Nintendo are likely to release their next-gen system in 2024, according to a report.
Sources have told VGC that development kits for the new console are now with key partner studios, with a launch being planned for midway through next year. Nintendo are said to be keen to avoid the supply issues that have plagued its competitors and have set a later release window to allow for a greater stockpile before release. This does line up with a previous announcment from Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa back in May, who said the earliest the successor console would launch is in April 2024.
On face value the console seems to share many similarities with its predecessor. It is said to be a portable device, with an LCD screen and catridge slot. Some may be disappointed they will not be utilising OLED technology like the OLED Switch, but this is reported to be a measure to keep prices lower for consumers. One of the payoffs from this will be an increased internal storage size (from the paltry 32GB the Switch has), as games are only getting bigger from a pure data perspective.
Unfortunately the presence of a catridge slot does not garuantee that the console will provide backwards-compatibility with the Switch. Reportedly some developers have expressed concern that legacy support could negatively affect next-gen sales.
Christopher Dring told VGC that Nintendo's ability to migrate its customers from one console to the next has been historically poor and a change in strategy may be neccessary.
"Nintendo has struggled to upgrade players in previous generations, so how it approaches things like digital libraries, the Nintendo Account and even backwards compatibility may prove crucial in the next system getting off to a strong start," he said.
