SUMMARY
- Nintendo Switch was the company's latest handheld device after the mixed reaction gotten from Wii U.
- The successor to the Switch, referred to as Switch 2 has been rumored to be in the oven for a while.
Nintendo’s best-selling console ever, the Nintendo Switch is adored by fans for its vast game selection, which is a significant improvement over the subpar Wii U that came before it. However, the Switch has been out for more than six years, and fans are itching for Nintendo’s next big thing.
There are rumors and predictions that the next Switch will be more powerful than the first while still having the same great combination of home console and handheld functionality. According to reports, the new hardware has reportedly already been demonstrated to key game developers. If this is the case, it could mean that the release date is not too far off.
Although nothing is official just yet, reports and leaks from well-known media outlets suggest that the game system will be stronger while still using the same convertible design. While the Switch Lite model is exclusively handheld, Nintendo’s current Switch is essentially a portable system that can be put onto a dock and played on your TV.
Debunking the rumors about Nintendo Switch 2
There have been multiple rumors that Nintendo is developing a Switch replacement. Fans have been waiting for the console since the first rumors started to circulate. In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Dr. Serkan Toto, a Kantan Games analyst and known Nintendo specialist, expressed his belief that the Switch 2 will launch in 2024.
Nintendo “Switch 2” is rumored to drop in 2024 pic.twitter.com/wNLBuQN2oV
— Dexerto (@Dexerto) January 3, 2024
President Furukawa did not make any official statements at the November 7, 2023, press conference, despite the general expectation that there will be a Nintendo Switch replacement. While there have been many rumors and conjectures about the features and release date of the successor circulating on various online news sites, President Furukawa has dismissed many of these as “inaccurate.”
In response to the assertion that the Nintendo’s successor console was shown off behind closed doors during the Gamescom 2023, gathering, the president of the business said, “Rumors are circulating mainly on the Internet as if they were public information, but they are inaccurate”.
Additionally, Nintendo reportedly submitted a patent application for a two-screen gaming system. This also gave rise to the rumors that the Nintendo Switch 2 will come with dual screens.
Furukawa addressed the patent for the company’s two screens, which gave rise to rumors about a possible “Switch 2” design. “We applied for a patent knowing the information would be made public. This does not necessarily mean we plan to equip future products with this”, he added.
Rumors also circulated that Activision met with Nintendo CEO Shuntaro Furukawa in December 2022, during the legal dispute between Microsoft and the FTC, and that Activision was given an idea of the expected graphics capabilities of the console.
Furukawa, however, claimed that he did not meet with Activision “to describe the hardware that will be the successor to Nintendo Switch” during Nintendo’s press conference for its financial results.