inkblot]

I hope we get prettier new pro controllers as well though lol

I need more color than just the grips 🥲

 

[HibbySloth]

Legit question, how do you make magnetic joycons work? Wouldn't magnets not play well with the system? Couldn't you damage it?

 

[Stoof]

The black box hidden Switch is extremely funny. I'm just hoping we get some official sign of its existence this summer instead of waiting till fall or something to announce it.

 

[Renna Hazel]

Legit question, how do you make magnetic joycons work? Wouldn't magnets not play well with the system? Couldn't you damage it?

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View: https://youtu.be/hw4W58mTh1A?si=Dt3ZxWC3QP_p1AUJ&t=91

These use magnets for anyone curious how it might work. I don't think it will interfere with the storage device or anything like that to cause damage.

 

[Gamer @ Heart]

Feels like there is a major psychological factor at play behind the touch no look. As if you are far less likely to talk about something you didn't see and can't really describe.

 

[Plinko]

Hiding it under a box is a great way to hide the 3D screen, eh? Eh?

 

[delete12345]

Hiding it under a box is a great way to hide the 3D screen, eh? Eh?

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Schrodinger's Switch. It exists if you believe in it.

 

[NaikoGames]

the touch dont look approach is so...out there, it almost feels like something Playstation would do during the PS3 era lol

 

[shoal]

Putting the controller in a box so you can't see it is exactly what Nintendo did with N64. Makes sense.

 

[Watershed]

Nintendo just doesn't want pics leaked. I imagine there is nothing particularly unique about the way the SwitchU looks.

 

[Maxflier]

What the hell kind of magnets do they have that wouldn't constantly be detaching during gameplay?

 

[Darkgran]

So the hardware will be 3 years old when this comes out?

 

[Tony72495]

So the hardware will be 3 years old when this comes out?

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That pretty much tracks, the Tegra X1 launched in mid-2015.

 

[faint]

People will still manage to put the joy-con on the wrong way like they did when the Switch first launched.

 

[FinalRPG]

I just want to know if the joycons are bigger and more comfortable this time

 

[Lightsong]

What the hell kind of magnets do they have that wouldn't constantly be detaching during gameplay?

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Did you never work with strong magnets in school? They can be sheer impossible to detach from another with just manpower.

 

[MrKlaw]

I'm trying to figure out how an accessory company would benefit from touch but don't see or how they determined the dimensions to be less than Steamdeck based on touching -- unless they meant thickness, which would be easily noticeable based on feel. If you were to say they saw a generic plastic molding of the shape of the tablet or controllers, it would be beneficial as it provides measurements and such for the accessory company to use in product design.

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same. If you have some stupid gimmick like cameras you can easily blank those off in a plastic mockup unit designed to only show physical dimensions or how the controller connect or whatever. Don't need to even have internals

 

[Jamie OD]

I just want to know if the joycons are bigger and more comfortable this time

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Like the size of the Hori ones or bigger than that?

 

[Turnabout Sisters]

Touching is Good

 

[Sangral]

Did you never work with strong magnets in school? They can be sheer impossible to detach from another with just manpower.

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And still you have to detach them somehow.