Nintendo has been struggling to meet demands for the Switch due to the global chip shortage. However, this hasn’t led to the brand faltering on its plans to launch a second device. The company is reportedly looking to start the production of the next-gen Nintendo Switch by July 2021.
A new report by Bloomberg also suggests that the company might flaunt the next-gen console at the E3 gaming conference this June. The report also adds that Nintendo could launch the new Switch by September this year.
Nintendo Switch 2: What to expect
The next-gen Nintendo Switch will also likely be priced higher than the current model, suggests the report. While it will eventually replace the first-gen Switch, the new console will be sold alongside the affordable Switch Lite. The report also says that Nintendo plans to ramp up production to a peak in the last quarter of 2021, despite the global semiconductor shortage.
“An upgraded Switch can be extremely valuable in extending the lifecycle of the platform. Both Sony and Microsoft have had success with mid-cycle upgrades as a means to drive growth from live services and, as this becomes a greater driver for Nintendo, not fragmenting the user base across different platforms would be advantageous,” Bloomberg analyst Matthew Kanterman said.
Talking about specifications, the new device is expected to come with a 7-inch OLED display from Samsung and an Nvidia GPU with support for 4K output. The premium components combined with the chip shortage is likely to make the price of the console go above $299 (about Rs 21,700). Note that no information on the final retail price is currently available.