Despite the fact Nintendo keeps saying no new models of the Switch are in development at this time, more flame has been added to the rumor fire thanks to some product listings (complete with images) on a Chinese electronics accessories website. In short, we could very well be looking at an actual image of the Switch Mini.
To be clear, “Switch Mini” is not an official name, it’s just what everyone is calling the thing and, given the fact Nintendo has not confirmed anything yet, everything here should be taken with an appropriate level of skepticism.
At this point, though, that “appropriate level” is shrinking. There have been tons of rumors circulating for months that Nintendo is prepping both a “mini” and an upgraded version of the Switch, with sites like Nikkei and The Wall Street Journal going so far as to report production of the models has already begun through Chinese manufacturers.
To cap that all off, we now have accessories site Hon Son (via Mobile Syrup) revealing an entire line of cases and whatnot for the miniaturized version of the Switch that Nintendo says doesn’t exist. It’s common for these types of manufacturers to receive hardware specs in advance to have time to prepare these types of product and, as the original post points out, it’s entirely possible that the “Switch Mini” being shown in the images is just Hon Son’s own mockup of the device based on Nintendo’s specifications. It might be placeholder artwork, in other words, or it might be the real deal.
Of course, if it’s the real deal, then that means the Switch Mini is happening and Nintendo should probably just go ahead and make an announcement at this point. I appreciate things like marketing timelines, production calendars and carefully-planned timing but, at this point, it feels like the entire cat is out of the bag and Nintendo is still claiming there’s no cat or bag to begin with.
We’ll just have to keep waiting for now but, in the meantime, feel free to peruse Hon Son’s line of cases, skins and screen protectors for a Nintendo console that may or may not exist.
