Midori has shared more information on what’s going on behind the scenes at Nintendo and their next console.
Following up on her rumors on the “U-King-O,” Midori recently said this:
“I forgot to explain. U-King is Breath of the Wild. Nintendo uses suffixes for ports of previous titles.
-C for 3DS ports because 3DS is CTR.
-S for Switch ports
But there is no -O before. The rumored next Nintendo hardware codename is Ounce.
Maybe the codename is Ounce because Nintendo was able to put stronger hardware into a portable device that is still not too heavy to use. So it is similar to the GameCube name.
In conversations with developers including Atlus and Sega over the past few years, the next hardware is using the name Switch 2 or New Switch. But I do not think that is the final name.”
So, amusingly enough, Nintendo and their partners have been referring to the next Nintendo console as the Switch 2. It may be that the people who originally leaked information on the console just shared the name that those developers were already using for the console.
But Nintendo’s own supposed codename is the more interesting one. Is there merit to the theory that Nintendo is internally calling the console the O because it’s only an ounce in weight?
We don’t have insider information, but there is information we can check to consider this. Nintendo, of course, shares information on their Switch consoles on their website. These are the different weights of each model of the Nintendo Switch:
- Nintendo Switch Lite – Approximately 0.61 lbs.
- Nintendo Switch – Approximately 0.66 lbs, 0.88 lbs. with Joy-Cons attached
- Nintendo Switch OLED – Approximately 0.71 lbs, 0.93 lbs. with Joy-Cons attached
OK, so just so we’re clear, lb is the abbreviation for pounds. None of these consoles are one ounce. Items that weigh about one ounce would include a pencil, a compact disk, a AA battery, a half stick of butter, and a slice of bread. So the device would most likely not be literally an ounce. But maybe Nintendo is working on making a device that feels lightweight, like you’re just holding onto a pencil.
Of course, Nintendo did the product research on form factors for the original Switch, thinking about what would feel comfortable to hold, and even carry by your hands. While some gamers may complain that the Switch models are too small, Nintendo has to make their devices for children too.
Even when the Switch launched, it was definitely heavier than the conventional tablet weight that consumers would have gotten used to from Apple, Samsung, Microsoft, and others. Nintendo surely tried to make their successor console lighter, possibly slimmer, even if it could be bigger in terms of length and width.
And wouldn’t you know it, multiple rumors have suggested that Samsung is supplying parts for Nintendo’s consoles. This is speculation on our part, but if Samsung helped Nintendo design this console, we may be getting something that feels as comfortable to hold as a Galaxy phone or tablet.
But that would have definitely be something Nintendo would want to have on their console, whether Samsung helped them or not. We are all eagerly waiting to see if Nintendo will be able to improve our gaming experience, and push the other portable gaming handheld manufacturers to improve their own devices too, in this direction.
