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GamesRadar
GamesRadar
Technology
Issy van der Velde

Newly revealed Nintendo Switch 2 has a mysterious new button, and no one knows what it does yet

The new Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Cons on a white background. They're black with some pops of colour around the sticks, and there's a new button under the home button.

The Nintendo Switch 2 has finally been officially revealed following months of leaks and rumors, and it has a mystery button on the right Joy-Con that isn't the C button that was promised.

According to old rumors, the Switch 2 was going to have a C button that harkened back to the days of the N64 and GameCube. I'll be honest, I never understood the C stick or buttons when I was a kid and I don't understand this new mystery button now.

The most popular belief was that this new button would open some sort of chat menu, but now that we've actually seen the new Joy-Cons, while there is a new button under the Home button on the right Joy-Con, it's completely blank, so there's no way to tell. 

The screenshot button is still on the left Joy-Con under the direction buttons, so it's not that. It could be a video capture button, but I don't think so, as it would make more sense to just have a long press of the existing screenshot button save a video clip or open up a sharing menu like you can do with the share button on the PS5's DualSense.

A dedicated chat button makes a lot more sense if Nintendo is intending to improve its online experience with this console. Online play has always been a weak point of Nintendo hardware, so it would be nice to see the company making a conscious effort to make the experience smoother.

It could also be a button that activates a new software feature that hasn't been announced yet. There is a Nintendo Direct coming April 2, 2025, so we'll likely get an answer on the day or before.

As for what we do know, the Switch 2 will have backwards compatibility with both physical and digital Switch games, so your collection is safe. There is an asterisk that notes some games may not be supported, though.

It also looks like Mario Kart 9 is the first official game revealed for the console, and Donkey Kong has undergone a redesign that makes him look more like his film counterpart.

To keep up with all the new information, check out our Nintendo Switch 2 live page to see everything that's being revealed.

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