Nintendo plans to release its successor to the Nintendo Switch in 2024, but the next-gen system will only feature an LCD display rather than OLED as a way of reducing its costs, according to two sources with VGC. Development kits for the new console have supposedly been sent to certain studios already, and while it’s unclear what the system will be called, sources say that the device can be used in portable mode just like the Nintendo Switch. The console is also said to support physical games via a cartridge slot.
“I would generally say that looking at Nintendo’s financials, it seems clear that it’s time for a new piece of hardware in 2024,” commented Tokyo-based industry consultant Dr. Serkan Toto. “Hardware is already projected to fall 16.5% year-on-year in the current fiscal, while the minus for software is expected to hit 15.9%.
Other details, such as backwards compatibility support for Switch games (physical and digital), remains unclear. Nintendo has said it wants to convert as many of Switch’s 100m+ userbase as possible to its next system, although some third-party publishers are said to have expressed concern that legacy support for Switch games could negatively affect sales of next-gen titles.