Nintendo filed a mysterious new wireless device with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) this weekend, and it's not the Switch 2 console we're expecting to unveil before next April. The model number CLO-001 doesn't reveal what it is Strictly speaking but it appears to be a completely new product line considering the “001” codes used on devices like the original Switch (HAC-001) and DS (NTR-001) consoles.
It's labeled only as a “wireless device,” not a “wireless game console” or a controller like a Joy-Con. A simple diagram in the docs shows an outline where the FCC label appears “in a depression on the bottom” of something with a square base and rounded corners.
The documents also reveal that no body-worn accessories were used in testing, that the device has no battery, and can only be powered by a wall outlet. During testing, it was plugged into the same USB-C charger that Nintendo ships with its Switch consoles, but that only reveals that it can be powered via USB-C.
The CLO-001 has surprisingly little wireless technology—it has no 5GHz or 6GHz Wi-Fi radio and no Bluetooth, but it does have 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 motion-tracking radar sensor that could do things like accurately track gestures or detect when someone is near the device so it turns on automatically, like we've seen with the 60GHz sensors in devices like the Pixel 4 and Aqara's smart home presence sensor.
The Wi-Fi hardware in the first-generation Switch was developed by Cypress Semiconductor, a company acquired several years ago by Infineon, which now touts the capabilities of its 24GHz radar sensors. 24GHz radar can provide a detection range of up to 100m, with penetration through obstacles possible, according to Infineon, but at the cost of larger size and lower resolution. We couldn't say what hardware is in this device, but Infineon's website includes comparisons to 60GHz sensors.
Given the limited information available, that's anyone's guess at this point. But with the release of the Switch 2, it's rumor season, so let us know if you have any better ideas!