Nintendo has cheaper, smaller Nintendo switch coming this fall

Passionate about portable games, on paper, the switch seems to be the ideal console for me. But I'm actually a bit too big to leave home, so I'm optimistic about a report from Japan Nikkei One newspaper says two new Switch consoles are on the way, including a smaller, cheaper version and a more powerful one.

Boosting the switch's capabilities is not a surprise, since the console is already two years old. Nintendo has never participated in the arms race between Sony and Microsoft for years, but that means that many titles on the A list never go on the consoles of Nintendo. It's doubtful that a more powerful switch can handle games like Red Dead Redemption 2, but Nintendo recently positioned the switch as an affordable alternative to VR play, it would be highly desirable to improve graphics capabilities. However, as Nikkei According to some reports, the chronology of the most powerful Switch has apparently been postponed. We will probably not see him this year. In March, the Wall Street Journal announced that the two new models would probably be unveiled at E3 in June, and that their release could follow in a few months. We do not know if the plan has changed and the mini version will only be available this year.

More interesting are the additional rumors relating to a smaller and cheaper Switch that removes the removable Joy-Cons. This allows Nintendo to remove the wireless hardware, as well as Joy-Cons's infrared cameras and transmitters, which allow all Labo Toy-Cons cartons to work, to lower prices. It's unclear if the smaller Switch will suffer a performance blow, but it's in Nintendo's interest to ensure that it continues to use the entire original Switch library. A smaller switch is also an opportunity for Nintendo to exchange the 6.2-inch LCD screen of the original for a smartphone-sized, mass-produced, and lower-cost display. Nikkei says that, despite its small footprint, the smaller switch will still connect to a TV and support other wireless controllers.

Hopefully the newer versions of the switch will offer definitive improvements over the original console, which is a solid console, but a first-generation product. With its portable products, Nintendo is renowned for its endless – and often questionable – iterations. The Game Boy gave birth to Game Boy Pocket, Game Boy Color, and possibly the Game Boy Advance lineup, while the Nintendo DS underwent four hardware upgrades before 3D capabilities were introduced. I still do not know why the Nintendo DSi exists, but I will be the first in the line for a switch easier to pocket.

[Nikkei]