A notable analyst has offered some predictions regarding Nintendo’s next console ahead of its rumoured 2024 release.
As part of GamesIndustry.biz‘s 2024 analyst predictions feature, Serkan Toto, CEO of Tokyo-based gaming consultancy Kantan Games, said he expects the upcoming system, which has yet to officially be revealed by Nintendo, will be largely similar to the Switch.
“The next system is also likely to be an iteration rather than a revolution,” Toto wrote. “Nintendo might add some bells and whistles to the device, but it will be similar to the current Switch.”
This lines up with previous rumours that the upcoming system would retain the Switch’s console-handheld hybrid functionality. Given how that helped the Switch become the third best-selling gaming system of all time, it’s understandable that Nintendo would want to stick with it.
To that point, Toto noted that the massively popular Pokémon franchise is associated with handheld gaming, so “there is no way on earth Nintendo will drop the portability feature for their next big thing.”
Elsewhere, Toto speculated that the so-called ‘Switch 2’ will cost $400 USD (about $534 CAD), which is $100 more than what the original Switch’s price tag when it launched in March 2017. He adds that he believes Nintendo will follow several other publishers and start charging $10 more for games as well. While the company did experiment with an increased $70 USD/$90 CAD pricing for last year’s The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, all other Switch games are priced at the standard $60 USD/$80 CAD.
One of the biggest questions, however, pertains to backwards compatibility. While the next Nintendo console is rumoured to use small cartridges like the Switch, it’s currently unclear whether it will be able to play Switch games themselves.
For now, we’ll have to wait until we get an official reveal from Nintendo. Rumours suggest the ‘Switch 2’ won’t launch until the latter half of the year, while Nintendo will still release notable Switch exclusives like Mario vs. Donkey Kong (February 16th), Princess Peach Showtime! (March 22nd) and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (TBA 2024).
The company has also said it will continue to support the Switch until at least 2025.
Source: GamesIndustry.biz Via: VGC
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