Nintendo reveals new ‘wireless device’ but is it connected to Switch 2?-Adam Starkey-Entertainment – Metro

What is this new device? (Nintendo/FCC)

As the world awaits the reveal of the Switch 2, Nintendo has filed plans for a new mysterious device which includes a motion sensor.

Rumours and leaks for Nintendo’s next console have escalated considerably over the past few weeks, indicating some kind of reveal could be about to happen.

Nintendo has said it will showcase the follow-up to the Switch before April 2025, but between seemingly leaked prototypes and various insider winks, it’s starting to look possible we’ll hear something before the end of the year. Perhaps even within the next couple of weeks.

Amid all this speculation, Nintendo has submitted a mysterious new device to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) – and it definitely isn’t the next Switch.

There’s no clear indication of what the device actually is, as Nintendo’s application comes with a confidentiality request, which will be held for the next 180 days (until late March 2025). This is because Nintendo claims it contains ‘technical information which we deem to be trade secrets and proprietary’.

Despite this, there are some details in the documents. It’s listed as a ‘wireless device’ – so not a console or controller – and it has a square-like shape with curved corners when viewed from the bottom. It’s also powered by a USB-C connection and doesn’t have a battery.

While this might suggest it’s a peripheral of some kind, especially as the supposedly leaked Switch 2 prototype has USB-C ports, the device’s model number (CLO-001) indicates it’s an entirely new product line, unrelated to any other piece of hardware.

It ain’t no Joy-Con (Nintendo)

For comparison, the original Switch has the code HAC-001, while any peripherals have the same prefix with a higher number attached to it. The dock, for example, is HAC-007, while the Pro Controller is HAC-013.

So if it’s unrelated to the next Switch, what is it? The most noteworthy detail is that it sports a 24GHz mmWave sensor, which are typically used in smart devices to detect human presence or movement in a room, whether to monitor activity or allow for air gestures.

This could relate to several things, between some kind of gesture control for use in an upcoming game, sleep tracking in the vein of Pokémon Sleep, or something related to AR functionality as seen in Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit.

It was very common for Nintendo to release bespoke, low cost peripherals with specific games during the GameCube and Wii era, including everything from pedometers to microphones and unique controllers.

For now, we’ll simply have to wait until the confidentiality agreement expires (or if Nintendo chooses to announce it beforehand) for actual confirmation.

While it’s unclear if Nintendo will announce its next console in 2024, the Switch line-up for this year is perhaps strong enough without it – between Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom, Super Mario Party Jamboree, and Mario & Luigi: Brothership.

Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom is out this week (Nintendo)

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