Nintendo's announcement of the Switch successor is imminent, and with less than two months to go until the promised deadline, speculation about the console, its specs, physical profile, and more have reached a fever pitch. While the company has remained tight-lipped about the details, leaks and rumors from third-party manufacturers have provided a glimpse into what we can expect from the new console.

The only concrete, Nintendo-confirmed piece of information we know about the new console is that it'll be backwards compatible with Switch games. Everything else has come by way of leaks and rumors from third-party manufacturers. Late last year, accessory manufacturer Dbrand debuted its Killswitch carrying case, which is based on the "actual dimensions" of the new console obtained from a "3D scan of the real hardware." The design suggests that the new console will be larger than the Switch OLED, with an 8-inch screen and a kickstand that spans the length of the console, similar to the OLED model.

Other accessory manufacturers, such as Genki, have also shown off 3D printed mock-ups of the console, reaffirming rumors regarding its larger size, magnetic Joy-Con, and more. The new controller design will also incorporate magnets in the joysticks to combat against the dreaded "Joy-Con drift" that plagues the Switch even now. While there's a lot of speculation and potential evidence about what the new console will look like, there's less circulating about what it can actually do.

Beyond an alleged photo of the console's motherboard, there hasn't been much out there about the console's hardware specifications. Because Nintendo has never made consoles at the bleeding edge (or, honestly, even the cutting one) of graphics or processing power, it's hard to guess how well the console will perform or what additional features, like a microphone, it'll have. However, we can reasonably guess at least one game that'll be a launch title: Metroid Prime 4. Announced in 2017, and undergoing a change of studio and a development reboot two years later, Nintendo debuted gameplay footage for the first time last year and shared a soft launch window of 2025.

Knowing that the new Switch and Metroid Prime 4 both launch in 2025 and with Twilight Princess and BotW as examples, it's speculated that the reason for Metroid 4's long stint in development hell was, at least in part, because the game was being tooled for both the Switch and its successor. Also, you just can't have a new Nintendo console without a Mario game. Super Mario Odyssey was a Switch launch title, and though there's been other new releases like Super Mario Wonder, there hasn't been a new, standalone 3D Mario game since then. It's all but assured one will be announced with the new Switch.

The recently announced Pokémon Legends: Z-A is also a good launch title candidate as Nintendo curiously worded the game's debut trailer with "releasing simultaneously worldwide on Nintendo Switch in 2025." While there's still much we don't know about the new Switch, one thing is certain - it's coming soon, and when it arrives, it'll be big. Nintendo's unpredictable strategy has mostly worked very well, and it'll be interesting to see how the company navigates the current crisis ravaging the gaming industry.

For all the rumors and reasonable guesses supported by increasingly convincing evidence, it's helpful to remember that at the end of the day, we're still talking about Nintendo. The company has always tread a separate and unpredictable path from the other two major console manufacturers, and that oddball strategy has mostly worked very well. Though the company is not immune to the same layoffs and delays plaguing its peers, it seems to be the one that is best navigating the current crisis ravaging the industry.

As we await the official reveal of the Nintendo Switch 2, one thing is clear - the gaming industry is eagerly anticipating the next move from the iconic company. With its reputation for innovation and creativity, Nintendo is poised to make a big impact with its new console. Stay tuned for more updates as they become available.