A new report says the Nintendo Switch 2 will be out in the second half of 2024 and will continue to be a home console/handheld hybrid.
While there were rumours and speculation of the Nintendo Switch 2 (or whatever Nintendo’s next console is called) launching as early as this year, it seems far more likely that it won’t be out until 2024.
Nintendo itself says it has no plans to launch new hardware for the rest of the fiscal year (so not until after March 2024) and Chinese manufacturer PixArt recently mentioned it was working on a new Japanese console coming out in early 2024.
A new report, though, says that Nintendo is likely aiming to launch its next console in the second half of 2024 to ensure it has enough stock available. That way, it can avoid potential shortages like what the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S suffered from when they launched.
This is according to VGC’s sources, which have also provided a few potential details regarding the Switch 2’s design. Firstly, in order to bring down costs, it will feature an LCD screen rather than an OLED screen, much like the standard Switch model.
This isn’t the only detail it will carry over from the original Switch either as the Switch 2 is said to also have a portable mode (making it another home console/handheld hybrid) and will play physical games via cartridges, not discs.
While this could point to the Switch 2 offering backwards compatibility (something Nintendo itself may have alluded to), VGC’s sources have not corroborated this detail.
UPDATE
Eurogamer has since corroborated VGC’s report as well, saying it too has heard of a late 2024 launch and that the console will have a handheld mode.
Original story continues
VGC’s Andy Robinson adds that dev kits have already been sent to ‘key partner studios.’ Earlier this month, it was claimed that one such dev kit had already been sent to a certain Spanish studio, assumed to be Metroid Dread developer MercurySteam.
Given how unpredictable Nintendo is, it’s always possible that it’ll change its late 2024 launch window, but analysts believe this makes the most sense.
‘I would generally say that looking at Nintendo’s financials, it seems clear that it’s time for a new piece of hardware in 2024,’ one analyst, Dr Serkan Toto, told VGC.
‘Hardware is already projected to fall 16.5% year-on-year in the current fiscal, while the minus for software is expected to hit 15.9%. The only way to stop these losses from totally ballooning next fiscal is a new device, and the second half of 2024 sounds like a realistic release window to me.’
When Nintendo actually plans to announce its next console is another question entirely.
However, with Nintendo attending Gamescom 2023 in August, there has been speculation that it’ll use the event to unveil the Switch 2 rather than simply promote upcoming games.
Email [email protected], leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter.
MORE : Metroid Prime 2 remaster and more Zelda out this year says rumour
MORE : Leaked Nintendo Switch 2 images are super fake but impressive
MORE : Two of the rarest Legend Of Zelda games are now on Nintendo Switch
Follow Metro Gaming on Twitter and email us at [email protected]
To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here.
For more stories like this, check our Gaming page.
![GameCentral Newsletter](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/client-mu-plugins/metro-newsletters/signups/images/gamecentral-signup-logo.png)
Sign up to all the exclusive gaming content, latest releases before they're seen on the site.
Share this with