Rumors of a Nintendo Switch 2 have received one of the most intriguing updates to date, as a recently discovered patent may give us our first look at the design of the unannounced gaming console.

As discovered by Gamerant, a Nintendo patent filed in late 2022 has now surfaced online, and it appears to relate to a new portable gaming device. Attached to the patent are four sketch images, showing a gaming console that looks somewhat similar to the current Nintendo Switch, but with some key differences.

Perhaps the biggest change is the loss of the Joy-Con controller. Instead, the console appears to have a form factor similar to the Nintendo Switch Lite. Images suggest that it is an all-in-one unit. According to the patent, the console has one joystick on the left side and four buttons on the right. There are also two shoulder buttons on the top of the console.

This would be a major change from the first generation Switch, which featured a joystick on either side of the display, four face buttons, a four-way D-pad, and four additional buttons (plus, minus, home, and capture). If this patent is indeed indicative of the Switch 2, then Nintendo is fundamentally rethinking the design of its next hardware.

Further images included in the patent reveal that the home and capture buttons have been moved to the bottom of the console, along with a USB-C port and dual speakers. The top of the console features a volume control, power button, headphone jack, and cartridge slot, which is at least reassuring that Nintendo has no plans to go all digital in the near future.

According to Gamerant, the patent describes a pressure-sensitive touchscreen display, and the description suggests that "inputs controlling directional movement" could also be included on the right side of the device. This would likely be a second joystick, bringing the device's appearance closer to the current Nintendo Switch lineup.

While I am eager to hear more about the Nintendo Switch 2, I must note that this device is technically unproven at this stage, but I definitely expect this patent to be a red herring. Simply put, the images in this patent show a device that is fundamentally unsuitable for Switch gaming.

The lack of dual joysticks is quite a deal-breaker on its own, but having only four face buttons will greatly limit the ability of developers to create well-designed control schemes. Additionally, a single-trigger-only handheld device would result in a poor play experience, as the PlayStation Vita already proved over a decade ago; the Nintendo Switch 2 should offer four independent shoulder buttons, just like its predecessor.

If this patent is indeed indicative of the Nintendo Switch 2, it would also be a blow to the console's potential for backward compatibility with the existing Switch library. The best Nintendo Switch games will not be compatible with this reworked design, and it is unlikely that many developers will go through the process of updating their games so that they can be played on a device with fewer input points.

Of course, it should be noted that there is no proof that this patent is for the Nintendo Switch 2. It could be another device that Nintendo is developing. Furthermore, companies regularly file patents for products that never see the light of day, so just because Nintendo has a patent for this design does not necessarily mean that it is actually in our hands.

For example, Sony has filed a patent for a system that would allow one to control a PS5 with a banana in 2021, but one cannot play "Marvel's Spider-Man 2" with a piece of fruit. Similarly, the product described in this Nintendo patent may never materialize. For now, we will have to wait until Nintendo finally announces specific details about the long-awaited successor to the Switch.