Get your grain of salt prepared: A brand new leak means that Nintendo is about to launch its “next-gen” console. Insiders mentioned it might be one other hybrid just like the Change. Nevertheless, the brand new machine will ditch the OLED display screen for an LED to avoid wasting on manufacturing prices. Nintendo is capturing to launch the hand-held within the second half of 2024, and devkits are already within the palms of builders.
Launch dates for a brand new Nintendo Change have been everywhere, however VGC sources anticipate it to reach in H2 2024, corroborating a earlier rumor. Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa additionally instructed traders to not anticipate new {hardware} till after fiscal 12 months 2023, which ends on March 31, 2024 lining up not fairly completely with the brand new info.
Whereas not an official affirmation, the date no less than jives with the corporate’s said expectations, in contrast to different rumors claiming launches as early as 2020 or 2021. The Change celebrated its sixth anniversary in March, so the potential for brand spanking new {hardware} towards the top of 2024 or early 2025 appears extra in step with a typical console technology. Moreover, Furukawa-san just lately mentioned that Nintendo is ready for a “easy transition” to new {hardware}, all however confirming that an up to date machine is imminent.
The information additionally comes as Change gross sales are declining. Shipments for 2022 had been down greater than 22 p.c, and Nintendo’s bean counters forecast one other decline of 15 p.c for FY2023. Moreover, a report from Nikkei earlier this 12 months proposed an identical timeframe based mostly on ongoing talks between Nintendo and its components suppliers.
Moreover the potential launch window and the disappointing display screen information, the insiders had been stingy with some other particulars. They talked about that it might have “a cartridge slot” for bodily video games, but it surely’s unclear if that can be any totally different from the present SanDisk-like port the present console has. Aside from that, the remainder of the specs are topic to our creativeness.
Presumably, we are able to no less than anticipate extra highly effective processors. Whereas Nintendo’s newest AAA launch, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, runs superbly on the getting old system, Kotaku notes that the machine has proven some issue working different current titles, together with Xenoblade Chronicles 3 and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.
