More reports have surfaced about an upcoming hardware upgrade for the Nintendo Switch, which could arrive alongside new games in 2021.
According to Bloomberg, Nintendo plans to cede 2020’s holiday spotlight to Microsoft and Sony’s next-gen consoles and focus on next year. So far, Nintendo’s only confirmed major Switch releases this holiday are Bakugan: Champions of Vestroia and Pikmin 3 Deluxe, although there are rumours that the company will launch several remasters of classic Mario games.
People familiar with Nintendo’s strategy told Bloomberg that the company considered adding more computing power and support for 4K graphics to the new Switch model. The upgraded graphical power could be part of a bid to capture gamers’ attention after the launch of the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5, which are expected to bring significant increases in power and graphics.
Along with a more powerful Switch console, Nintendo could launch several new games, both from itself and from related outside studios. Bloomberg says the games would cover various types of players, from casual gamers to devoted fans. Further, the focus on next year’s game and hardware pipeline could explain the limited software releases this year. It’s worth noting, however, that COVID-19 could also be behind delays in game releases.
The news comes on the heels of another report about an upcoming ‘Switch Pro’ console set to launch in the first quarter of 2021.
Bloomberg reports that assembly of the new console won’t begin until 2021 since production partners remain busy with making current Switch models. Nintendo previously struggled to keep pace with demand for the Switch. However, the company said earlier this month that it resolved the product bottleneck, in part thanks to dropping smartphone demand freeing up suppliers.
The company sold 61 million Switch consoles between its March 2017 launch and the end of June this year. Bloomberg says that extending the console’s life span with a more powerful model could help it beat Nintendo’s previous biggest home console, the Wii, which saw lifetime sales of 102 million units.
Source: Bloomberg
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