The future of Nintendo’s console lineage past the ever-successful Switch has been up for debate for nearly three years now, with new rumours popping up every so often during this period. While most pointed to Nintendo potentially creating a more-powerful, mid-gen upgrade to the Switch family, this latest report from VGC indicates that Nintendo is planning to a launch a new console in the last portion of 2024.
This report not only mentions the Q4 2024 release date, but also states that development kits are already in the hands of “key partners.” Another important detail is that this alleged new system will indeed be a hybrid, like the Switch itself.
Nintendo are switching to the future with a fresh console
The report from VGC admits that “specific details on the console are being closely guarded,” but the site has managed to source info from personnel in-the-know that indicates the forthcoming hybrid has games being worked on for it right now in preparation for its release.
Another curious detail is that it’s said to feature an LCD screen like the original Switch and Switch Lite, rather than an OLED display. This is said to be for the sake of keeping costs down, “especially considering the increased storage needed for higher fidelity games,” according to VGC.
The new console is also said to support physical media via a returning cartridge slot. But, the key detail of whether or not it will have backward-compatibility with Switch software is currently unknown.
“Where there’s smoke…”
Of course, despite VGC being a reputable outlet, all of this information must still be taken with a grain of salt. Details can and do change and considering the fact that more minute details are still being shrouded in mystery, we really won’t know what’s up until Nintendo finally breaks its silence.
At every opportunity that the Big N has been questioned about the future beyond Switch in recent years, it’s always given a vague, hand-waving responses to the matter. Of course, this is no different than how it’s acted in the past, nor any different than its competitors. Like every other hardware manufacturer both inside and outside of gaming, announcements are only released at the time they’re planned.
One might recall the now infamous period of silence that Nintendo plunged itself into during the lead-up to the reveal and launch of the Switch. Late president Satoru Iwata announced its existence as “Codename NX” in mid 2015, and yet, the world was not properly introduced to the Nintendo Switch until late 2016.
Between those two points, Nintendo said next to nothing about the console, leading the rumour mill to fire away with several reports; many proved untrue, but others did bear fruit, such as the reports that pointed to the system being a hybrid.
Likewise, the gaming world finds itself in a similar situation now. The current Switch is still doing very well, but as it ages, sales will slow down. Meanwhile, support is going strong from both Nintendo and third-parties. After this report from VGC, 2024 looks to be a very interesting year for the system’s software cadence.
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