Switch 2 is out next year and still has handheld mode and a cartridge slot, multiple reports claim

Switch 2 - or whatever Nintendo's next console ends up being called - is due out in 2024, according to multiple new reports from outlets that have a reliable track record on reporting insider information.

The new console is set to launch in the second half of 2024 and some key developers already have dev kits, VGC reports, further claiming that Nintendo wants to build up a strong supply of consoles to avoid launch shortages. 

The console itself has not yet been officially named, but the report claims that it will follow in the Switch's footsteps with a handheld mode option. The release window and handheld mode details have been corroborated by Eurogamer.

VGC's sources additionally claim that the new console will have a cartridge slot for physical games and, while this detail seems less certain, it appears Nintendo is looking to include an LCD screen instead of an OLED display in an effort to keep costs down. This wouldn't be a total surprise given that the Switch only got an independent OLED model years after launch. 

There have been no shortage of Nintendo console rumors over the past few years, and I think I'm finally ready to start believing them. Well, some of them. Previous reports had largely focused on the idea of an upgraded model of the existing console called Switch Pro, and those reports started in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted global supply chains and made launching new tech extremely difficult, as we saw with the supply-constrained releases of the PS5 and Xbox Series X.

There's a very real possibility that Nintendo had designs on releasing a Switch Pro, but pivoted away in favor of focusing its efforts on a whole new console. These days, Nintendo is even willing to acknowledge that a Switch successor is coming, which had never previously been the case. Beyond Super Mario Bros Wonder later this year, the company doesn't have any big, new releases on the calendar, suggesting that its first-party game development may already be moving on to a new console.

Of course, none of this is actually confirmed until Nintendo properly announces it, and the company has a reputation for defying expectations. Still, if I were a betting man, I'd have money down that we're all going to be shelling out for a new Nintendo console in a little over a year, and personally I can't wait for the upgrade.

These are the upcoming Switch games you have to look forward to in the meantime.