What future after the Nintendo Switch? According to an analyst firm, the replacement for the hybrid console would arrive at least within two years. But where does the Switch Pro fit into all of this?
Six years after the release of the Switch, its successor is still waiting. It is however an open secret, a new more powerful model with 4K on the program is in development. The so-called Nintendo Switch Pro would have been confirmed by the latest trailer for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2. But when could the successor to the Switch be released?
The next Nintendo console in 2024?
VGC interviewed Piers Harding-Rolls analyst for the firm Ampere Analysis following the financial results of the Japanese firm. Nintendo announced there that sales of the Switch amounted to 23.06 million units, which brings the total figure up to almost 108 million. Despite a 20% decline justified by the shortage of components, Mario’s dads believe that the console is only in the middle of its cycle.
Yet the analyst believes that console sales will inevitably decline until the Switch 2 (or whatever it’s called) arrives. And according to him, it will happen in 2024. A prediction that is based mainly on the sales figures of the console and on the classic cycle that such products follow.
No Switch Pro finally?
“Switch sales follow the traditional console life cycle, although we must set aside the unexpected growth in 2020 due to the pandemic and the release of Animal Crossing New Horizons. Even with the release of the OLED model, sales will largely decline as the Switch enters the sixth year of its cycle. Nintendo’s forecasts reflect this. Nintendo expects 24 million Switches between April 2022 and March 2023, down 23 million from fiscal year 2022.”
It will also depend on the release of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2. Harding-Rolls believes that the next adventures of Link will push owners of the classic Switch or Lite towards the OLED version of the console. In fact, sales of the hybrid console will continue to decline “ until the Switch enters the final phase and its cycle and a next-gen console is announced “. Based on this prediction, we can imagine that the Switch Pro could accompany the launch of BOTW 2. However, the analyst believes that Nintendo will not release a new improved model of the Switch.
Shuntarô Furukawa, president of Nintendo recently indicated that the company wanted to remain vigilant about questions about the transition to the successor to the Switch. ” This is a major concern. Based on our experiences with the Switch and DS, it’s very clear that one of the biggest hurdles is how to easily switch between platforms. If we are to believe the CEO of the Japanese firm, she wants to ensure a “smooth transition” so as not to lose the millions of Switch owners along the way.
