We know it will be that way a sequel to the Switch. Especially because the other option is for Nintendo to just hang up their hat and go into the sea, and that would be weird. As always, Nintendo remains silent on the subject, but the rumors are circulating Category 5 that the console giant’s next console device will be released in time for the holiday season of 2024. With Developers see the machine behind closed doorsand technology manufacturers suddenly announcing the need to produce large quantities of LCD screens, it’s a good time to summarize everything we know so far about what to expect.
Will it really be called Switch 2?
The first thing I have to say is that it almost certainly won’t be called “Switch 2.” Nintendo often evolved its successful handheld designs: the DS became the DSi, the DSi XL, and finally the subsequent 3DS and its own iterative generations. But they never put a “2” on anything; They’re more likely to use a “U” or something similarly odd. However, for the sake of simplicity, we will stick with “Switch 2”. people are online constantly campaigning that it’s called the Super Nintendo Switch, but we don’t want to get their hopes up.
Will a Switch 2 be that different?
Of course, it’s never that easy to know what to expect from Nintendo. You wouldn’t have much of a chance with Sony or Microsoft’s upcoming projects if you bet against them both being in early design stages for under-the-TV boxes called the PlayStation 6 and Xbox Flowerpot 87, or whatever the crazy name is , which the giant comes up with next. But Nintendo is the kind of company that could come out of nowhere with an extremely underpowered console equipped with a plastic sensor and operated via two remote controls; or a handheld gaming device with two screens, only one of which is a touchscreen and folds in half. They are…unpredictable.
The general consensus is that the Switch’s success is too great to make any major changes to its unique design. In 2017, we all blinked in surprise at a dockable handheld device whose controllers fell off the sides. It was, as always, wonderfully strange and innovative, and despite technology that was already outdated when it was released, it lasted and entertained us for seven years. It seems like a huge risk to release something that doesn’t at least feel comfortable at this point in time and with such market saturation (the Switch is said to have sold 132 million units, even surpassing the PS4’s lifetime sales figures). compatible with the switch. Analyst Dr. Serkan Toto customs GI.biz in January 2024 that he believed “it will be similar to the current Switch,” albeit with “some bells and whistles.”
It also seems like a special kind of madness for Nintendo to deviate from the hybrid model of the Switch, docking it as a standard console and popping it out as a portable gaming device, at a time when Sony is trying to do so retrofit the concept to his PS5and Microsoft wants to achieve the same thing via mobile devices. There are rumors that this is the case.
An 8 inch screen and only one
Nintendo is notoriously silent when it comes to new consoles, preferring to surprise audiences with the reveal and imminent release of its latest quirky, shape-shifting approach to gaming. The original Switch itself wasn’t officially revealed until October 2016, before releasing in March 2017 – and this was under the added pressure of the failure of the Wii U. Likewise, no one knew what the DS would look like until July 2004; The handheld device hit the market in November. There’s no reason at all to believe that Nintendo will change its approach for the Switch successor, and we shouldn’t expect any serious announcements or technical details until this summer.
However, the Japanese company’s efforts to remain enigmatic for each generation have always been frustrated by leaks and inevitably public agreements with manufacturers. The most concrete information to date about the Switch 2 recently surfaced via the latter: with Bloomberg‘s report that Foxconn-owned Sharp Corp is supplying a large number of 8-inch LCD screens to a Japanese company. While nothing has been officially announced yet and no one is naming names, there’s really no other option for Nintendo’s next effort than this. This is comparable to the Switch’s 6.2-inch screen and the Switch OLED’s 7-inch version.
This information, coupled with historical history, suggests that there won’t be any big surprises on the order of a Switch 2 that comes with a second screen, a clamshell design, or only works underwater. Even Nintendo warned for almost two years that the DS would be a dual-screen device. However, this being Nintendo, we wouldn’t bet against the fact that we’re completely wrong here. In fact, it would be a joy if we were.
What other technology can we expect?
Of course, you can’t just release a console and then wait for the games to release. If the Switch 2 really comes out this holiday, development kits (modified versions of consoles, sometimes PC-based, that allow developers to interact with the hardware) must already be in the hands of game developers. It’s clear that any developer Nintendo trusts with such secret information at this point will be drowning in NDAs specifically chosen with the goal of having a wide range of top-notch games available from day one. (This doesn’t always work – ask the Xbox 360…) However, this process is inevitably prone to leaks.
We learned through GDC State of the Industry 2024 report. that 8% of the developers surveyed are currently working on games for the Switch successor and are using sources with devkits recently told VGC that the device corresponds to the Switch’s option to work in portable mode.
Appropriate the information Developers also said anonymously that Sharp Corp is doubling its production of LCD screens this year VGC that the device has a standard LCD display and still uses cartridges for games.
The other strange information leak arose during the FTC’s investigation into Microsoft’s purchase of Activision. As part of the process, a heavily redacted document was released in which Activision Blizzard executives met to discuss the “NG Switch,” where its technology was described as similar to the PS4 and Xbox One.
Nintendo has never struggled to be on the cutting edge of technology, preferring to launch with solid enough specs and let the games do the innovation, but comparisons to Gen 8 consoles seem to surprisingly lag behind. However, Eurogamer has now reported that behind closed doors developers have seen something much more powerful, a device capable of running games using the Unreal 5 engine and even offering DLSS graphics. This would put it more in line with something that falls just short of the PS5 or Series S, which is usually where Nintendo is aiming.
Of course, we’re expecting a lot more than the Switch’s paltry 32GB of on-board storage, but given SD card support and not the need for full additional drives, it’s unlikely to go beyond 256GB. We’re assuming 128 GB. This is natural tiny compared to the terabytes of SSD storage that comes with the PlayStation Slim.
How much will the Switch 2 cost?
The best estimate we have so far is $400. That is the prediction of Dr. Toto appears, although it’s fair to say it’s a guess. A reasonable estimate considering the original Switch launched in 2017 for $300 and is now $375 due to inflation alone.
You may have noticed that when we’re talking about an 8-inch LCD screen, we’re not talking about an OLED version like the one that later came out for the Switch. Given that the device’s screen will be nearly two inches larger than the previous generation, if this proves correct, Nintendo will likely opt for LCD at launch to keep costs down and intends to to develop a fancier screen a few years later.
Will a Switch 2 be backwards compatible?
Sorry to be Captain Clickbait, but we don’t know the answer to this question. Nintendo sometimes released backwards-compatible consoles: the Wii U played Wii games, early versions of the Wii played GameCube games, and the 3DS somewhat reluctantly played DS games. But the disc and cassette formats meant that other generational changes were completely new beginnings.
Yet it feels so unlikely that it won’t happen this time. With Switch sales expected to collapse in 2024, Nintendo will be desperate for customers to buy a new device, and telling them that their entire game catalog is now useless to them doesn’t seem like the right move. Especially given the ease of use of the Xbox Series and PS5 in this regard.
In a very rare acknowledgment of the concept that there is something beyond the Switch, Nintendo’s US president said Doug Bowser said last Octoberciting the intention to likely allow users to continue using the same Nintendo Account in the future, and that the company wanted to “help simplify this process or transition.”
Just sharing an account between devices is a first for Nintendo, and it gives reason to hope that perhaps our games and progress will also be “slowed down.”
When is the Switch 2 release date?
Well, the phrase bandied about by analysts, developers, and other soothsayers is “the second half of 2024.” Which most likely means: November. That’s the standard release window for a new console, as it gives enthusiasts a chance to unpack shelves from day one and hopefully have enough time to restock them in time for the holiday season.
Updated: 01/26/24, 12:17 p.m. ET: Some backwards compatibility issues have been corrected.
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