Rumor mill: Prior information and analysis had agreed on a late 2024 launch window for the successor to the Nintendo Switch, but multiple outlets have recently reported signs of a delay into early next year. Nintendo is expected to reveal the console sometime in the first quarter of this year.
Sources from the game development community have informed Eurogamer, VGC, and journalist Pedro Henrique Lutti Lippe that the expected launch window for Nintendo's next console has been moved to the first quarter of 2025. Nintendo has not formally announced or confirmed any details.
In an episode of the Brazilian podcast Xdc News, Lippe claimed to have heard from at least three developers that Nintendo initially intended to release the next generation Switch in late 2024 but has recently decided to push it back. Multiple sources later told VGC that third-party developers had received an internal briefing confirming the delay.
One possible reason is to allow more time for as-yet unannounced first-party launch titles. Eurogamer corroborated these reports, stating that the new launch period remains within Nintendo's fiscal year 2024, which ends in March 2025.
In an investor call earlier this month, Nintendo stated that its current console would remain the company's "main business" going into 2024, indicating that there are no plans for new hardware that could significantly impact sales before the end of the year. Nintendo plans to continue releasing Switch titles in 2024, but Lippe mentioned that the system's remaining lineup consists entirely of "small" games.
The company recently launched a remake of Mario vs. Donkey Kong, and its official calendar lists Princess Peach: Showtime, a remaster of Luigi's Mansion 2, and a remake of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. A new Metroid Prime entry has been in development for years but has not yet been publicly revealed.
Rumors have also suggested that Nintendo might reveal the Switch 2 in March, but a Nintendo Direct presentation is also expected this month. According to Giant Bomb's Jeff Grubb, it was initially scheduled for this week but was delayed due to Microsoft's media briefing. The first quarter of each year has always seen at least one Nintendo Direct, but it's unclear how much the company will divulge if its next console is a year out.
While a Q1 launch would miss the holiday season and potentially impact the industry's 2024 retail sales negatively, it would mirror the original Switch's March 2017 launch, which followed an October 2016 reveal.
The Switch 2 is expected to feature an 8-inch LCD screen, backward compatibility with both physical and digital Switch games, and graphics powered by Nvidia's Ampere-based Tegra T239, which supports DLSS 2. Hundreds of developers are reportedly preparing games for the system, which might cost up to $400.