Smaller, possibly more affordable Nintendo Switch arriving in September: Report

Rumours that Nintendo is secretly working on two next-generation Switch consoles have been doing the rounds for some time now. A new Nikkei report now suggests that Nintendo could release one of these consoles – the smaller, more portable and possibly also more affordable version – this fall, which is around September. The other Switch, which is said to be a more powerful take on the original, will come later, the report adds.

The Nikkei report refutes a previous The Wall Street Journal report that said Nintendo is likely to launch the two new Switch consoles at E3 2019 in June. The report further said that Nintendo may be ready to ship its upcoming Switch consoles sometime this summer. The original Switch was launched in January 2017 and shipping commenced from March the same year – Nintendo had first teased the console in October 2016. 

The low-end Switch model that Nintendo is working on will reportedly drop detachable Joy-Con controllers support – it may be some sort of 3DS successor. It will retain the Switch’s ability to be hooked up to a TV though, according to Nikkei. 

The high-end Switch model will reportedly come with “enhanced features targeted at avid video gamers.” Being a true next-generation Switch model means it will have some big shoes to fill. Hardware specifics of this model (or for that matter, even that of the lower-end model) are scarce for now. 

The original Switch comes with a 6.2-inch touch-screen display with a 1280x720 pixel resolution that’s capable of up-scaling content to Full HD in Dock mode. It is powered by an Nvidia Tegra X1 processor with 32GB of internal storage which is further expandable via a microSDXC card. The battery inside is claimed to last for over six hours depending on the game and usage conditions. The Switch further packs dual speakers, a 3.5mm audio jack and a USB Type-C port.   

The Switch has been a runaway hit for Nintendo – for some perspective, it has (already) earned the reputation of being the fastest selling gaming console in the US. And as such a successor is duly awaited.