Fans around the world are waiting for Nintendo to finally announce the Nintendo Switch 2. This is expected to happen in the current financial year - so there is still time until the end of March. The Japanese company is unlikely to be in a particular hurry anyway. Possible reasons can be found in the market.
Waiting for the Nintendo Switch 2 is a real test of patience for fans. When the Nintendo Switch came onto the market in 2017, hardly anyone would have expected that around nine years would pass before a real successor was announced. However, critics at the time also did not expect that the hybrid console would ultimately have the gigantic success that it had - and still has. There is no reason for Nintendo to rush anyway - apart from the self-imposed time frame for the announcement of the Nintendo Switch 2 by the end of the current fiscal year. Even if the reveal were to come in spring 2025 at the latest, the console would not necessarily have to be released soon.
Nintendo Switch 2: The predecessor dominates the market
At the moment, no one really believes that there will be a surprise announcement of the Nintendo Switch 2. Fans had hoped for it several times after recent rumors, but were disappointed. It is no surprise that Nintendo is taking so long with the expected reveal of the new console. The company is simply not under any pressure.
One of the main reasons for developing new gaming platforms is to create new incentives for potential buyers: on the one hand, revenue is to be generated directly through the sale of hardware, and on the other, new games for the new platforms are to be sold. However, Nintendo still dominates the market - with a console that is around eight years old. Over 140 million copies of the Nintendo Switch - which was initially known as "Project NX" before its release - have been sold. The competition cannot keep up and has been left far behind.
Despite weaker performance, Nintendo's hybrid console beats previous generations of Sony and Microsoft platforms by far. And with the upcoming Christmas season and the current hardware offers for the Nintendo Switch, the number is likely to rise again. Although sales of the Nintendo Switch also fell by around 2024 percent in the first quarter of 46 and Nintendo was only able to sell half as many consoles last year as in the year before, this does not detract from its success. Nintendo Switch has the potential to beat the Playstation 2 as the most successful console of all time. Nintendo itself stated that it estimates sales for the period between March 2024 and March 2025 at around 13,5 million hybrid consoles.
Lots of games. Good games.
The reason is primarily to be found in the games: Nintendo still has several high-caliber titles in its portfolio for the current generation of the Nintendo Switch - and the quality is still impressive, as the new Zelda adventure recently showed. No other console manufacturer releases good software for its platforms with such continuity. Ultimately, Nintendo is not only ahead in terms of numbers, but also in terms of remaining potential. There is therefore currently only limited rush to release the Nintendo Switch 2.
Nintendo will probably use the remaining time until the unveiling of the Nintendo Switch 2 and its subsequent release to expand its game portfolio. Numerous games from popular series are certain: new games for Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Animal Crossing, Fire Emblem, Metroid and, last but not least, Pokémon will be coming. Big announcements are also likely to await fans here.
And Nintendo will have learned from its mistake of hardly presenting any well-known titles at the console launch. Back then, the Nintendo Switch was accompanied by rather disappointing games at its release. Just Dance, Skylanders or 1-2 Switch were not big hits; only The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild hinted at what the Nintendo Switch seemed to be made for. This time, they will probably be much more focused on the game releases and launch more than one real "system seller" onto the market. At the moment, there is no shortage of games for the current Nintendo SwitchHere, too, the Japanese company is under no significant pressure to publish.
Another reason for the delaying tactics is the price problems on the hardware and material market. Mass production is expected to be cost-intensive, especially because Nintendo will apparently be using significantly more modern components for the Switch 2 than was the case with previous consoles. The chipset of the Nintendo Switch was anything but powerful when the console was released. This didn't hurt its success, but this time Nintendo will have to be much more careful about the cost versus performance (it is suspected that an Nvidia T239 SoC will be used) in order to be able to offer the console at a price that is in line with Nintendo's family-friendly approach. In short: the technology, with its still rather limited performance compared to other modern consoles, must not become too expensive. The company may therefore be waiting for prices to settle further.
Ultimately, expectations are so high because it has already been about six months since the announcement. It's about time, say quite a few fans who have expressed their opinions on social media. The time frame chosen by Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa ("We will make an announcement about the successor to Nintendo Switch within this fiscal year") is quite clever. If, as with its predecessor, we assume that there could be around six months between the announcement and the release, the Nintendo Switch 2 should be in stores in time for the 2025 Christmas season. That would be perfect timing for another success.
