The Nintendo Switch is only the most successful gaming tablet around, so it makes sense that Laptop Mag wants to dive into every rumor and story that hints to the possibility of a new Nintendo Switch (Nintendo Switch 2 or Nintendo Switch Pro) launching in the near future.
Nintendo is bound to release a new console sooner or later, whether it be a generational jump from the Nintendo Switch or another iterative version of the current Nintendo Switch, similar to how the company developed the recent Nintendo Switch Lite.
We’re holding out hope that there’s going to be a Nintendo Switch Pro before a Nintendo Switch 2 ever comes into existence. Here’s everything we know about the new Nintendo Switch:
New Nintendo Switch release date
If a new Nintendo Switch (Nintendo Switch 2 or Nintendo Switch Pro) is coming, it’s not going to be anytime in 2020. In a published in late January 2020, Nintendo wrote, “Please note that we have no plans to launch a new Nintendo Switch model during 2020.”
Given everything that’s currently happening in the world, that’s probably for the best. So, when can we expect a new Nintendo Switch? Well, the original Nintendo Switch launched in March 2017, and was followed up with the Nintendo Switch Lite in September 2019. If we follow that same timeline, it’s possible that we could see a new Nintendo Switch launch in March 2022.
However, considering the success of both the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch Lite, we have a feeling that the new Nintendo Switch might launch a bit sooner than that, sometime in 2021 at the very latest.
According to Taiwanese website Economic Daily News, the new Nintendo Switch is set to enter production in Q4 2020, with a release date set for Q1 2021. The report cites sources at manufacturers responsible for some components in the original Nintendo Switch, such as the flash storage and the Joy-Con controllers.
In a tweet, Brazilian journalist PH Brazil stated that if Nintendo had a better system available, it wouldn’t have made the MH Rise bundle. He then states that we must wait and see what happens in the next fiscal year, calling the next-gen Switch console the “Super Switch.”
While there’s no official word on the console being named the “Super Switch,” this isn’t the first time it’s been labeled as such. Reporter Tyler McVicker, in October 2020, stated in a tweet that Breath of the Wild 2 would be a Super Switch launch title. The rumor mill keeps churning.
New Nintendo Switch price
With the original Nintendo Switch starting at $299 and the Nintendo Switch Lite dropping to $199, we imagine that the Nintendo Switch Pro is likely to bump up to $399. Japan-based games consultant Serkan Toto seemed to predict that the Switch Pro would also be $399 in an interview with .
New Nintendo Switch specs
There are quite a few rumors floating around about the new Nintendo Switch’s specs, but before we dive into those, let’s talk about what the original Nintendo Switch is packing under the hood.
The current Nintendo Switch is outfitted with a custom Nvidia Tegra X1 processor, a 6.2-inch, 720p display and 32GB of storage. Of course, to make things more confusing, there are actually two Nintendo Switch consoles. In August 2019, the console had a slight refresh, which increased the battery life from 2.5 – 6.5 hours to 4.5 – 9 hours. (Our dear friends at , specifically my role model and father figure , found that the refreshed Nintendo Switch lasted 4 hours and 50 minutes, beating the old Switch’s 2:45 on a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate test.)
With that in mind, the most recent and exciting speculation of the new Nintendo Switch comes straight from the company itself. There’s a reference to a new hardware model found in the April . In the update, a bit of code reveals that the Nintendo Switch could support a dual-screen device, which suggests that the new Nintendo Switch may have two displays, like the Nintendo 3DS.
discovered a sketchy 4chan post that surfaced back in October 2019 detailing some of the new Nintendo Switch’s specs. While it’s now deleted, the post suggested that the new Nintendo Switch would be outfitted with a custom Nvidia Tegra Xavier processor, a 64GB SSD, 4K video support and two USB-C ports. They also claimed that the Nintendo Switch pro would be a TV-only console, which is a little bizarre.
If we look at the forum post on Korean website (via ), it indicates that the new Nintendo Switch isn’t a generational leap. The post claimed that Nintendo was working with Nvidia on a custom Tegra processor that is based on Nvidia’s Volta architecture. That goes against the theory that many had about the Tegra X1+ chip coming to the Switch Pro. If this is true, 4K support won’t be featured in the new Nintendo Switch.
The source from the aforementioned Economic Daily News report suggests that the new Nintendo Switch will have improved “interactivity” and as well as a better display. However, no specifics were given about what either those claims mean.
According to Taiwan’s Economic Daily News, the new Nintendo Switch might come with a Mini-LED panel from Taiwan’s Innolux Corporation. That’ll surely be a welcome surprise, but also an expensive one, considering that mini-LED displays can be as pricey as OLED ones.
What we want from the new Nintendo Switch
A Nintendo Switch 2 or Switch Pro is bound to launch at some point (I hope), but before that happens, we hope Nintendo carefully considers what kind of new features to add to the console. Here’s what we’d like to see in the new Nintendo Switch:
