“Super” Nintendo Switch Could Arrive As Soon As September
There have been rumblings about a new version of the Nintendo Switch for years – in fact pretty much soon after the original shipped back in March of 2017. Some of those rumors became real, like the Switch Lite, and others fizzled out and became nothing more than the revised version 2 of Switch that replaced a few chips to create a longer battery life. The rumor that simply won’t die is that Nintendo is going to introduce a more powerful console capable of better graphics and performance, and now various insiders and Bloomberg have reported that it’s coming this year!
According to Bloomberg’s report, the new Switch (we’re going with the Super Nintendo Switch for this article although no name has been announced) will begin manufacturing as soon as July of this year. They speculate that this new version will be priced higher than the $299 original and may in fact be announced before E3 kicks off on June 12 to allow publishers to showcase games that will take advantage of the new technology. Interestingly enough, they go on to state that the original Switch would be phased out over time, but that the Switch Lite will of course stick around for an entry level pricing option.
Previous reports claim that the Super Nintendo Switch will include a bigger 7-inch Samsung OLED screen and a more powerful Nvidia chip that will allow for 4K graphics when hooked up to the TV. This all comes at a time when there’s still high demand for the original Switch and many retailers struggle to keep units on store shelves. The combination of the pandemic, stimulus checks, and a worldwide microchip shortage have created bottlenecks that have yet to be solved. That’s why introducing a new, more powerful version of the Switch seems like a long shot, but there are more sources than ever claiming that to be the case.
Emily Rogers, a long time Nintendo insider, claims that we’re going to see a Metroid game this year and that the announcement of new Switch hardware seems imminent, with a September – October release expected. “We might be getting news sooner than we thought,” she goes on to state.
I'm confident we're getting a Metroid game this year. Announcement of new Switch hardware seems imminent as well.
— Emily Rogers (@ArcadeGirl64) May 26, 2021
Yes, Bloomberg's report was accurate.
New screen, upgraded chips.
Aiming for Sept – Oct release.
An announcement is imminent. We might be getting news sooner than we thought.— Emily Rogers (@ArcadeGirl64) May 27, 2021
No matter the case, hopefully we won’t have to wait much longer to hear official confirmation. I’m excited just thinking of all the possibilities!
[Source: Bloomberg]
Craig has been covering the video game industry since 1995. His work has been published across a wide spectrum of media sites. He’s currently the Editor-In-Chief of Nintendo Times and contributes to Gaming Age.
