War for the best next-generation consoles is underway with Microsoft and Sony trying to lure more and more players with their Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 but this is about to get more interesting with one more name coming into the race, Nintendo. Nintendo broke several records with the sale of its Switch handheld which was released back in 2017 and is now reportedly ready to reveal its next-generation handheld device called Switch 2.
It is hoped that Nintendo Switch 2 will be unveiled sometime in 2024 but according to some reports, it was showcased ‘secretly’ at the recently concluded Gamescom 2023. There is no information on this alleged showcase but seeing the big presence of Nintendo at the event may tell some other tale.
Nintendo Switch 2 Secretly Showcased at Gamescom 2023
It’s been over 6 years since Nintendo Switch came to the market and became immensely popular and successful. The players have been waiting for the handheld’s successor for quite some time and there have been various leaks about its hardware and price range. Now, reports state that Nintendo showcased Switch 2 at Gamescom 2023 to some press and developers behind closed doors.
As per the reports, the developer kits have been already delivered to Nintendo’s main partner, and also that the company wants to release games in the second half of 2024. If there is any weight to these reports, then players will not have to wait much longer for the official announcement.
Switch 2 is rumored to have 16 GB of RAM and in-built storage of 128 GB, priced at $399.99. The console is rumored to have an Nvidia Tegra T239 processor as well as a 1080p display, and it might also support 4k gaming at 60fps. But despite these leaks and rumors, Nintendo reported a decline in their sales in the fiscal year and it could be due to the mystery surrounding the PlayStation Portal that was finally introduced by Sony.
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Nintendo Reported Sales Decline in Switch Console
Nintendo reported a decline in sales of its flagship Switch console with a revenue of 1.6 trillion yen and 432.7 billion yen in net profit. This was a 5.5% and 9% year-on-year drop but the company managed to meet its forecasts for revenue and net profit with sales of around 17.97 million units in the fiscal year April 2022 to March this year, and sold more than 23 million units worldwide in the fiscal year ending March 2022, reporting a massive drop of 22% in sales.
The company said this drop was due to a lack of semiconductors around the end of last summer and the holiday season in the previous year also influenced this to some extent. But it is also important to acknowledge that Nintendo is competing with behemoths like Microsoft and Sony with a 6-year-old console and it is now high time that the company gives something new to its gamers.
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Source: Gizmochina and CNBC
