For months now we've been hearing rumors of a new Nintendo Switch console, but nothing concrete has been revealed or announced yet. Rumors have referred to this new next-gen system as the "Nintendo Switch 2," however, it sounds like Nintendo isn't necessarily thinking of it like that.
When asked how to refer to the next-gen console during Nintendo's earnings call this week, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa stated: "Switch next model is the appropriate way to describe it."
This seems to suggest the new console will be more of an evolution of the current Nintendo Switch rather than a full-blown console. While there will likely be hardware upgrades and improvements, and possibly some new features, the general concept of the Switch -- existing as a hybrid console capable of being played at home or on the go -- should remain the same.
Shortly after the earnings call, Furukawa took to social media to confirm that Nintendo will "make an announcement about the successor to the Nintendo Switch within this fiscal year."
Nintendo's current fiscal year runs through March 2025, so we should get some sort of official announcement by then.
He added that Nintendo will be hosting another Nintendo Direct this June with a focus on upcoming games for the console that will be released in the second half of 2024. He already confirmed that there will be "no mention of the Nintendo Switch successor" during the presentation.
The Nintendo Switch launched worldwide in most regions in March 2017. The successor to the Wii U, the Switch revolutionized the gaming industry existing as a hybrid console that could be docked and played on a standard television as a home console or used as a portable handheld device.
The console's innovative design proved to be a success with gamers. As of March 2024, over 141 million Nintendo Switch units have been sold worldwide, making it Nitnendo's best-selling home console and the third-best-selling game console of all time (behind the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo DS).
A big part of the system's success has been an impressive lineup of first-party titles that include releases such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Pokemon Sword and Shield, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and more.
The Nintendo Switch has seen two hardware revisions. In September 2019, Nintendo released the handheld-only Switch Lite. In October 2021, a higher-end version featuring an OLED screen was released. Now seven years old, many are hoping the next iteration of the Nintendo Switch improves the internal hardware, allowing for better framerates and overall graphical performance.