The latest Nintendo Direct's graphics change has got Switch 2 hopefuls expecting some kind of announcement soon

The latest Nintendo Direct featured a slight change to its graphics, and Switch 2 hopefuls think it could mean an announcement is on the way soon.

As highlighted by Twitter user @ActualAero, this week's Nintendo Partner Direct featured a very slight change to its opening and transition graphics. As you'll see from the side-by-side comparison below, there were a few subtle differences between the latest presentation and the ones that came before it during the Nintendo Switch generation.

It's important to remember that Nintendo hosts a variety of virtual events each year, including a standard Nintendo Direct, a partner showcase, Indie World, and ones that are dedicated to specific Nintendo titles like Pokemon, Animal Crossing, The Legend of Zelda, and more. Basically, they do differ slightly, so this small change might not mean much on its own.

That being said, it seems Nintendo has a history of shaking up its Directs around the time of a new console or generation. For example, if you go back to the Nintendo Wii and 3DS era, Nintendo Directs look completely different and feature colors like orange, blue, and green - which is very different from the sleek red and white ones we're now used to.

It's a compelling theory for sure, and just adds to the speculation that Nintendo is working hard on something exciting behind the scenes. It could also just be a case of the company wanting to freshen things up for its first presentation of 2024. It's best to take this with a grain of salt for now, but it's certainly something to remember if we get an official Switch 2 reveal sometime this year.

On the topic of the next-generation Switch, just last week it was reported that Nintendo is reportedly targeting an early 2025 release date for its Switch successor. An industry-wide survey also revealed that 8% of game developers say they're already working on projects for Nintendo Switch 2, despite the fact Nintendo is yet to reveal a single thing about its next console.

There's no need to panic just yet though, as the Nintendo Switch will get new games until at least March 2025.

Find out what's definitely on the way with our upcoming Switch games list.