Nintendo add mysterious new 'C' button to Switch 2 console as fans speculate its real meaning
We're jumping for joy like a certain portly plumber because the Nintendo Switch 2 is on its way. The OG Switch landed all the way back in March 2017, and since then, it's gone on to give us some of the best-selling games of all time while becoming one of the best-selling consoles ever. We've seen the Switch top the charts year after year, but as various whispers of a Switch Pro never amounted to anything, there were rightful questions about what comes next.
Up there with the announcement of the next Grand Theft Auto, leakers got there years before to confirm that Nintendo was working on a Switch successor. We all had to act shocked when the Switch 2 was finally announced on January 16, 2025, promising it would be out before the end of the year.
Hoping to stop the scalping issue that dogged the Switch in 2017, Nintendo has vowed to ramp up production to avoid stock problems, so if you've been saving, you should be able to get your hands on one.
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We're about to get a proper look at the Switch 2 in a 60-minute April 2 direct dedicated to the console, but before we get there, there's been rampant speculation about a mysterious new button.
When we first got a peek at the redesigned Switch 2 and its slinky black look, many were asking what the new button on the Joy-Cons could mean. Originally appearing blank, it's now been confirmed as a 'C' button by the Nintendo Today mobile app.
Even though we now know there will be a new 'C' button on the Switch 2, we're no closer to unravelling its mystery. Gamers have their own thoughts, with some suggesting it's a simple wink to the GameCube's 'C' stick, which evolved from the N64's yellow 'C' buttons. Others think it's a 'capture' button, but there's a popular idea taking off on Reddit. What if the 'C' stands for chat and brings back the Wii U's chat function? Redditor u/get-homebrewed noted an audio cue that seems to honor Wii U's chat, with one supporter responding: "You know what, you ARE onto something. It's the beat of Wii U chat with the instruments of the 3DS friends theme.... That makes perfect sense holy smokes."
Another cheered: "You’re 100% on to something. So we think the “C” button is a CALL button? This better be linked into an entire ecosystem of devices though. Not just Switch 2s ….. hence the need for a Nintendo Today app???"
Someone else joked, "C is for coincidence," while another mused that it could be a 'cast' button to play games on screens without the need for a dock. As critics have pointed out, having a whole button dedicated to a chat function might be a bit outlandish, especially considering that no other console does that.
The harshest critics suggest that the lack of a full redesign and the fact that backward compatibility could hold back modern games will hold back the Switch 2. Then again, you have to look at the Wii U's dramatic departure from the classic Wii and its maligned legacy in the history books of gaming consoles to see that's not always a good thing.
Still, the mystery of the Switch 2's 'C' button continues to generate interest.