Skip to main content

Nintendo Switch 2 FCC filings suggest Amiibos are here to stay

The Switch 2 next to a TV with Mario Kart.
Nintendo

If you worried the Nintendo Switch 2 wouldn’t support your Amiibo collection, you can breathe easy; recent FCC filings indicate it will have NFC support, and that most likely means Amiibo. The filings also show the Switch 2 will support Wi-Fi 6, an upgrade over the original Switch’s Wi-Fi 5.

That’s great news for all fans. It means the Switch 2 can support faster Internet speeds and is on-par with the base PlayStation 5 — and has higher maximum speeds than the Xbox Series S or X.

Recommended Videos

As far as Amiibo go, there’s little reason to otherwise include NFC support. Nintendo’s plastic figures look great and are fun to collect, and they usually offer in-game perks of some kind or another. The filing shows the NFC reader — an RFID receiver — will be located in the right Joy-Con, just as it was on the first Switch.

Nintendo Switch 2 – First-look trailer

The filing shave also revealed that the Switch 2 will have a USB-C port at the top and the bottom of the console and that it can charge via either.

One of the biggest issues with the original Nintendo Switch was its slow Wi-Fi speeds. Although it technically supported Wi-Fi 5, few users reached maximum download speeds. The Switch OLED offered a slight improvement with an option for a hardwired connection, but the Switch 2 will hopefully bring more noticeable speed boosts.

Nintendo is holding an official Direct on April 2 at 9 AM ET to offer a closer look at the Nintendo Switch 2. That event should give us concrete details (and perhaps a release date and price) instead of educated guesses, but one thing is clear from the leaks so far: the Switch 2 looks like a big improvement from the original console in all the right ways.

Patrick Hearn
Patrick has written about tech for more than 15 years and isn't slowing down anytime soon. With previous clients ranging from…
The Switch 2 is the perfect example of why console launches don’t feel special anymore
The Switch 2 being unboxed.

I will never forget the unbearable excitement I felt on that early morning on my 7th birthday. It was 1998, and Pokémon was the biggest thing in the world, especially for an elementary school kid like me. Except that I didn't have a single card or game to my name. In fact, I didn't even have a Game Boy. That, plus Pokémon, was the only thing I asked for that birthday, and I knew I would get it.

I can still remember lying awake half the night, unable to sleep while my imagination ran wild with unrealistic machinations of what the game would be like. I woke up just as early to the sounds of my parents and sister setting up decorations downstairs and bided my time before I could go down. It was a school day, but they could sense my excitement well in advance and agreed to let me open one thing before school.

Read more
After a month with the Switch 2, I can’t fully recommend Nintendo’s new console
A Nintendo Switch 2 playing Mario Kart World appears on a table.

We're still firmly in the honeymoon period with the Switch 2 right now. Most of us are still exploring Mario Kart World's open world for secrets or wondering if Welcome Tour was worth the $10 price tag. With Donkey Kong Bananza arriving just in time to beef up the exclusive catalogue with a new 3D platformer, I found myself conflicted with my time with the console so far. I don't mean personally; I am in love with this piece of tech. What is trickier is when others ask me whether or not I think they should pick one up.

One month into the system's life, there's a lot to love already, but not without some caveats. Consoles only get more enticing as they age, so adopting one early essentially means you're investing at its least appealing time. There are plenty of people I would recommend a Switch 2 with no conditions, but I would say the majority of gamers are better off waiting.

Read more
If you need a new Nintendo Switch 2 game already, don’t miss Battle Train
A conductor sends a train car forward in Battle Train.

Whenever I get a new video game handheld (there are a lot of them these days), my first goal is always to find my "go-to game." I seek out the kind of replayable puzzlers or roguelikes that I will always keep installed and come back to whenever I don't have anything new to play. On Nintendo 3DS, it was Dr. Mario Miracle Cure. On Nintendo Switch, it was Tetris 99. On Steam Deck, it was Vampire Survivors. And now on Nintendo Switch 2, it's Battle Train.

The new deckbuilding roguelike, published by Bandai Namco, has everything I want from a long-term console staple. It has that all-important "one more run" hook, strategic depth that reveals itself with each attempt, and tons of unlockables. It's right up there with StarVaders as one of 2025's most inventive and purely pleasurable games.

Read more