The Nintendo Switch has sold over 125 million units worldwide, but with Nintendo expecting continued slowdown of sales over the coming year, many are beginning to wonder when the console – which has entered its seventh year on the market – will be getting a full-fledged successor. While a concrete answer to that question remains elusive, potential evidence continues to mount that work could be underway on a Switch successor.
In its recent quarterly earnings report, Sharp confirmed that it was supplying LCD screens for a new upcoming console, though it did not name the console. “I can’t comment on any details regarding specific customers,” said CEO Robert Wu (via Bloomberg). “But as to a new gaming console, we’ve been involved in its R&D stage.”
Earlier this year, reports emerged that Nintendo was in negotiations with suppliers for the production process of the Switch successor. More recently, it was claimed the development on the new console was “progressing well”, but that it wouldn’t be out before Spring 2024 “at the earliest”.
Interestingly enough, Sharp has a history of working with Nintendo on a number of its devices, including as an assembler for the Switch. Of course, if the company is indeed making LCD displays for a new Nintendo console, that would mean it has reverted back from the Switch OLED’s improved screen (or at least one of its models has).
Then again, given the fact that no console or company has been explicitly named, there’s a chance that something unrelated to Nintendo is being referenced here. For instance, recent reports have also claimed that Sony is working on an always-online remote play PlayStation handheld, which is allegedly due out in November.