Nintendo Switch owners were abuzz Friday evening when a YouTube channel called NOATEST #63 uploaded a very convincing video that showcased what appeared to be the console’s 5.0 firmware update. Less than one day later, however, the clip has been removed by the uploader and is essentially confirmed to be fake.
NINTENDO SWITCH 5.0 POSSABLE LEAK from Evan Spy on Vimeo.
For those who can’t see the Vimeo mirror above, here’s a quick recap of the features shown off in the alleged demo:
- Icon Sorting: Users can sort icons in order of last played, most played, alphabetically or on a custom scroll. Selecting custom lets you drag icons in any order you choose.
- Icon Folders: The featured homescreen shows a media folder with YouTube, Hulu, Twitch and Crunchyroll apps. Tapping icons lets you add to an existing folder or make a new one.
- Virtual Console: One of the folders is called Virtual Console, but its contents are not shown.
- Online Lounge: This new setting is basically Party Chat. Rooms can be created based on a specific game or they can be completely open. Options to choose console or app-based voice chat are also available.
- Cloud Storage: About 2GB of data is available as Cloud Storage in the existing Data Management menu.
- Themes: The user selects and shows off a Breath Of The Wild theme that changes the wallpaper and icon colors. There is also a button to go to a theme shop.
As cool and legit as these features sound, however, there are a few places where the source material falls apart. Twitter’s BigRedN points out that the Switch in the video showed Mario Kart 8 Deluxe installed as a digital download on the homescreen, while only 3GB of system storage is taken up with another 900MB in the cloud. The full game, however, takes up about 6.8GB. Viewers also noticed that the G in the theme menu’s Legend Of Zelda does not match the font of the G in the “System Settings” header.
These anomalies are augmented by a few minorly strange details. For one, the video never truly shows the Switch console being used. Second, it would also be pretty uncommon for Nintendo to include so many new features in a single patch. As we’ve seen in recent months, most Switch software updates generally focus on one or two small features, even if they’re classified as a full digit upgrade. It’s technically not impossible for Nintendo to break from that established trend, but it’d be highly irregular.
These rumors arrive in the days leading up to what several prominent Nintendo insiders believe is a major Nintendo Direct presentation on Jan. 11. So far, we’ve seen false trademarks tied to two new Pokémon games, discussions of a new 3DS Zelda and a likely genuine leak from EA that mentions a January event. Coming off an amazing 2017, gamers are waiting with bated breath to see what Nintendo has in store for the year ahead.
Nintendo Switch is available now for $299.
Is there still a chance this 5.0 update leak is real? Do you hope it’s real even if it’s not? Tell us in the comments section!
