A new report from the CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) in the UK has made reference to a secret piece of Nintendo hardware, and fans are speculating that it could be a Switch follow-up console.
The report, which continues the CMA's investigation into Microsoft's Activision Blizzard deal, mentions Nintendo's role in the market - specifically its use of Cloud gaming and Nintendo Switch Online. What's interesting is that when talking about the Nintendo Switch's online features, it mentions that they are available on the aforementioned console as well as a secret piece of hardware that has been redacted from the document.
"Nintendo Switch Online has been excluded from our shares as Nintendo’s cloud gaming service is very limited," the document reads, "Nintendo’s cloud gaming service is only available on the Nintendo Switch device and [REDACTED]." In the same paragraph, the CMA writes: "Nintendo Switch Online gives gamers access to online play and cloud saving amongst other features. We therefore see Nintendo Switch Online as predominately an online multiplayer service rather than a cloud gaming service."
Understandably, this has let many fans' imaginations run wild with speculation (as demonstrated in this Reddit post) that the CMA is making reference to a Nintendo Switch follow-up, like the heavily rumored Nintendo Switch Pro console. It isn't too much of a stretch to believe that Nintendo is working on a new console - considering it has been making them regularly since the 1980s - but whether this report has actually revealed that a new Nintendo Switch console is on the way is still up for debate.
As pointed out by IGN reporter Rebekah Valentine on Twitter, there's no way of knowing exactly how much content has been redacted in that section of the report. It could be a word, for example [insert name of a new Nintendo console here], or as much as a paragraph or more. So don't start prepping for a new Nintendo Switch console just yet.
Speaking of, is a Nintendo Switch worth buying in 2023?
