Could the Switch 2 come with a dual screen?

14 May Could the Switch 2 come with a dual screen?

Some time ago, a Reddit user explored possible features of the Nintendo Switch 2. One of the ideas mentioned was the possibility of attaching a second screen to the top of the console. This wasn’t a leak or insider info—it was just speculation based on some patents related to Nintendo’s next console. It was never official, but the idea went viral and dozens of users created mockups to show what the Switch 2 might look like with an additional screen. The issue is that many treated it like a leak… when it was actually the opposite.

Months later, Nintendo has denied that this USB-C port could be used to connect a second screen. In an interview with GNN News (via TweakTown), Kouchi Kawamoto, the hardware producer for the Nintendo Switch 2, addressed the matter. At one point, the interviewer from GNN News asked whether the top USB-C port on the console could output images.

“Switch 2 has two USB-C ports—can either of them output video? I’ve used devices that can send video to glasses on other portable consoles. Is the Switch 2 compatible with this type of accessory or similar devices?” they asked. Kawamoto’s answer left no room for doubt: “These devices are not official Nintendo products, so I can’t guarantee their compatibility,” he stated right away.

“The video output of the Nintendo Switch 2 is limited to the USB-C port on the bottom. The USB-C port on the top does not support video output,” he said.
In other words: the top USB-C port cannot be used to connect a second screen, and the bottom one is designed to connect the console to the Dock and transmit its image to a TV or monitor. Consequently, the dream of the Switch 2 becoming something like a Nintendo DS is further away than ever… if not entirely impossible.

To some extent, it’s not surprising, as such an accessory would create too wide a gap between the Switch and the Switch 2 when it comes to offering classic games via services like NSO. It also goes beyond the accessory line Nintendo has been offering for years. While it’s not a crazy idea, it did seem overly complex.