When designing new gaming consoles, companies rarely carry the initial design blueprints all the way through the development process. Often times console designs must be changed several times before the desired look and function is achieved. Microsoft dismantled a PS2 to help develop the first Xbox, drawing inspiration from its hardware design to improve upon an early Xbox model that was essentially a massive silver X. Nintendo went through design changes during its development of the Nintendo Switch, and some images of an early Switch prototype have appeared online.
The Nintendo Switch released back in 2017 with the aim to be a unique console that could be used for portable gaming as well as home entertainment on a bigger screen. Its initial launch was met with skepticism from some journalists and game developers due to its perceived high price point and a shortlist of console exclusives available at launch.
Pokemon Company CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara "didn't see" the Switch selling until The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild helped kickstart the console's success. Today the Switch has sold around 80 million units with several successful console exclusives, but the images of its prototype stage is a nostalgic look back at where it all began.
During its inception and development process, the Nintendo Switch went by the code name "NX." In the images of the prototype from 2016, "Firmware for NX" can be clearly seen on the console screen that identifies it as an early Switch. Twitter user Forest of Illusion shared these images and claims that this version of the Nintendo Switch is the "earliest Switch to be found so far."
At this stage of development, the Switch looks more like a tablet, similar to the look of an iPad or a Microsoft RT. The model in the pictures doesn't have Joy-Cons yet either, recognizable pieces of a Switch that are key to its modern design but have suffered from drift issues for years. Forest of Illusion also notes that the volume buttons are different from the Nintendo Switch of today, with the prototype model sporting up and down arrows instead of plus and minus signs. This version of the Switch was also mysteriously referred to as "DPRD", but what those letters stand for is anyone's guess.
It is unlikely that the factory test files for this early Switch will be released anytime soon, but it's good to know that this development unit is being kept safe for future discoveries. This prototype is a nice reminder of the Switch's past, as Nintendo remains focused on the future of their successful console. An upgraded version of the Switch, tentatively the Nintendo Switch Pro or Super Switch, is rumored to be in the works though Nintendo says there will be no new Switch model anytime soon.