Astonishing Nintendo Switch 2 release date timeframe and stunning specs included in massive leak from sketchiest source possible

It’s important to state straightaway that this particular Nintendo Switch 2 leak source is the infamous 4chan site, so undoubtedly there is a good chance none of the information is true. In addition, the relevant thread has now been deleted (Nintendo’s ninjas at work?), so all that is available now is a blurry but legible screenshot shared on a different forum. While it is pinch-of-salt territory, it is surprising how detailed the leak is rather than someone just posting two or three predictions that are already widely expected anyway. The screenshot image is posted below; however, here is a lightly edited rundown of the alleged details about the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2:

• The console is codenamed "Hawk" ("HWK") while the Switch 2 dev kit codename is "HTW".
• There are some small gimmicks alongside the Switch's hybrid features.
• Performance is comparable to the PS4.
• 7-inch 1080p OLED screen.
• DLSS support is included.
• 4K at 30 FPS seems doable.
• Nintendo provided screenshots of a Star Fox-like tech demo to show off its pros and cons.
• Raytracing support (but not expected to be utilized a lot).
• 16 GB of RAM. 2 GB intended for the OS. Games will target 10 GB.
• Cartridges will be a little wider than the original Switch's. Height and depth are unchanged or very similar.
• Some files can be loaded extra quickly. Common decompression types are supported and there is a new one, "HLZ".
• Next-gen patches are possible. Nintendo has been pushing for next-gen exclusives.
• Systems can transfer save data with other systems or with "communication companion devices" (CCDs).
• Third parties haven't seen the CCDs. Switch Lite consoles were given out as placeholders.
• Each CCD can link to one user profile, allowing the CCD to act as a middleman for communication between its linked system and other systems/CCDs. The CCD devkit lets devs simulate multiple systems.
• Codenamed "asynchronous encounter communication" (AEC).
• Games can't rely on up-to-date information and should allow multiplayer responses, which complicates things.
• There was some talk of streaming multiplayer games to smartphones but current development status is unknown.
• Expected to launch in the second half of 2023.

Apparently, the original poster got all this incredible Nintendo Switch 2 information from someone who had been working with the system for a while, so it is as sketchy as can be. Interestingly, some of the points do match other Nintendo Switch 2 rumors. For instance, it has long been believed that the next-gen Switch console would be able to match the PlayStation 4 for performance and there have already been some claims that the device could be released this year. Also, if the system has 16 GB RAM, this would strengthen the argument that the Nintendo Switch 2 processor could be based on the Nvidia Jetson Orin NX 16GB SoC that uses Ampere GPU architecture and would offer huge performance gains over the original Switch (potentially 4-6x the performance).

Update 1 (March 29): The archived thread is available to read (H/T "Name" user in comments)

Update 2 (March 30): A forum user has now claimed to be the author of the original "leak" and has stated that it is fake and based on a mixture of pre-existing rumors and best guesses.

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