Nintendo Flow

The Nintendo Flow, originally codenamed Spring, is a console developed by Nintendo and Electrosheep Studios. Developed as the successor to the Nintendo Switch, it is a competitor to the PlayStation 6 and Microsoft's console.
The Nintendo Flow's concept was designed to expand and capitalize on the Nintendo Switch's hybrid model, therefore the Nintendo Flow is also a hybrid console, being able to be played in both handheld and console mode. A third play mode was added that was heavily based on the Wii U's main feature: tablet mode. This optional mode allows for the use of two different screens at once during gameplay and gives both users and developers more unique ways to play and develop a game respectively. Joy-Con can be detached in this mode and can be assigned to certain screens depending on the game.
The console released November 19th 2025 in the United States and Japan, June 21st in Europe, and June 30th everywhere else to positive reviews primarily due to it generally being a more powerful Nintendo Switch with a new playstyle, though was criticized for recycling the Wii U's main gimmick and not completely innovating.
==History==
===Development===
The Nintendo Flow entered into development in early 2022 as a result of a slight slowdown in Nintendo Switch sales which were mainly a result of the age and internal hardware of the console at the time. The Switch was certainly not on a steep decline, but the possibility of dwindling interest accumulating over time was completely apparent to the company and it was decided that development on a new console that capitalized on the widespread appeal of the Switch's hybrid model was necessary. Nintendo ended up partnering with Electrosheep Studios when developing the console as while the latter was not very experienced with hardware development, it was experienced with dual screen game development via the Wii U and Nintendo DS and 3DS which was a feature Nintendo was looking to revive and utilize competently in the Switch's successor.
During development under the codename Spring, the Nintendo Flow went through a variety of revisions and design concepts, the most infamous that ended up leaking online being the pyramid-shaped design for the Flow Dock which, would've both been incredibly difficult to place on any sort of shelf and incredibly difficult to look at. Other designs proposed for the console were a Nintendo DS-style console that would have dual screens in handheld mode and one in tablet mode which ended up lasting up until the prototype phase where it was decided that the two screens could not be used without serious risk of damage.
===Reveal===
The Spring was officially revealed to a surprised crowd during E3 2025 under it's official title the Nintendo Flow during Nintendo's first traditional Press Conference in over ten years (not as a return to form but simply for the console reveal). The reveal itself was rather brazen and flashy, showing off the features of the console such as the dual screen play, 4k visuals, improved graphics and framerate, alongside showing off the traditional controller and console color variations that would be available the day of the launch. Similarities to the Switch were focused on first, however, before delving into these more unique features of the console.
The reveal itself was filled with very few technical issues on the console and game side of the presentation, with any major mistakes happening as a result of slight human error, notably during the presentation of the Flow's pack-in title Mii Play, a successor to the Wii series of games, where one of the presenters continuously had issues controlling the toy fighter plane in the minigame 'Dogfight' until he realized he was holding the Joy-Con upside down. Otherwise, however, the reveal was incredibly streamlined and only dragged on in a few moments where it couldn't be avoided such as explaining the specs of the two constituent devices apart of the Flow.
Overall, the reveal was a massive success and garnered a lot of praise and attention from fans and media outlets alike, most praising the improved graphics and different layout of the tablet while a more mixed reaction came from the reveal of the Flow's dual screen mode. While it was praised by many for "righting the wrongs of the Wii U", a sizeable amount believed it to be lazy and unwise to reuse a feature from a failed console or a risk Nintendo probably shouldn't be taking after saving themselves with the Switch.
==Tablet==
As a successor to the Nintendo Switch the Flow Tablet is strikingly similar to the Switch in handheld mode in both form and function, often being described as simply a "Nintendo Switch Pro", a name previously applied to the Switch OLED model. The Flow Tablet is roughly the same size as it's predecessor and features all of the OLED model's features: removable Joy-Cons that can act as separate controllers, an OLED screen, a wide kickstand, and a variety of ports for information cards, an AC Adapter, and other devices.
As for new features to the Nintendo Flow, the screen now displays in crisp 4K and is effectively as large as the original Switch's screen and bezel combined. The game card slot also accepts Nintendo Switch cartridges, allowing for backwards compatibility with the system. The screen as also been modified to work with a wider array of styluses in order to allow for easier and crisper touch screen controls during gameplay.
The most noticeable addition to the tablet however was the updated Joy-Cons, which now boast a new design and improved internal hardware, notably the removal of Joy-Con Drift in both analog sticks. Alongside this fix, new controls were added below the Screenshot and Home buttons: a secondary analog stick. This was primarily designed to be used in multiplayer when the Joy-Cons are removed for better camera control. The four buttons on the left Joy-Con were now redesigned to resemble a D-Pad and have a striking similarity to the DualShock D-Pad. The Joy-Cons themselves now boast a more curved design in order to be more comfortable in all three console modes.
==Console Dock==
The Flow Dock's design is not visually similar to any of the current or past consoles, sporting a semi-rectangular design with curved sides and a pill-shaped front face with a large power button on an engraved line (mimicking the Flow's logo) with a Sync Button and Connect button in the bottom right corner. The Sync button syncs in external controllers and third party controllers while the connect button is utilized in Tablet Mode which connects the Flow Tablet to the Dock when removed. On the back of the console is the Nintendo Flow logo, vents for the fans, ports for the HDMI, LAN, AC Adapter, and several USB ports. There are also many vents on the sides of the Dock.
Most notably is that the dock itself is split in two (though connected via the bottom of the console) where the Flow Tablet plugs in during Home Console Mode. Unlike the original switch dock the entire switch, Joy-Cons and all fits into the dock which is considered by many to be a serious downgrade compared to the accessibility of the original. The dock also has it's own processing chip, which not only boosts the power of the console in Home Console Mode but allows for better framerate and performance in Tablet Mode when both sides of the console are displaying content.
==Internal Software & Features==
The Nintendo Flow comes with a variety of software preinstalled into the system which are far more reminiscent to the DSi and Wii's preinstalled software and menu system.
===Flow Menu===
===eShop===
The eShop is the online shopping application for games, DLC, console themes, and other downloadable apps and content on the Nintendo Flow and is esthetically and structurally very similar to past iterations of the shop. Returning on the service, however, is the Virtual Console, allowing for the individual purchase of retro games on NES, SNES, N64, GameCube, and even some Wii titles refitted to support full button controls. There is also a considerably higher amount of quality control on the Flow's eShop, only allowing for a minimal amount of 'shovelware'.
===Mii Maker Studio===
Mii Maker Studio is the preinstalled application that allows for the user to create their own Mii that can be used in a variety of games as both the user's avatar and character model, alongside being a choice for the user's icon in the main Nintendo Flow system. Unlike past Mii-making applications, Mii Maker Studio is incredibly in-depth and on-par with Miitopia's Mii creator in terms of options for Mii creation. Miis can be shared via alphanumeric and/or QR codes with other users, or shared directly with friends.
===Internet Browser===
The Internet Browser on the Flow is incredibly simple and does exactly what it implies: search the internet. While still rudimentary, it can process most web pages correctly and allow for users to view YouTube videos, Twitch streams, and edit pages on a variety of websites. Any search engine can be changed to be the default browser when opening up a new tab through the app's settings and accounts such as Google accounts can be connected to allow for a more personalized browsing experience.
===Nintendo Network Service===
The Nintendo Network Service acts as a rebranded Nintendo Switch Online and purchasing NSO online will transfer over to the Nintendo Flow, allowing for online play for both consoles. Though still occasionally having connection issues or game slowdown, the service is generally far better than it was prior to the Flow's launch.
===Photo Booth===
Photo Booth is the application that stores all screenshots taken after using the screenshot feature much like the original Switch, however in terms of features it is closer to the Photo Channel on Wii, sporting a variety of colorful and varying options to utilize on the photos in the gallery. Any photos taken with the Switch's external camera will also show up in the application's photo roll and can be modified in the same way.
==Games==
:Any page that has [[Category:Nintendo Flow Games]] on them will be added here once the page is edited! I'll probably be the one to make a vast majority of the stuff on here but if for some reason you want to, just message 
==Gallery==
NintendoFlowBoxTemplate.png|The Nintendo Flow's game box template.
NintendoFlowDockedInside.png|The Flow Tablet inside the Flow Dock.
File:NintendoFlowOutsidetheDock.png|The Flow Tablet outside the Flow Dock.
==Trivia==
*This page is mostly complete.
*The Flow started out as more of a DS-Switch hybrid, however this was ultimately scrapped due to, logistically, being incredibly difficult to safely implement into the hardware of a Switch-style system.
*One of the Flow's potential names was the Nintendo Cross and the Nintendo Swap, however these were rejected as they were already predicted names and the name was meant to be a surprise.
Category:Consoles
Category:Nintendo Consoles
Category:Home Consoles
Category:Handheld Consoles
Category:Hybrid Consoles
Category:Fan Consoles
Category:10th Generation Consoles