A new year, a new Nintendo Switch? It’s something I’ve been wondering for the last couple of years but I think 2024 will finally be the year of the Nintendo Switch 2. When will Nintendo reveal the Nintendo Switch 2? Time for some speculation!
The Nintendo Switch is turning 7 years old
The Nintendo Switch is getting close to its 7th anniversary this year, which is rather impressive but not unseen. It’s similar to the Famicom and Super Famicom lifespan but when we compare it with Nintendo’s modern consoles, 7 years feels like an unseen period without a new console and yet, that’s not entirely true. Since the Nintendo Switch is a hybrid console, it doesn’t follow the home console rules where we get a new console roughly every 5 years. Instead, the Switch can better be compared to the handheld market where Nintendo likes to keep the momentum going and focuses on a longer shelf life for their handheld systems. It took the Nintendo 3DS 7 years to succeed the original Nintendo DS family and when you compare the Switch to that line, there are a lot of similarities. Since its release, the Switch got an upgraded base model, a budget-friendly Lite model, and a premium OLED model, just like we had the DS Lite, DSi, and DSi XL. The same goes for the game libraries where Nintendo puts out bangers extremely late in the lifespan. Look at 2023 where Switch players got Metroid Prime Remastered, Pikmin 4, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, F-Zero 99, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, and more. Although we don’t have official numbers yet, it’s pretty safe to assume that the Nintendo Switch performed exceptionally well during the Holiday season thanks to the constant release of system sellers. So yes, the Nintendo Switch is turning 7 this year but the games we received last year don’t feel like a goodbye just yet.
2024 as a transistion year
So do I think we’ll get a Nintendo Switch 2 in 2024? Oh, absolutely. Where 2023 felt like one of Switch’s biggest years, 2024 feels like a transistion year. With releases like Princess Peach Showtime, Mario VS. Donkey Kong, and Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD, Nintendo makes sure that Switch fans have something to look forward to but keeps the real heavy hitters closer to its chest for a potentional stellar Switch 2 launch line-up. Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa already confirmed the company is planning to release original software on Nintendo Switch until the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025, so I’m sure we’ll see some more smaller project announcements for the original Switch later this year, which shouldn’t come as a surprise. With the Nintendo Switch well on its way of becoming the most sold console of all time, Nintendo doesn’t want to abbandon their playerbase, so a constant release of new Nintendo Switch games is a no-brainer of course. That being said, I do believe that this will be the transistion year between the console, while maintaining fun releases on Switch, Nintendo will also prepare its playerbase to make the jump to the Nintendo Switch 2 and I think they will be very serious about it to prevent a second Wii U situation.
During an interview last year, Nintendo already confirmed they want to make the transfer to a new console as easy as possible so it’s clear they are mapping out how to do that and the Nintendo Switch profiles will most-likely play a crucial role in that approach. But how do you convince players to leave behind their favorite console and jump on board of its successor? Well, everything depends on the launch line-up more than the actual hardware. I think we’ll see a new 3D Super Mario game, an upgraded version of Metroid Prime 4, the long-awaited ports of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker & Twilight Princess and maybe even a new Mario Kart. Those games would mark the start of something new and will instantly convince a lot of players to jump ship. Some of these games might even release on Nintendo Switch just to prove what the extra power of the Nintendo Switch 2 is capable of. Cross-generation games isn’t a new concept for Nintendo as they did so with GameCube and Wii and Wii U and Switch, I think we’ll see the same with Switch and Switch 2 and I’m betting Metroid Prime 4 will be the game to do it.
Nintendo Switch 2 in Q2/3
So when do I expect to see the Nintendo Switch 2? I believe we’ll see the console releasing somewhere in Q2 or Q3 of 2024 and more precisely April or September to give it enough momentum during the Holidays. It’s no seceret the Switch 2 is deep in its development and with rumors floating around the interenet that the first Nintendo partners received their dev kits to create launch games, it’s pretty safe to say that Nintendo is just waiting for the right time to reveal the system. The Nvidia chip leak, the Xbox/Activision court documents where Activision spoke of a meeting with Nintendo to discuss the power of Switch 2, the rumored behind-the-scenes look at the Switch 2 during Gamescom exclusive for game developers…. There are just too many fingers pointing into one direction and that’s the direction of a Nintendo Switch 2 this year. In this article I won’t focus on the power or gimmick the new system will have but a system that can compete with the PS5, Xbox Series, and even SteamDeck is necessary if Nintendo wants to have some heavy third party support, the time is now.
I think the Nintendo Direct of February or March might give us the first teaser of the upcoming console with an actual release later this year. That way, Nintendo has plenty of time to manufacture enough stock to avoid a PlayStation 5 situation at launch. Getting us hyped early in 2024 for a system release close to the Holidays feels like the best way to approach this. Either way, I’m just speculating here but I’m 100% conviced this will be the year of Switch 2 and I can’t wait to see what Nintendo has in store for the future… Exciting times ahead!
