If you haven’t yet picked up a Nintendo Switch, 2019 might be the perfect opportunity to reconsider. An insider report from the Wall Street Journal claims that two new Nintendo Switch consoles are in development and that they could be released as early as this summer.
This information should undoubtedly be taken with a huge heap of salt. A translated interview with the Nintendo President, Shuntaro Furukawa, made the rounds a few months ago; in the interview Furukawa claimed that, “we are not considering a successor, or a price cut at this time.” It is possible that the successor referred to was in fact an entirely new console whereas the Wall Street Journal report is just talking about a new version of the Switch.
With that aside, apparently the new Switch consoles will provide high end and budget alternatives to the original model. The high-end model is described as having ‘enhanced features targeted at avid video-gamers.’ The description gives the impression that Nintendo are trying to emulate Microsoft’s and Sony’s work on the Xbox One X and PS4 Pro respectively. The other model is referenced as being ‘a cheaper option for casual gamers.’ Microsoft attempted a similar strategy in the last console generation through the Xbox 360 Arcade, which launched with family friendly games and a considerably smaller storage device capacity.
The budget alternative would also provide an entry point for Nintendo fans who still make use of the 3DS portable console. As the latest entry in the Pokémon series is arriving on Switch later this year; a summer release date is not entirely unfeasible for the new consoles.
