The Nintendo Switch will be six years old in March, but with the console still enjoying strong sales all over the world and having major upcoming releases to look forward to, it looks set to have a much longer (and more active) lifespan than most Nintendo systems have had in the past. Even so, it seems like Nintendo is moving ahead with plans for its next major console.
That’s as per a recent report by Nikkei, which claims that behind the scenes, Nintendo has commenced negotiations with suppliers for the production process of the Nintendo Switch successor, whatever that ends up being. Though Nintendo has, of course, publicly remained tightlipped about its hardware plans and the long-term future of the Switch, this doesn’t come as much of a surprise- and that’s not just because the Switch is an ageing system at this point.
In June of last year, Nintendo’s fiscal documents seemed to suggest that the company was stockpiling raw materials and supplies, presumably for the production of new hardware. Shortly before that, evidence of Switch successor also emerged in an Nvidia leak, hinting at support for ray tracing and DLSS 2.2.
Recent reports have also claimed that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – which is due out in May – will be Nintendo’s final major release for the Switch, with focus internally shifting to the company’s next console. However, industry analyst Piers Harding-Rolls believes that Switch successor won’t release until next year.