Okay, so Nintendo, right? They just dropped what they’re calling the “first Joy-Con color” for the Switch 2. And if you’re thinking, “Wait, what? A color? Not, like, a release date or even a hint of a release date?” Yeah, you’re not alone. We’ve been waiting for this console, like, forever – or at least since the rumors started flying faster than a perfectly executed Triple Jump in Mario Odyssey. And what do we get? A shade of yellow. Just… yellow.

“Hello, Yellow?” – My Brain’s First Reaction

Look, I’m not gonna lie, when I saw the headline, my heart did that little fluttery thing it does when a new Nintendo Direct is announced. You know the one. That irrational hope that this time they’ll finally pull back the curtain on the actual next-gen console. But no. Engadget, bless their hearts for reporting the news, points out it’s more of a very specific shade of yellow, like a “neon yellow.”

And honestly, it looks pretty much like the neon yellow Joy-Cons we already have for the current Switch. I mean, sure, maybe the plastic has a slightly different texture, or it’s a nanometer thicker, or it has a tiny micro-groove for improved grip that only a robot could detect. But to the naked, human eye, the kind that’s been squinting at screens for fifteen years, it’s yellow. Again. This wasn’t big. Not really big at all.

Is This Even a Reveal?

The thing is, Nintendo didn’t actually announce this. It wasn’t a flashy trailer or a carefully orchestrated press release. From what I can tell, this “reveal” actually came from a regulatory filing. A new SKU for a Joy-Con, listed with a specific color code that translates to, you guessed it, yellow. It’s like finding a single Lego brick and declaring you’ve seen the entire new Lego castle set. But, hey, this is Nintendo. They operate on their own planet sometimes.

Are We Just Supposed to Be Hyped About a Color?

Seriously, are we? After years of speculation, leaks, and pretty much everyone in the industry confirming that a “Switch 2” (or whatever they’ll call it) is absolutely coming, this is the breadcrumb they toss us? A color? I get that they’re masters of the slow burn, the drip-feed of information that keeps us all talking, but sometimes it feels less like a strategic reveal and more like they’re just trolling us a little bit. “Oh, you want news about our next console? Here’s a primary color. Have fun with that.”

“It’s not just about the specs or the games anymore; it’s about the anticipation, the mystery, the almost ritualistic waiting game Nintendo plays with its most loyal fans.”

The Nintendo Playbook: A Familiar Story

This whole situation just screams classic Nintendo to me. They do this. They’ve always done this. Remember how they slowly, agonizingly, revealed bits and pieces of the original Switch? Or how they’ll show a game for the first time and then you won’t hear a peep about it for another year and a half? It’s a pattern, a very deliberate one, designed to keep their brand in the conversation without actually giving anything away until they’re good and ready. And they are never, ever ready when we are ready. That’s just how they roll.

And frankly, it works. We’re all still talking about it, aren’t we? Even if it’s just to collectively scratch our heads and wonder if a new shade of yellow really counts as “news.” But the implication here, the little whisper in the wind, is that if new Joy-Cons are being filed, then the console itself can’t be that far off, right? Or at least, that’s what we tell ourselves to keep the hope alive. Because if it’s just a new yellow Joy-Con for the current Switch, well, that’s just depressing.

What This Actually Means

Here’s the thing: this isn’t a “reveal” in the traditional sense. It’s a sign. A tiny, almost imperceptible tremor in the force that suggests the Switch 2, or whatever the next console will be called, is actually real and actually moving through the pipeline. Regulatory filings mean manufacturing, which means components, which means eventually a box on a shelf. But it also means Nintendo is still playing its cards incredibly close to the vest.

So, should you be hyped about a yellow Joy-Con? Probably not. Should you take it as definitive proof that the Switch 2 is coming this year? Maybe, but don’t hold your breath. What it does mean is that the machinery is grinding. Slowly. Very, very slowly. And we, the loyal gamers, are left once again to piece together the puzzle from the smallest, most mundane fragments. It’s a game of patience, and Nintendo is always, always winning.