Nintendo confirms Switch 2 is coming soon, backwards compatibility is in

In context: Anticipation for Nintendo’s next-generation handheld console continues to construct as the corporate faces its second consecutive quarter of declining income and falling Change gross sales. Till just lately, Nintendo had maintained near-total silence concerning a successor to the Change. Now, nevertheless, the corporate has confirmed that the brand new console will function backward compatibility with unique Change video games and can assist Change On-line video games on the upcoming Change 2.

These hoping for an official glimpse of the next-generation Change will probably want to attend till not less than January 2025. The one confirmed element is that Nintendo plans to unveil the brand new handheld earlier than April 1.

When Nintendo initially acknowledged it could reveal the system inside the present fiscal yr, ending on March 31, 2025, many speculated it could comply with the same promotional cycle to the unique Change.

Nintendo introduced the unique Change in October 2016, launching it in March 2017 – a schedule deemed unconventional on the time. The technique, nevertheless, proved extremely profitable, with the Change reaching 146 million items offered as of this month, making it one in all Nintendo’s most profitable consoles.

Nonetheless, Toyo Securities analyst Hideki Yasuda just lately advised that revealing a successor now might be a expensive distraction as the vacation procuring season begins, particularly with Nintendo in a precarious place. This week, the corporate reported a year-over-year declines in each Change {hardware} and software program gross sales and lowered its projected gross sales targets by means of subsequent March.

Nintendo probably hopes to keep away from additional cannibalizing Change gross sales because the console enters its eighth vacation season, highlighted by titles similar to The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Knowledge, Mario & Luigi: Brothership, and Tremendous Mario Social gathering Jamboree. With at this time’s announcement, Nintendo is reassuring clients they will buy Change video games this vacation season, realizing these titles will probably be suitable with the subsequent handheld console.

This stands in distinction to 2016, when Nintendo was keen to maneuver on from the underperforming Wii U. Yasuda believes January is essentially the most possible window for a Change 2 reveal.

That is Furukawa. At at this time’s Company Administration Coverage Briefing, we introduced that Nintendo Change software program may also be playable on the successor to Nintendo Change. Nintendo Change On-line will probably be obtainable on the successor to Nintendo Change as nicely. Additional details about…

– 任天å Âæ ªå¼Âä¼Â社ï¼Âä¼Â業åºÂå ±ã»IRï¼Â (@NintendoCoLtd) November 6, 2024

Following the latest monetary report, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa affirmed that the corporate’s plan to unveil the system earlier than April 2025 stays unchanged. Nonetheless, the launch window remains to be unsure. Earlier this yr, builders with insider data expressed hope for an April or Might launch to keep away from competing with the anticipated launch of Grand Theft Auto 6, which is anticipated to dominate consideration in late 2025.

Nintendo’s subsequent handheld is anticipated to function 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM with potential bandwidth as much as 102GB/s, an 8-inch LCD display, magnetically attachable Pleasure-Con controllers, and a customized chip based mostly on Nvidia’s Ampere structure from the RTX 3000 collection, with DLSS assist.