Last week,  Nintendo officially revealed that the successor to the Nintendo Switch was on the way, with more details set to be announced sometime this fiscal year.

Although exact details about the console have been scarce, fans believe that the new console’s internal codename might have been discovered. The rumored codename is “Ounce”, and was arrived at after a prominent leaker going by Midori claimed that a project codenamed “U-King-O” was in the works at Nintendo. Based on codenames for past Nintendo titles, it was determined that “O” was likely the first letter of the console’s codename.

Following up on this, it was discovered that the word “Ounce” was referenced in an old Switch firmware update, leading many to believe that this must be the codename for the Switch’s successor.

Reference to Ounce found in SW FW 16.0.0. Not used in current Switch models.https://t.co/Kcp71qd0eg pic.twitter.com/Pwe7liPTsb

— Centro LEAKS (@CentroLeaks) May 12, 2024

As for why the codename Ounce was chosen, Midori believes that it may be because the Switch’s successor contains more power while still remaining a lightweight handheld. They also claim that Nintendo has been referring to the console as “Switch 2” or “New Switch” when talking to developers, although that might not be its final name.

In conversations with developers including Atlus and Sega over the past few years, the next hardware is using the name Switch 2 or New Switch. But I do not think that is the final name.

— みどり (@MbKKssTBhz5) May 16, 2024

As with all rumors of this nature, we caution readers to take them with a grain of salt. Stay tuned for more updates as they come.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments.