Nintendo quietly files for a new wireless device, but it’s not the Switch 2

Another Nintendo device appears to be in the works, and after the Japanese manufacturer discreetly filed for this new product with the FCC (the Federal Communications Commission) over the weekend, we can’t help but wonder what it has up its sleeves for us. We know that it’s new, whatever it is, thanks to the CLO-001 model numbers on the file – the same ‘001’ codes Nintendo used for devices like the original Switch and Nintendo DS consoles.

Although we’re still awaiting more news on the Switch 2, it’s exciting to see Nintendo create new products outside of its flagship console. There’s plenty of speculation around what it could be, naturally. So we’ll have to take all of this new information with a heavy pinch of salt until Nintendo officially reveals details. But we do know that the filing lists the new line as a ‘wireless device,’ thanks to The Verge originally revealing this info, so we know it’s not specifically a gaming console or peripheral like a Joy-Con controller.

We still don’t have a great deal to go on, but the file contained an intriguing outline of the new device, confirming where the FCC label will be ‘displayed in a depression area on the bottom.’ It seems to be a square-shaped model with slightly rounded corners, but we don’t know what this could be. Although the document filed by Nintendo did confirm that no body-worn accessory was involved in the initial testing, it doesn’t have a battery, and can only operate while plugged into a power source.

One of the most interesting things about this filing is the 24GHz mm Wave sensor that this mystery device has. There’s no Bluetooth capabilities or Wi-Fi, but this sensor could potentially be used as a way to track movement. We’re getting flashbacks to setting up the original Wii bar on our television stands, and praying to the gaming gods that it didn’t fall off mid-tennis match. But we’ve come a long way, so this new product probably won’t have that issue. It’s more likely that the 24GHz mm Wave sensor will likely follow simple gestures or perhaps detect when something, or someone, is in its immediate vicinity so it can power on automatically.

Unfortunately, we don’t have anything concrete other than the shape of the base and the sensor it’s fitted with, so all we can do is speculate as to what it actually is. Is it a new docking station or a dedicated AR support device? As usual, we’ll just have to wait for Nintendo to reveal its secrets.