New Nintendo Switch 2 filing answers my prayers: both USB-C ports can charge, and NFC support suggests those 223 Amiibo are about to have new friends
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Nintendo's holding back further Nintendo Switch 2 details for a big reveal in an April Direct, but in the meantime it looks like we're getting some early info courtesy of the US government. The Federal Communications Commission recently published the results of its testing of the console, and while the report is 99% dull data on wireless emissions, there are a few juicy tidbits.
Switch 2 will support Wi-Fi 6, as The Verge notes in its write-up of the report. Just as the original Switch and its related accessories got the three-letter designation of HAC, the Switch 2 line will go by BEE. The BEE-001 unit – that's the Switch 2 console itself – "is equipped with two rechargeable USB ports (top and bottom side)," according to the FCC filing.
That means that the extra USB-C port we saw during the Switch 2 reveal will, indeed, be capable of sending and receiving power. While that's hardly surprising it is good to have confirmation that we're going to have options in how we connect chargers to this thing. Having a charging cable sticking directly into my stomach on the odd occasions when I needed to charge the Switch 1 in handheld mode was beyond annoying.
The part I'm happiest about, though, is the fact that NFC support is officially making a comeback. Over on the BEE-014 report – that's the right Joy-Con – makes repeated mention of RFID, which is the tech Nintendo uses for NFC transmissions with Amiibo figures. Again, it's not exactly shocking that Switch 2 carries forward a basic Switch 1 feature like NFC support, but it's good to have the confirmation.
I need to make the disclaimer that this doesn't officially confirm that Amiibo will work with Switch 2, as there's still an outside chance this is for some other type of NFC connection, but I think it's reasonable to be confident Nintendo won't leave this aspect of Switch 2 backwards compatibility behind. After all, there are already 223 Amiibo out there, and while releases of new Amiibo have slowed down somewhat in recent years, I doubt we've seen the last of the little figures.
Here's what you should do to prepare yourself for Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders.
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