Nintendo Switch 2 Listed By Retailer

A premature Nintendo Switch 2 page appeared on the website of a Japanese retailer. While likely a placeholder, the listing adds to the recent influx of signals that Nintendo's next console is on the horizon.

The Switch 2 has effectively been Nintendo's worst-kept secret for a while now. And though the long-lasting effects of the global pandemic are suspected to have pushed back the company's release plans by a year or two, the current consensus among industry insiders is that Nintendo's next console will likely launch sometime in 2024.

The latest piece of circumstantial evidence substantiating that theory comes from Meccha Japan, a retailer specializing in international exports of Japanese electronics, fashion, and collectibles. The company's website was recently updated to include a Nintendo Switch 2 page, as spotted by Reddit user RexVandham. The listing itself is largely devoid of details, although it does indicate that the console is expected to release this year, as underlined by the product's placeholder availability date: December 31.

The possibility that Nintendo has already started briefing retailers about its next console's availability cannot be ruled out completely, although the likeliest explanation for this listing is that it's merely a placeholder. That notwithstanding, this is far from the first recent indicator that the Switch 2 is inching closer to launch; earlier this week, a GDC survey revealed that a substantial number of studios are already developing games for the Switch successor. The volume of responders who claimed to be doing so suggests Nintendo has already started sending out the Switch 2 dev kits at some point in 2023.

That time frame also dovetails with the recent rumors that the Switch 2 made an appearance at Gamescom back in August. Nintendo is said to have used the trade show as an opportunity to show the console to some of its closest partners behind closed doors, running The Matrix Awakens Unreal Engine 5 demo and an upscaled version