Between the DS and 3DS, Nintendo is no stranger to multiple hardware revisions. And while Nintendo has only released one alternate iteration of the Switch, another may be on the way, according to a recent datamine. Codenamed “nx-abcd,” this part of the code hints at a possible two-screened model (or something mimicking that) coming sometime in the future.
“Vulnerability researcher” and Twitter user hexkyz sifted through the new 10.0.0 firmware update and found new profiles that hinted at some sort of secondary display with the aforementioned codename. The codename is somewhat important, given how the Switch went by NX before it was officially titled.
ALSO: Nintendo Switch 10.0.0 Update Patch Notes
While hexkyz didn’t provide images or much else, it’s not unlike Nintendo to mix up its hardware by releasing different iterations of it. One user on Reddit even said that this is consistent with the 5.0.0 update that had code for two other units that ended up being the Switch Lite and the regular Switch with a better battery (which hexkyz also found). This pattern could mean that it is a new piece of hardware if it isn’t some sort of upcoming peripheral. And if it isn’t hardware, it may be some sort of way of introducing DS and 3DS backwards compatibility to the Switch.
However, it doesn’t seem like it is going to be a more powerful system. People (including hexkyz) have pointed out that this likely isn’t a Switch Pro given how it has similar internals.
Of course, this is just a rumor since Nintendo has not commented on the matter and also stated that it has no plans to make a new Switch model in 2020. This datamine may or may not be accurate, but it’s unlikely a new Switch in any form is coming out this year, even there are no more shortages for the time being.
