Every couple months for the past several years, a rumor about a “Switch 2” will pop up. It was been a reliable cog in the rumor mill: “Nintendo to announce the ‘Switch 2’ during next Direct!” Just as reliably, the rumors will end up being fake and unfounded. But this week, Video Game Chronicle released a report which feels distinctly different. According to their sources, a successor to the Nintendo Switch is already circulating around key partner studios and will likely release next year.
Multiple reliable sources told VGC that development kits—basically test versions—for Nintendo’s next-gen console have been sent to Nintendo’s key partners. Think places like The Pokémon Company, or Retro Studios, who’ve been laboring on the much-delayed Metroid Prime 4. These development kits help these studios create games for the new system so that it can have a healthy helping of titles around its launch.
The name “Switch 2” remains merely a fan conjecture. We know nothing about what Nintendo’s cooking, except that VGC sources say it will also have dual handheld capability. Which could make it a direct successor to the Switch, like the Wii U to the Wii. However, the Wii notoriously didn’t do too well. And Nintendo is famous for defying expectations when unveiling a new console, going in a completely different direction than the next-gen’s predecessor.
VGC‘s sources also said they expect the “Switch 2” to launch with an LCD screen, which would help keep the price point lower. Which is very good. Although, I recently shelled out for an OLED Switch, and now that I have seen the light (somewhat literally), I don’t want to go back. I would love an OLED option, Nintendo. Just an option. Thank you for listening.
As the VGC report points out, it’s historically about time for Nintendo to unveil its new console. Most Nintendo consoles come out in the middle of the current PlayStation and Xbox consoles’ lifecycle. However, especially in the case of the PlayStation 5, the situation is more complicated. Even though it was technically released in November 2020, most people couldn’t reliably get their hands on one until earlier this year. And it’s only now, with games like Final Fantasy XVI, that console-exclusive titles are becoming common.
But that will have become normal by the second half of 2024, which is when analysts expect Nintendo’s Switch successor to come out. A 2024 release date also seems curious, because Nintendo absolutely stacked their 2023: Tears of the Kingdom, Pikmin 4, a new Mario platformer in the fall. Does this mean Nintendo has even more tricks up their sleeve? Like … Metroid Prime 4, perhaps?
(Featured image: Nintendo)
