Nintendo
has
submitted
a
mysterious
new
wireless
device
to
the
Federal
Communications
Commission
(FCC)
this
weekend,
and
it
isn’t
the
Switch
2
console
we’re
expecting
to
be
revealed
before
next
April.
The
CLO-001
model
number
doesn’t
reveal
what
it
actually
is,
but
it
appears
to
be
an
entirely
new
product
line
given
the
“001”
codes
used
on
devices
like
the
original
Switch
(HAC-001)
and
DS
(NTR-001)
consoles.
It’s
tagged
only
as
a
“wireless
device,”
not
a
“wireless
game
console”
or
any
kind
of
controller
like
a
Joy-Con.
A
basic
diagram
within
the
documents
shows
an
outline
of
where
the
FCC
label
will
be
“displayed
in
a
depression
area
on
the
bottom”
of
something
with
a
squarish
footprint
and
rounded-off
corners.
The
documents
also
show
that
there’s
no
body-worn
accessory
involved
with
the
testing
and
that
it
doesn’t
have
a
battery
and
can
only
operate
plugged
in
—
it
was
connected
to
the
same
USB-C
charger
that
Nintendo
ships
with
its
Switch
consoles
in
tests,
but
that
only
reveals
it
can
be
powered
by
USB-C.
The
CLO-001
is
surprisingly
light
on
wireless
technology
—
there’s
no
5GHz
or
6GHz
Wi-Fi
radio
and
no
Bluetooth,
but
it
does
sport
a
2.4GHz
Wi-Fi
radio
and
a
24GHz
mmWave
sensor.
The
24GHz
mmWave
sensor
is
the
most
interesting
detail
we
have.
It
could
be
a
radar
sensor
to
track
movement,
like
closely
following
gestures
or
detecting
when
someone
is
nearby
the
device,
causing
it
to
turn
on
automatically
like
we’ve
seen
in
the
60GHz
sensors
found
in
devices
like
the
Pixel
4
and
Aqara’s
smart
home
presence
sensor.
The
Wi-Fi
hardware
in
the
first-gen
Switch
was
created
by
Cypress
Semiconductor,
a
company
that
was
acquired
a
few
years
ago
by
Infineon,
which
is
now
promoting
the
capabilities
of
its
24GHz
radar
sensors.
24GHz
radar
can
provide
a
detection
range
of
up
to
100m,
with
penetration
possible
through
obstacles,
at
the
tradeoff
of
a
larger
size
and
lower
resolution,
according
to
Infineon.
We
couldn’t
tell
which
hardware
is
inside
this
device,
but
the
Infineon
website
includes
comparisons
to
60GHz
sensors.
So
then...
what
is
it?
Guesses
include
a
new
gesture
control
interface,
an
upgraded
dock
for
some
kind
of
device
at
Super
Nintendo
World
theme
parks,
or
maybe
even
a
return
of
the
“Quality
of
Life”
sleep
tracking
initiative
Nintendo
attempted
a
decade
ago.
It
could
also
be
something
to
support
AR
features
by
detecting
real-world
objects
—
meaning
it
could
be
used
for
new
Mario
Kart
Live
hardware
or
even
a
Pokémon
Go-like
system.
It
really
is
anyone’s
guess
right
now
given
the
limited
information
available.
But
it’s
rumor
season
with
the
Switch
2
coming,
so
let
us
know
if
you
have
any
better
ideas!
(Originally posted by Richard Lawler)
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