Nintendo has strongly suggested its next console will be more of an evolution of the Switch rather than something altogether new.
This isn't a huge surprise. Ever since the Switch 2 rumor mill started churning literal years ago, it's been apparent that Nintendo is keen on capitalizing on the success of the current hardware and iterating on what's worked so successfully this generation. Just today, a startling comparison revealed Nintendo turned a bigger profit during the Switch's ongoing life cycle than it did from 1981 all the way to 2016 just before the Switch launched.
Per industry analyst David Gibson, during Nintendo's recent financial results call, president Shuntaro Furukawa said "Switch next model is the appropriate way to describe it" in response to a question about whether the new console would be something brand new.
In the results call when asked if the next gen console was brand new or ... Furukawa answered "Switch next model is the appropriate way to describe it" :) #NintendoSwitch #NintendoSwitch2 https://t.co/ytF4oh0fN0May 7, 2024
Again, it's long been expected that the Switch's successor would be iterative rather than revolutionary, with leaks, rumors, and reports all pointing to a more powerful version of the Switch with a sharper screen and, possibly, a bigger form factor. For reference, internal Activision emails made public in September said the Switch sequel will be "closer" to PS4 and Xbox One specs - so still nothing close to the power of the nearly four-year-old PS5 and Xbox Series X consoles. But that's just the nature of a hybrid console like the Switch, and since it's been such a mighty success for Nintendo, it's no surprise the general design is staying at the forefront of Nintendo's hardware strategy.
Nintendo says it will announce its next-gen Switch successor "within this fiscal year," but don't expect any news at next month's Nintendo Direct.
