The big questions surrounding leaks are always about where they came from and whether they’re real. The latest big leak in video games concerns the Nintendo Switch 2, and according to trusted tech experts, they’re close to real.
Digital Foundry editor Richard Leadbetter stated in an article and on the brand’s weekly video series Monday that based on Famiboards forums tracking every bit of possible Switch 2 information, the team can confirm that the renders and images revealed last week were accurate as of October 2023.
“The eight-inch LCD. The larger form factor. The new Joy-Cons connecting via magnetic rails. At this point we can assume it’s all true,” Leadbetter wrote. Specifically, the team pointed to Taiwanese shipping manifests that had been posted on Famiboards previously to show how that information was similar to what we learned with the leak.
There were two aspects of this leak to dig into. The first were a couple photos that, according to Famiboards (and written up on the GamingLeaksAndRumors subreddit), were taken from a shell model that the original poster obtained “at great cost.” This is the most reliable aspect from the leak, since it would be close to impossible to fake a motherboard, as Leadbetter told IGN. Looking at the motherboard, Digital Foundry writes that it appears to support components revealed in other leaks, such as the 12 GB of RAM.
The second were CAD drawings, or renders, that showcase the external hardware, including its size, the redesigned Joy-Cons connected via magnetic rails, and the existence of two USB-C ports. These drawings were apparently created by the original poster who took photos of the assembly model. This is the aspect that should be taken with a grain of salt, even if a lot of the details line up with other leaks.
(2/3) pic.twitter.com/kca68h6WMF
— Andy Robinson (@Andy_VGC) September 18, 2024
“It’s right to have a degree of skepticism about this leak because there’s nothing to stop someone 3D printing up a fake casing,” Leadbetter said to IGN.
Digital Foundry also cites a video from Chinese YouTuber Xiao Ning Zi, who 3D printed a Switch 2 based on those drawings. While they can’t fully confirm the accuracy of her video, it would line up with other specs, including the larger 8-inch screen. And if true, it would show how much longer the Switch 2 would be compared to the original — or, as the team says, how much of a “chonker” it would be.
This Nintendo Switch 2 leak was spotted by Video Games Chronicle, which mentioned a source knowledgeable of the company’s plans also confirmed the leak’s accuracy. We’ve already mentioned the hardware tweaks, but the specs also reveal 256GB of storage and increased possibility of an 8nm T239 SoC.
We still haven’t heard news from Nintendo about the Switch 2 beyond that it exists, and that it’ll likely be announced during this fiscal year. We don’t even know if it’ll be called the Switch 2.
Acer’s Predator Atlas 8 finally has a US release date and price, several months after the company first showed off the handheld in May. The highlight is the Intel Arc G3 Extreme chip inside, which has been adopted by only a couple of other consoles besides the Atlas 8. This version will go on sale exclusively at Best Buy on November 1 for $1,299.99.
Acer originally said the Atlas 8 would arrive in North America in October, but left pricing open at the time. The launch came amid the ongoing DRAM crunch, which has made memory more expensive across the PC industry and complicated pricing for hardware makers.
Gaming laptops and I have a complicated relationship. One of my first gaming rigs was an Acer Predator that was already outdated when I bought it. I was a broke college kid, and that was the best I could afford. So trying out high-end gaming laptops is always fun. But ASUS' ROG Zephyrus G14 is a lot more than a laptop that can run AAA games. It is portable, so you're not lugging around a 2.5kg machine everywhere you go. It is built well, none of that plastic chassis, and can even function as a normal laptop outside of just gaming.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.