Last month, reports surfaced of Nintendo's plans to release two new models of its hugely successful Nintendo Switch console, the first being a "Mini" version of the home-handheld hybrid, and the second representing a more advanced model, with higher operating specs than its predecessor.
Now, it seems, those rumours have been corroborated by the latest report from Japanese newspaper Nikkei, which claims that the mini version of the Nintendo Switch is scheduled to release in the Fall of 2019. According to the story, this variant of the console will be smaller and more affordable than its predecessor, designed with handheld play in mind, though it can apparently still be hooked up to a TV via the Switch's docking system.
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Nikkei also restates that the rumoured advanced model of the Nintendo Switch in the works is further off from release than its miniature cousin, though its unclear whether the story's sources are internal, or whether it's just referencing The Wall Street Journal's original report from March 2019.
In other news gleaned from this report, Nintendo's plans to release a sleep monitoring device as part of its "Quality of Life" business have been halted, though the paper stops short of explaining the cause behind this cancellation. The company had announced the project five years ago, but we hadn't heard much about it since then.
Would you be interested in picking up a Nintendo Switch Mini this year, or would you stick to a regular Nintendo Switch bundle? Do you think these rumours are even true? The house of Mario certainly has a precedent for releasing various models of its consoles, and perhaps we can expect an official announcement from Ninty at E3 2019 later this year. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below to give your two cents on the latest developments in the world of Nintendo.
Find out more about the biggest new games of 2019 on the way this year, or watch our Release Radar video below to discover what's going on in games and entertainment this week.
