Earlier this monthAn anonymous Reddit user stated that he saw the Switch 2 model with his own eyes. Edge and others considered it a potentially reliable source, but fans eager for bits of information about the long-awaited next Nintendo console had to content themselves with written descriptions only. Now the same user is back with real photos that quickly found themselves at the center of a huge debate about whether they are legitimate or simply AI-generated fakes.
A Reddit user posting under the nickname NextHandheld has previously stated that sharing actual photos of the console would be too risky. But on December 25, they returned to X (formerly known as Twitter) to do exactly that. “During the holiday season, I couldn’t resist sharing this gift with you all,” they sent. “Some might call it an early reveal… but I call it the best kept secret of the year.” The message was accompanied by a photo showing a hand holding the alleged Switch 2 sideways in what looked like a hardware testing facility.
The Switch 2’s voracious leak community immediately focused on strange artifacts and image mismatches, accusing it of being an AI-generated counterfeit. NextHandheld then published a second post in which it shared a purported image of the Switch 2 dock and cheekily wrote, “This was all AI generated.” Once again, strange anomalies appeared in the background and outline of the console. Taking a closer look at the shared photos, believers speculated that the gaps were too spotless for AI to have generated, and instead pointed out that in order to protect its identity and where the photos were taken, NextHandheld simply used AI to turn everything into images But the equipment itself.
One user on the Switch 2 subreddit, DoctorHoneywell, compared various outlines and dimensions from a previous alleged Joy-Con leak and found that the photos from the NextHandheld were very similar, possibly indicating that both were actually from a production unit close to the final design and form. “It could be a really high-quality resin 3D print with a well-done finish and custom stickers applied to it. This could be a really good Photoshop job instead of an AI image,” DoctorHoneywell concluded. “But that would mean that I was still right in what I said every time I was asked about it before this information was made public: it is either real or a high-quality fake.”
In a debate throughout Christmas and in a NextHandheld survey shared on X, 60 percent of approximately 4,000 respondents believed the leaks were legitimate, with the remainder believing they were elaborate fakes. The mysterious leak also promises to reveal fresh details in the coming days. Other once-prominent Nintendo leakers like Pyoro who confessed earlier having a source with access to the backend of the Nintendo website, I also tried to get in on the action, but without sharing anything definitive. For some, the whole thing is reminiscent of the infamous “Grinch leak” from 2018. Super Smash Bros. Ultimatelist. It turned out to be a carefully crafted scam. Does NextHandheld utilize a similar trick?
The risks associated with these leaks remain quite low. Unless everything that has been leaked so far has been completely made up and has no basis in fact, all available rumors and reports indicate that Nintendo’s next console will likely be very similar to the existing Switch, only with improved specifications. Every time Switch 2 speculation seems to die down again, a fresh data point emerges for fans to argue about, and it seems likely that this will continue until Nintendo finally reveals official information. The company has promised to do this by April 2025, and the time for the substantial, conventional February Direct is brisk approaching.
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