The Wall Street Journal is claiming that Nintendo is planning on developing a new hardware revision of the Nintendo Switch. Thanks to the highly successful sales of the console, Nintendo is potentially in talks to create a newer, better version of their hybrid system. These upgrades are still being considered internally, but the Wall Street Journal reports that there's a chance of this revision having a better display, one that's higher quality than the current LCD the Switch uses, but not one as sophisticated as an OLED screen. Earlier this year, WSJ believed that Nintendo would not be planning on hardware revisions, but instead would focus on peripherals, which only held true in regards to Nintendo Labo.

The source of this information comes from insider knowledge at the Wall Street Journal, along with suppliers and manufacturers that work with Nintendo. WSJ Japan's article claims that shareholders in the company confirmed this information, too. If they're correct, then the new Switch model would likely hit the market sometime in Summer 2019.

TOKYO— Nintendo Co. NTDOY -1.78% plans to release a new version of its Switch videogame console next year to maintain the sales momentum of the device, according to suppliers and others with direct knowledge of the plan.

Sales of the Switch, introduced in March 2017, are still solid but are no longer delivering the favorable surprises that marked the machine’s first year on the market. Nintendo shares, which rose sharply last year, have trailed the broader stock market this year. The move to update the Switch suggests the Kyoto, Japan, company is moving quickly to ensure its flagship product doesn’t lose competitiveness.

Nintendo is still debating what new hardware and software features to include in the upgrade and weighing the cost of the features, people with knowledge of the discussions said.

One option is improving the display, they said. The current Switch uses a lower-end liquid-crystal display without some technologies that are standard in more recent smartphone LCDs.

Updating the display with these technologies would make it brighter, thinner and more energy-efficient. The updated Switch isn’t expected to adopt the organic light-emitting diode or OLED panels used in Apple Inc.’s AAPL 1.22%iPhone X series.

Nintendo is looking to release the new Switch in the latter half of 2019, perhaps as soon as summer, the people said.

A Nintendo spokesman declined to comment.

Between its introduction last year and June 30 of this year, Nintendo sold 19.7 million units of the Switch, a pace that compares favorably with Sony Corp.’s PlayStation 4, the most popular console among the current generation of videogame players. The Switch can be used both as a living-room console and as a portable game machine.

Nintendo has said it wants to sell 20 million units in the year through March 2019, and analysts say they expect sales roughly to match that goal assuming some popular software titles planned for late this year arrive on schedule. Nintendo has said it plans to introduce “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” on Dec. 7.

Videogame makers generally come out with new consoles every five to six years, and it is common for them to update the devices in the middle of their life cycles to keep the momentum going. Sony introduced the PlayStation 4 in November 2013 and updated it with a less-expensive version in September 2016 and a high-end model two months later.

A new Switch would follow that pattern. Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto, who created many of its top games and now holds the title of creative fellow, said in February he wanted the Switch’s life cycle to be longer than usual, suggesting next year’s update of the hardware may not be the last.

The upgraded Switch would likely share many features with the current version and be compatible with existing Switch game software.

Software makers and others in the industry are watching whether Nintendo will clarify the future of its hand-held 3DS videogame device when it decides on the next Switch.

Nintendo has said it would keep selling 3DS machines because they are a safe and affordable option for children. But new game releases for the platform have been declining and some popular franchises, including Nintendo’s own “Pokémon,” moved to the Switch this year.

An executive at one software maker said the 3DS was increasingly overshadowed by smartphones that are well-suited to portable games. He said he was waiting for a “clear message” from Nintendo about what it would do with the 3DS series when it puts out a new Switch.

Source
Source [Untranslated]

 

[MikaDubbz]

No way they are going to make a stronger model just 1 year after launch. Its probably just going to be a model that fixes some small issues. We had consoles do this before so I dont think this is a reason to think that our consoles are all going to be outdated soon

I agree that I don't think this is the mid-gen upgrade like we've seen with the N3DS, PS4 Pro, etc. But I do think that in ways it will still be an upgrade that will make some of us current owners envious (bigger screen, better screen, better battery, etc.), much like the original 3DS XL. That model of the 3DS was released only a year and a half after the original 3DS, this version of the Switch looks set to come out at 2 years or later in the Switch's life, so it would actually be behind in terms of how the 3DS handled its first similar upgrade.

 

[ShadowOne333]

They have to meet the following criteria for me to make the upgrade:

1. Better battery life (at least 6 hours with high-end games)
2. Up the clockspeed of the CPU, I don't care if you have to make it a little bit bulkier to cool it down at high clockspeeds (1.5Ghz to 2Ghz)
3. Ditch the fucking Joycon bullshit. This includes:
   1. Make a proper standalone portable Switch which has a setup controller for only one person, I don't care about the 2 joycon shit.
   2. Proper D-Pad for the left side of the controller.
   3. Bigger buttons (at least make the + and - bigger) and more well spaced-out layout (like moving the right analog stick to not be so close to the buttons).
      
   4. Fix the analog sticks from getting gunk in them so easily.
   5. Analog triggers for ZR/ZL
4. Make the stupid thing more ergonomic ffs. Having no grip on the controllers is a pain for multiple hours of gameplay.
   I will sue your ass when I get carpal tunnel, assholes.

If they meet those points, I MIGHT consider the upgrade, if not then they can go fuck off

 

[MikaDubbz]

Joy-Cons are never gonna be ditched with the Switch for many reasons.

 

[ShadowOne333]

Joy-Cons are never gonna be ditched with the Switch for many reasons.

I can deal with that, as long as they make a proper D-Pad joycon and they up the size of the buttons for people with medium to big-sized hands.
I know they might not ditch them entirely, but at least they should address this.

 

[MikaDubbz]

I can deal with that, as long as they make a proper D-Pad joycon and they up the size of the buttons for people with medium to big-sized hands.
I know they might not ditch them entirely, but at least they should address this.

Yeah, I could see separate new Joy-Cons being released, heck those new NES controllers for the NES app are technically Joy-Cons and can slide into the Switch like the standard ones (I assume the only reason you'd do that would be to charge them). But if they've made those, i don't see why other actual Joy-Con revisions can't come in time. I'd personally welcome a right Joy-Con with the ABXY button shapes and layout of the Gamecube controllers.

 

[ShadowOne333]

Yeah, I could see separate new Joy-Cons being released, heck those new NES controllers for the NES app are technically Joy-Cons and can slide into the Switch like the standard ones (I assume the only reason you'd do that would be to charge them). But if they've made those, i don't see why other actual Joy-Con revisions can't come in time. I'd personally welcome a right Joy-Con with the ABXY button shapes and layout of the Gamecube controllers.

Amen to that.
Having joycons with other old-school Nintendo controller styles would sell like hotcakes, but I bet they're holding off for when they eventually release SNES games on the online services, which will be mid 2019 lol

 

[the_randomizer]

Your paraphasing is poor. I'm straight up saying they're offering nothing.

If you enjoy endless ports for full price and titles originally released when Russia was still the USSR, knock yourself out.

Some of you suffer this strange battered fan syndrome. You've learned to accept keeping expectations low, even embrace being let down. In which case Sushi Striker® was probably a game-changer for you.

"The switch has sold eleventy billion units!!" Congrats, now make some games!

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------




The WSJ has, despite shilling for pro-war policies, has managed to keep it's reputation as a reliable mainstream publication in America.

Like most mainstream publications, they're reporting on non-politcal things, IE business, usually checks out.

But a source for video game news?

 

[Closet Nerd]

But a source for video game news?

Define video game news.

Mis-gendering controversy in a studio which leads to firing = WSJ will probably NOT have that scoop

Multi-national corp making hardware revisions = WSJ probably has that scoop

 

[the_randomizer]

Define video game news.

Mis-gendering controversy in a studio which leads to firing = WSJ will probably NOT have that sccop

Multi-national corp making hardware revisions = WSJ probably has that scoop

If I want game news, I don't go to WSJ, I go to IGN, Nintendo Life, etc, not that.

And besides, it's a rumor, not confirmed.

 

[supermatto64]

If it's just a size, screen, or battery difference I'm out.
If better clock speeds or the sort, well, I wanted a 2nd Switch so I can use my 1st I got for homebrew anyway.

 

[Closet Nerd]

If I want game news, I don't go to WSJ, I go to IGN, Nintendo Life, etc, not that.

And besides, it's a rumor, not confirmed.

It sounds like you don't want WSJ to have this news. Like you actually have something against them. Thats on you.

All i'm saying is that in the world of business, WSJ usually checks out.

 

[Delerious]

I would hope for an extra few hundred MHz of speed to the processor and 2 extra gigs of RAM, since NVIDIA can easily get better shrinks by that time, and RAM prices are expected to be falling by the end of this year. A new display would be nice, but I prefer getting better performance over a brighter, sharper display. That said, with improved hardware, they could potentially even give 1080p in handheld mode if the display were part of the package, but still offer the 720p setting for better battery life were they to make such a decision.

I would also hope for improved joycon design -- something with improved comfort and an actual ď-pad.

 

[the_randomizer]

It sounds like you don't want WSJ to have this news. Like you actually have something against them. Thats on you.

All i'm saying is that in the world of business, WSJ usually checks out.

And I'm saying people need to stop thinking that a rumor = definitive fact. It's not been confirmed, it's still a rumor. And even if there was a hardware
upgrade, people are still gonna bitch "but it's not a PS4" derr herr herr.

 

[Closet Nerd]

And I'm saying people need to stop thinking that a rumor = definitive fact. It's not been confirmed, it's still a rumor. And even if there was a hardware
upgrade, people are still gonna bitch "but it's not a PS4" derr herr herr.

Sure, no argument here.

Do you have any recent examples of mainstream sources boofing on stories like these though?

Not exactly bombshell stuff being reported here.

 

[Deleted User]

They might as well scratch the original design and do it all over again, because this console is a clusterfuck.
It needs a proper ventilation/cooling down system, a decent body, an OLED screen, a 1080p screen, specs up to date (or at least powerful enough that 1st party games don't lag), decent connections (like in internal ones), a way to charge the joycons while playing, a way to charge the joycons outside the console without spending more money on plastic, a charging port at the top instead of bottom, a decent and sturdy kickstand, a dock with proper ventilation, a LAN port and connection points that don't interfere with eachother (I can't charge my speaker on the dock and have it connected to the Switch or computer for audio, as it makes a rattling noise).
That's all I can think of, but I'm sure there's more.

 

[FAST6191]

But a source for video game news?

Hardware upgrades are typically a long time in the making, and expensive to boot. Similarly Nintendo have not done the whole vertical integration bit in decades so there are plenty of people that might have an inkling about things.
If they have reports from shareholders (and being the wall street journal that seems plausible) and vendors of parts saying Nintendo has been sniffing around (it is generally considered good for said vendors if they have a millions of units device maker about to tap them for parts).

If this were some discussion about the internal workings of a small game dev then it would be odd. A hardware revision in a major tech company and market player is very much within their remit though.

While it is true rumor does not equal definitive fact it is also true rumour does not have to mean wild speculation pulled straight from where the sun does not shine.

 

[the_randomizer]

Hardware upgrades are typically a long time in the making, and expensive to boot. Similarly Nintendo have not done the whole vertical integration bit in decades so there are plenty of people that might have an inkling about things.
If they have reports from shareholders (and being the wall street journal that seems plausible) and vendors of parts saying Nintendo has been sniffing around (it is generally considered good for said vendors if they have a millions of units device maker about to tap them for parts).

If this were some discussion about the internal workings of a small game dev then it would be odd. A hardware revision in a major tech company and market player is very much within their remit though.

While it is true rumor does not equal definitive fact it is also true rumour does not have to mean wild speculation pulled straight from where the sun does not shine.

Even if there will be an upgrade, again, people will bitch about it not being up to PS4 standards ad nauseum.

 

[Justinde75]

I agree that I don't think this is the mid-gen upgrade like we've seen with the N3DS, PS4 Pro, etc. But I do think that in ways it will still be an upgrade that will make some of us current owners envious (bigger screen, better screen, better battery, etc.), much like the original 3DS XL. That model of the 3DS was released only a year and a half after the original 3DS, this version of the Switch looks set to come out at 2 years or later in the Switch's life, so it would actually be behind in terms of how the 3DS handled its first similar upgrade.

I never said there wont be a bigger upgrade. I just said that this is probably not it, since its way too early

 

[FAST6191]

Even if there will be an upgrade, again, people will bitch about it not being up to PS4 standards ad nauseum.

Probably, however as the PS4 represents the best example of game playing device at present and Nintendo in turn is not really making an effort to compete at that level (and in terms of gameplay design things have not moved on much since the PS360, something the Switch can demonstrably go toe to toe with) it does not seem to be unreasonable.

 

[the_randomizer]

Probably, however as the PS4 represents the best example of game playing device at present and Nintendo in turn is not really making an effort to compete at that level (and in terms of gameplay design things have not moved on much since the PS360, something the Switch can demonstrably go toe to toe with) it does not seem to be unreasonable.

So people who like Switch should be able to like Switch without people going all tits up over the hardware not being up to their ridiculous standards. Is that so much to ask?