The successor to the Nintendo Switch will go on sale before the end of 2024, according to a recent report.
VGC writes Nintendo intends to release the Nintendo Switch 2 “during the second half of 2024,” and that some game-makers already have their hands on the development kits.
When will the Nintendo Switch 2 be released?
The site claims to have spoken to multiple sources “with knowledge of Nintendo’s next-gen console plans” and brings good news for those who are big fans of how the current Nintendo Switch operates.
It suggests the next Nintendo Switch will not be a huge deviation, and can be used as a fully portable device, just like today’s console.
What to expect from the Nintendo Switch 2
Sticking fairly close to a current console blueprint is not a very Nintendo-like move, but the company has some reason to tamp down its characteristic dynamism.
The Nintendo Wii was a 101-million-selling smash, and was followed up by the dismal failure of the Wii U. It sold just 13.6 million units, despite being a clear precursor to the Nintendo Switch in design terms.
To date, the Switch has sold more than 125 million consoles, making it the second best-selling Nintendo console to date, after the Nintendo DS. It sold 154 million units before being discontinued in 2014.
The Switch style works.
Nintendo Switch 2 features
However, the display of the Switch 2 may initially seem a downgrade in some respects. It is likely to use an LCD panel, according to VGC, like that of the original Nintendo Switch from 2017. The Switch OLED from 2021 has far deeper blacks, higher brightness and far greater contrast.
We don’t expect the Switch 2’s rumoured LCD display to be as bad as the 2017’s Switch’s, but will be incapable of matching the punch of the OLED Switch’s per-pixel lighting.
The suggestion is Nintendo needs to use a cheaper display because of the increased storage demands of modern games. It will need much more memory, which comes at a cost. But how much?
How big are modern games?
Microsoft recently announced a 10-year deal with Nintendo, as part of its pitch to regulators to greenlight its acquisition of video game publisher Activision Blizzard. The deal guarantees Microsoft will bring Call of Duty to future Nintendo consoles. The last game in that series, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, requires up to 173.77GB storage on Xbox consoles.
The current Nintendo Switch models have just 32GB or 64GB of internal storage. Even recent Nintendo smash The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom only takes up 16.3GB, and is the largest first-party Nintendo Switch game, by data, to date.
However, the report also indicates the next Nintendo Switch will still be able to use cartridges as well as digital downloads. This could potentially prompt an increase in the cost of Nintendo console games. Such price hikes have already taken place on Xbox and PS5.
In 2020, Sony announced its first-party games would jump up to £70, a move taken up by Microsoft in December 2022.
