The Nintendo Switch 2 rumor mill was a comedy of errors in 2024

digitaltrends.com:

For a video game console that didn’t even come out in 2024, the Nintendo Switch’s successor left quite an impact.

Colloquially known as the Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo’s follow-up to its hit console-handheld hybrid had rampant speculation surrounding it the entire year. Even once Nintendo eventually confirmed it would talk about Switch 2 on its own terms, the rumors did not slow down. While it now seems highly unlikely that Nintendo will discuss Switch 2 again before the year is over, 2024 will, in my mind, forever be tied with ludicrous Switch 2 speculation.

It has been a comedy of errors, with the leaks and rumors for Nintendo Switch 2 ranging from preposterous to quite plausible. Before Nintendo shows off its next piece of gaming hardware, let’s stroll down memory lane and look back at the biggest Switch 2 leaks, real or not, that dropped throughout 2024.

• In 2024, early access video games went mainstream
• Some of 2024’s best games were only as long as movies
• We might have just gotten our best look at the Nintendo Switch 2 yet

AI, GDC, and dreams of a 2024 launch

As 2024 began, fans had a feeling that this could finally be the year Switch 2 was announced and released, especially as multiple developers claimed in an anonymous survey that they were working on games for the platform. A lie from an AI company played into those sentiments almost immediately. Around the time of CES in January 2024, Digital Trends spotted a press release for an AI version of GameShark that claimed that the Nintendo Switch 2 would be released in September 2024. It seemed suspicious that release date confirmation would come from a company other than Nintendo, and Digital Trends quickly confirmed that the company