Nintendo Switch Menu Was Originally Planned to Be Much Livelier, Leak Reveals

An early version of the Nintendo Switch user interface has leaked online. The images that are currently making the rounds on social media suggest that the Nintendo Switch was once planned to have a much livelier menu than what ended up shipping to consumers.

Seven years following its release, Nintendo's hybrid console boasts the title of one of the most successful gaming systems ever made, with the latest official figures placing Switch sales north of 132 million as of late 2023. And while countless gamers hold the handheld dear, its popularity has little to do with its UI design. On the contrary, plenty of fans have frequently voiced criticism of the console's home menu, describing it as everything from bland to going against Nintendo's historically playful and colorful products.

But as suggested by a newly surfaced screenshot batch said to depict the console's prototype UI, it would appear that Nintendo was once planning to deliver a much more lively interface. The four leaked images, shared by Twitter user PaulFelixKelly, reveal an incredibly colorful Switch UI that is clearly reminiscent of the final product, while still taking a lot of inspiration from the vibrant menus utilized by the Wii U and 3DS.

Aside from a more picturesque color palette, the leaked UI also features a reshuffled layout of the final Switch menu: the news, eShop, and gallery buttons are still on the bottom, but larger and mixed with the user's recently played games. The battery, Wi-Fi, and time icons also once occupied the bottom-right corner of the screen, right next to what appears to be a row of recently online friends. Meanwhile, the settings button used to be much smaller, while the majority of the screen real estate was dedicated to visualizing the currently selected item, making the interface seem more responsive.

This is far from the first occasion on which some pre-release Switch software found its way to the web. This very same source also dug up a prototype Nintendo Switch boot