We’ve been covering for a while that rumors are swirling about potential Switch revisions coming soon. There are two revisions of the hardware allegedly coming soon: a smaller, more portable-focused version, and a version with a specs boost. While the latter has no buzz as of yet, we have seen a lot for the Mini version, and more comes today from the UK.

We reported before that a Chinese retailer is already starting to talk about accessories for the “Switch Mini,” which you can read about here. Now, another part of the world is possibly leaking accessories as UK accessory publisher, Bigben, has had what is supposedly a case for the smaller Switch come out. You can check it out below.

The first thing that jumps out is that the case says “Mini Switch. 2” on the cover. This could be a codename for the product, since there isn’t a finalized name as of yet, or could just be something we need more context to understand. While we always take leaks as speculation here, it definitely seems there’s a lot of smoke to this “Switch Mini”, and the fact that Nintendo is being so coy about it makes me think we’ll be seeing it soon.

The rumour mill has been churning out reports about a Switch Mini like nobody’s business. From Nintendo moving production to China for two new SKUs, to them ordering a large amount of memory chips for production (possibly), to a Chinese retailer having leaked the new model, there’s more than enough evidence to suggest that a more portable redesign of Nintendo’s hybrid platform is on its way.

But what does Nintendo have to say about the long-rumoured hardware redesigns for the Switch? As you’d guess, they can’t officially confirm it- but their wording is also as much of a confirmation as it can be without being an official announcement.

At their annual general meeting for shareholders, Nintendo acknowledged  (via Japanese Nintendo) that there have been a lot of rumours about a Switch Mini, saying that they don’t want to comment on rumours just yet because it would end up “stealing surprises” from customers and “also be unprofitable to all of our shareholders”, before also saying that as a rule, they’re always working on new hardware.

“We acknowledge that there have been reports [about this],” said Nintendo. “Answering to rumours and speculations would end up stealing surprises from our customers and also be unprofitable to all of our shareholders, so we have no answer to that. As a general theory, we are always performing development of new hardware.”

All of which is another way of saying, “yes, but also not officially.” But then again, you never know with Nintendo.

Either way, stay tuned to GamingBolt, and we’ll keep you updated on any new info that comes our way.

Rumors have been swirling for a while that updates to the Nintendo Switch will be coming soon, in the form of a ‘Mini’ focusing on portability, and a ‘Pro’ variant focusing on better specs. According to The Wall Street Journal, production on the machines has already started, with a shift from China to Southeast Asia production. Now, it’s possible the Mini’s existence may have leaked early via a Chinese retailer.

The online retailer in question, HonSon, began sending out emails to subscribers that featured accessories for the Switch Mini. They also include a render of the machine, and Nintendo Life got in touch with a representative of HonSon, and they said the renders were not official, but were based on ‘secret information,’ and they will  “adjust the model to ensure it can perfectly suit the console” once Nintendo officially puts them into production. You can see the original render and email below.

It’s not unheard of for a retailer to leak something early, but a mock up design on “secret information” seems to be pretty new. We have to chalk this up to speculation for now, but it definitely seems like there’s a lot of smoke in the air, so it won’t be too surprising if we see this “Mini” relatively soon.

Was the Switch Mini just unofficially announced to me?

A gaming company in China just wrote to me letting me know they’re releasing accessories for the Nintendo Switch Mini.

Would a company make products for a console they didn’t KNOW existed, and didn’t have in hand? pic.twitter.com/yQgk7xCbUn

— CptnAlex (@Cptn_Alex) June 18, 2019

The existing Nintendo Switch is a well made system, with incredible flexibility and modularity of form factor that truly sets it apart from everything else on the market. However, by being a hybrid, it is undeniable that the Switch also ends up being a bit of a compromise as a console and a handheld, both- it’s a bit too weak to be a proper high end console, and a little bit too big to be an effective, pocketable handheld. This isn’t even bringing up its relatively high cost, which locks out Nintendo’s most traditionally lucrative market- kids.

It looks like Nintendo may release a new SKU of the system to address all of these problems. At least, that’s what the analysts at Citigroup seem to think (via bloomberg.com). According to analysts Minami Munakata, Kota Ezawa and Alicia Yap, Nintendo may release a smaller, budget SKU targeted at children of the Switch, that would presumably be handheld only.

“Although the Nintendo Switch can be used as a handheld device, we think smaller children could struggle to use it comfortably in that format due to its size and weight, Accordingly, we think Nintendo will launch a lighter, dedicated handheld version of the Switch, possibly to be called the Switch Mini,” the report reads.

Given Nintendo’s penchant for constant iteration and revisions for its existing hardware, this doesn’t sound as far fetched as you might think- the only question, then, is whether or not it will indeed release in 2018. That sounds a bit too early to me.