Nintendo has submitted a mysterious new wireless device to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) this weekend, and it isn’t the Switch 2 console we’re expecting to be revealed before next April. The CLO-001 model number doesn’t reveal what it actually is, but it appears to be an entirely new product line given the “001” codes used on devices like the original Switch (HAC-001) and DS (NTR-001) consoles.
It’s tagged only as a “wireless device,” not a “wireless game console” or any kind of controller like a Joy-Con. A basic diagram within the documents shows an outline of where the FCC label will be “displayed in a depression area on the bottom” of something with a squarish footprint and rounded-off corners.
The documents also show that there’s no body-worn accessory involved with the testing and that it doesn’t have a battery and can only operate plugged in — it was connected to the same USB-C charger that Nintendo ships with its Switch consoles in tests, but that only reveals it can be powered by USB-C.
The CLO-001 is surprisingly light on wireless technology — there’s no 5GHz or 6GHz Wi-Fi radio and no Bluetooth, but it does sport a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi radio and a 24GHz mmWave sensor.
The 24GHz mmWave sensor is the most interesting detail we have. It could be a radar sensor to track movement, like closely following gestures or detecting when someone is nearby the device, causing it to turn on automatically like we’ve seen in the 60GHz sensors found in devices like the Pixel 4 and Aqara’s smart home presence sensor.
The Wi-Fi hardware in the first-gen Switch was created by Cypress Semiconductor, a company that was acquired a few years ago by Infineon, which is now promoting the capabilities of its 24GHz radar sensors. 24GHz radar can provide a detection range of up to 100m, with penetration possible through obstacles, at the tradeoff of a larger size and lower resolution, according to Infineon. We couldn’t tell which hardware is inside this device, but the Infineon website includes comparisons to 60GHz sensors.
So then… what is it? Guesses include a new gesture control interface, an upgraded dock for some kind of device at Super Nintendo World theme parks, or maybe even a return of the “Quality of Life” sleep tracking initiative Nintendo attempted a decade ago. It could also be something to support AR features by detecting real-world objects — meaning it could be used for new Mario Kart Live hardware or even a Pokémon Go-like system.
It really is anyone’s guess right now given the limited information available. But it’s rumor season with the Switch 2 coming, so let us know if you have any better ideas!
