The Nintendo Switch is more than a year old now, but it remains a hot item. Thanks to the Switch, Nintendo has been enjoying its most profitable quarters in many years. Although the hybrid gaming console continues to sell quite well, it is starting to lose some of its steam, so it shouldn’t come as a big surprise that we’re starting to hear rumors about the Nintendo Switch 2.
Nintendo Switch 2 rumor
Citing sources familiar with the Japanese gaming company’s plans, The Wall Street Journal reports that work on the Nintendo Switch 2 is underway with a possible launch date planned for some time in the second half of next year. It’s possible that the next-generation Switch could land as early as next summer, according to the newspaper’s sources.
Although Nintendo hasn’t yet said anything about working on a next-generation Switch, it wouldn’t be a major surprise if it is. Sony and Microsoft have been upgrading their PlayStation and Xbox regularly with somewhat minor upgrades in recent years, which means consoles no longer remain exactly the same over their five- to six-year lifespan.
Nintendo itself has also been riding on smaller upgrades for its own devices as well. The handheld Nintendo 3DS was quite popular when it was released, and since then, we have seen the larger 3DS XL, the less-expensive 2DS and the larger but less-expensive 2DS XL. Each iteration was very similar to its predecessors, but they all had minor upgrades and design changes.
Potential Nintendo Switch 2 specs
The WSJ didn’t have many details in the way of specs for the Nintendo Switch 2. According to the newspaper, the Japanese company is still considering which software and hardware features it wants to upgrade in the next generation.
One possibility that was mention is a better LCD that’s more along the lines of what we are seeing on smartphones these days. The new LCD panel would reportedly make the Nintendo Switch 2’s screen “brighter, thinner and more energy-efficient.” Although not discussed in depth in the WSJ report, other possible upgrades we would expect to see in the Nintendo Switch 2 include a power boost and better chip.
Switchbrew hackers have also found signs that we could see the Nintendo Switch 2 sooner rather than later, and what they uncovered suggests some of the features we could see in the next-generation model. After digging through the code for the current Switch’s latest software update, they noted mentions of a T214 chip, but the current-generation Switch runs on the T210 chip. The hackers also discovered a bump up in RAM from 4 GB to 8 GB and a new circuit board. Clearly, these upgrades would have to come in the Nintendo Switch 2.
Carrying on the sales momentum
Nintendo reportedly wants to keep the sales momentum of its fastest-selling console going, so management believes releasing the next generation of it should help with that. The current Switch has been breaking sales records since it landed on store shelves in March 2017, and it took Nintendo months to manufacture enough units to keep the console in stock.
In the U.S., the Switch is so far the fastest-selling console in history, as the company sold 4.8 million units within the first 10 months of its availability. Before the hybrid console was released, the Wii was the fastest-selling console in the U.S. with 4 million sales in its first 10 months.
Nintendo stock has been skyrocketing since the Nintendo Switch was released last year as investors applauded the Japanese gaming company’s latest effort. However, the shares have been lagging the overall market more recently as Switch sales have come down. At this point, it doesn’t look like the stock is reacting much to the Nintendo Switch 2 rumor. Shares are down more than 1% in Tokyo and less than 1% in the U.S.
