GameShark, a former legend for cheaters in the 90s, has returned to scene in 2024 as a gaming AI tool and with a proclamation about Nintendo’s illusive next system. According to a press release dropped during CES 2024 from its parent company, Altec Lansing, it appeared that the entity believed Nintendo’s next system, unofficially known as the Nintendo Switch 2, has a release date of September, 2024.
It didn’t take very long for this statement to be clarified by Altec Lansing, merely being written off as a “guess.” But, then again, perhaps there could be some accuracy to it?
Shooting darts at the board
First noticed by Digital Trends, the original press release from Altec Lansing set out to reintroduce GameShark as AI Shark. AI Shark has the intended goal of “[redefining] the gaming landscape with its revolutionary AI-enhanced technology.”
The original press release is still live on PR Web and right in the first paragraph, it indicates that “the innovative gaming software is set to mark a significant leap forward in the gaming experience, bringing enhanced gameplay for beginner-level users. The official launch is planned to coincide with the Nintendo Switch 2 in September 2024.“
Despite the wording of this press release coming off as seeming very definitive, it turns out that Altec Lansing and the team at AI Shark may have just been making a confident prediction.
Jason Schreier, veteran reporter at Bloomberg, reached out to a spokesperson from AI Shark. According to him, the company says “they’re just guessing about the next Nintendo console’s release date.”
The proof is in the pudding?
That line of the press release is the only one that mentions the Nintendo Switch 2. In fact, that’s the only platform that’s mentioned in the entire press release to be supported; there’s no word of even existing systems like the PS5 and Xbox Series consoles.
After making that profound statement, the press release merely goes on to explain that the tech behind AI Shark is a set of “software and chipset solutions [that] will utilize XGPT technology and real-time TPU acceleration to elevate users’ gaming experiences by providing personalised hints and assistance that keep up with fast-paced competitive gaming.”
It further goes on to explain that AI Shark works differently than “traditional cheat tools,” clearly shaking off its former identity, as this instead is meant to aid individuals “in improving their gameplay over time” rather than allowing users to “manipulate hardware, load mods and [use] cheat codes.”
All of this sounds interesting to say the least, but there’s still the matter of figuring out why Altec Lansing and AI Shark called out the “Nintendo Switch 2,” specifically.
Considering this was a press release, it seems only appropriate to assume that this was a deliberate (and cheap) effort by the entities involved to garner attention for the new product.
There’s absolutely no other reason to involve Nintendo’s enigmatic new console otherwise, as not even Nintendo itself has revealed any sort of definitive details about it. In fact, Nintendo has spent the last several months even ignoring its apparent existence, sticking to providing the vaguest of details about any plans for the future.
Even so, that hasn’t stopped a deluge of rumours from continuing to surge out seemingly every two seconds about the console’s alleged specs, design, and even release date.
The real question is if AI Shark will even materialise into anything tangible, or was this is all just a ploy from Altec Lansing to capture some attention in the mix of the profound amount of AI talk coming out of CES? After all, there wasn’t even any sort of tech demo to show off the proposed software and/or hardware in action.
Of course, time will ultimately tell if the AI Shark tech does ship for any device at all and if the next Nintendo system truly will launch any time around this September.
While we wait for an official Nintendo Switch 2 release date, check out more related news:
MSI reveals the Claw, an Intel-powered handheld gaming PC | Hyperkin reveals modernised Xbox S controller | Sony debuts new colours for the PS5 Slim
