With the Nintendo Switch 2’s release closer than ever, pretty much everything there is to know about the system has been made public. Even prior to the official reveal there was a good amount of features known due to leaks, like the new C button. That being said, all these new features the Switch 2 is known for now weren’t all that were once planned. In an early patent that was made public just last week, it was revealed that the Switch 2 was once planned to have an infrared camera.
The patent in question was originally filed back in November of 2023, more than a year before the Switch 2 would be formally revealed. An included diagram shows that the infrared camera was planned to be on the right side of the system, and could display what it sees on the screen in real time. It isn’t clear what this feature was meant for; it’s possible it could have been used to record video, but given the low-quality nature of infrared cameras, it seems more likely that it would have been used for certain games. After all, the original Nintendo Switch had a similar feature, with the right Joy-Con having an IR sensor on the bottom which was used by games such as Nintendo Labo and 1-2-Switch.
It’s likely we’ll never know exactly what this camera was originally intended for. It’s possible that whatever it was meant to do was reworked for the Switch 2 camera, such as its use in Super Mario Party Jamboree. If nothing else, it’s a fun glimpse into the Switch 2’s development process. It makes you wonder what else might have been planned and scrapped along the way too, but with how many new features the Switch 2 has already it’s hard to imagine many more.
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Written by Abbie Maxwell
Lifelong Nintendo fangirl, Abbie holds a special place in her heart for video games. She has always strived to provide tips and tricks to make the experiences of those who share her passions that much better.
