Nintendo's next console is reportedly launching in the second half of 2024 and development kits have already been sent to key partner studios. While we don't know what this new console will look like or be called, sources close to its development say that it's a portable hybrid like the Switch.
VGC's sources also claim that the console will have a slot for physical cartridges, meaning that Nintendo is not developing a digital exclusive platform. Whether Switch games will be backwards compatible digitally or physically isn't clear yet, but Nintendo previously stated that it wants as many of its 100 million users to transfer to its new system as possible.
While Nintendo's new console will expectedly be more powerful than the Switch, it may use an LCD screen instead of OLED. VGC's sources say this is to offset the costs of larger storage which is a given with higher fidelity games. The Switch has a base internal memory of 32GB. Given that some games for PS5, PC, and Xbox require well over 100GB, 32 is a tiny number, and its successor will no doubt hold more.
This release window lines up with the original Switch's debut. It didn't arrive with the PS4 and Xbox One, but three years after. By the second half of 2024, we'll be four years removed from the start of this generation--since Nintendo has a habit of launching mid-generation, the timeline adds up. Industry consultant Dr Serkan Toto also told VGC that Switch hardware and software sales are projected to see double-digit declines, so launching a new console is expected.
Of course, if you throw a rock you'll hit a Switch 2 rumour. That's been the case for years, with an obviously fake leak having surfaced as recently as July 20. Speculation also runs rampant, with many believing that Tears of the Kingdom will follow Breath of the Wild's suit as a cross-generation title, being the end of the Switch and the beginning of its successor. What stands out in this report is claims of dev kits being given out to key partners--that's far more tangible than the usual 'coming soon' comments.
Nintendo hasn't announced anything and did not respond to VGC's request for a statement, so it's not official yet. But reputable insider Jeff Grubb claimed that an announcement would be made later this year. We might not have to wait long to see what it looks like, if it really is called the Switch 2 (or Switch Pro), and to find out if it's backwards compatible. At any rate, it sounds like Switch successor rumours might finally be at an end. Until we're all asking where the Switch 3 is.