It feels like the Nintendo Switch has been coming to the end of its lifecycle for some time now. We still don't know a great deal about the console's successor �other than it's being referred to as the Switch 2 �but speculations have the system possibly launching in April 2025.

Whenever it does arrive, it's expected to do pretty well, according to a recent analysis. As noted in a report by WCCFTech, research and advisory ?firm DFC Intelligence has projected that Nintendo's upcoming Switch 2 will be a strong contender in the next generation console market.

This document uploaded to Google Drive shows that DFC forecasts that the Swit??ch follow-up will sell around 17 million units within its fir?st year. However, this is providing Nintendo "can deliver supply." Of course, there's bound to be some stiff competition to go up against.

No prizes for guessing Nintendo's biggest rivals

The report from DFC goes on to say that Microsoft and Sony "should release new console systems by 2028," though only one of these will be "successful." Generally speaking, it appears that the Switch 2 may outshine any potential competitors, with a prediction that Nintendo will "be the console market le??ader," while both Sony and Microsoft will "struggle."

??Some other interesting things to note from t??he DFC forecast:

• The launch of "big products," such as GTA 6, will see the overall market grow (that probably won't come as much of a surprise).
• The worldwide gaming population is expected to grow to four billion by 2028 (it's currently at around 3.8 billion).
• Hardware revenue is projected to hit $120 billion by 2028, while PC and console software and services will hit around $83 billion.
• In 2025, the "Nintendo Generation," which grew up with the company's early consoles, such as the NES, will officially turn 50.

Th?e main thing to take away from this is that the Switch 2 is almost certainly going to be the one to look out for, according to the?? analysis. We know it's coming soon, but it'll be interesting to see whether the anticipation will pay off for Nintendo as we head into the next console generation.

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The Nintendo Switch 2 is expected to get some major new features when it is eventually released, and a new patented techno?logy could make the handheld compatible with smartphone devices.

As originally reported by Clawsomegamer, Nintendo has filed for a new tech patent that will allow its console to work seamlessly with mobile phones. While it's hard to estimate how exactly this technol??ogy will work, it seems like?ly that smartphone devices could well become an external tool for the Switch 2.

Nintendo Switch 2's patented technology could be a major breakthrough

It seems that Nintendo is trying to create a central gaming ecosystem for its upcoming console. While you'll? still require the handheld to play your games, thist technology would allow you to pair it with your smartphones and tablets.

The system is expected to work like PlayStation's QR code system. A QR code will be shown on your Nintendo Switch 2 sc??reen, and any device you use for a scan will connect automatically to your Nint??endo console.

Once connected, the possibilities are endless. The paired smartphone could act as a second controller. No longer will the two of you need to own a Nintendo console, and what can be ?better than having one of your customers show their cool Poke??mon and Mario titles to their friends at a birthday party?

The scope isn't limited to expanding Nintendo's ecosystem to devices outside its consoles. Having a tablet act as the second scr??een can be immensely useful, especially if you have bigger devices. That said, it isn't clear if the technology will be immediately available in the Nintendo Switch 2, but a patent is a patent.

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The Nintendo Switch is very nearly at the end of its life cycle. It's had a pretty successful run, being a vehicle for Animal Crossing: New Horizon, Tears of the Kingdom, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, and many more. Not to mention, it picked up a lot? of the slack from the lackluster Wii U. But wha?t of its follow-up?

Well, many of us have been anticipating a launch of the Switch 2 (as it's being referred to currently), with some expecting it to launch maybe at the end of this year. How???????????????????????????ever, that idea seems out of reach now.

According to a recent report from Eurogamer �which has corroborated information with the likes of GamesIndustry.biz �the Switch sequel may not see the light of day until later in calendar year 2025. De??velopers have reportedly been told to not expect it until after the end of the financial year, which would be April at the earliest.

Nintendon't do this to us...

Look, we know it's happening. That's just a given. Rumors about the Nintendo Switch 2 have been inbound for a good while now, and Nintendo itself has confirmed there's a successor on the way.

The Eurogamer article goes on to speculate that we could be looking at a Switch-esque announcement, which was revealed in October 2016, and was subsequently released i?n March the following year.

Whether this is the plan is anybody's guess at this stage. But it f??eels like we're so on the cusp of receiving official word on the elusive Nintendo Switch 2, if Nintendo's plans to announce news this fiscal year hold true. It also means that �if the rumors are true �then we can wave goodbye to any hopes of getting the new console in time for Christmas 2024.

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While Nintendo has at last confirmed it's working on a new console, with a proper reveal scheduled to take place before the end of the 2025 fiscal year (so, by March 2025), there's s??till a lot we don't officially know about the Nintendo Switch 2, such as its actual name. One thing Nintendo has shared, though, is that it's aiming to have enough stock to meet demand in order to prevent scalping.

During a recent Q&A meeting with investors, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa said the best measure for combating scalping is "to produce a sufficient number to meet customer demand" (as translated by IGN). The company is also looking into other countermeasures "that can be taken to the extent allowed by laws and regulations." Essentially, Nintendo is taking the possibility of Switch 2 resales very seriously. In fact, a Nikkei report from earlier this alleged Nintendo had internally delayed the new co??nsole's launch to early 2025 to ensure the company has enough stock at launch.

Making sure every potential customer can buy a Switch 2 seems like a pretty obvious idea, ?but it's good to know Nintendo is taking this into account. Scalping is a frustrating practice since it involves individuals hoarding a fresh, new item, and then selling them at even higher prices to desperate customers struggling to find one at retail because of the aforementioned hoarding. It's people taking advantage? of the scarcity they themselves inflicted, and we've seen it happen with the launches of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, which had already suffered from low stock since they came out during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Switch wasn't immune to?? this either, with its limited launch in 2017 resulting in many a console appearing on??line at inflated prices. Ideally, Nintendo will manage to avoid this with the Switch 2, and customers won't feel any pressure to rely on scalpers. It'd be even better with steps are taken to prevent scalpers from buying multiple consoles in the first place.

Nintendo has admittedly struggled with production of the current Switch in recent years due to a semiconductor shortage, but Furukawa has said this issue h??as now been res??olved. As such, there shouldn't be any production issues with the Switch 2: "At this time, we do not believe that the shortage of components will have a significant impact on the production of the successor model."

Hopefully, Nintendo is successful with its efforts to avoid stock shortages, especially given how much hype there is surrounding the Switch 2. People have been expecting a new Nintendo console for a while now since the Switch itself is over seven years old, which, in console terms, is ancient. Yet the Switch has kept selling well enough to keep Nintendo happy. The company even wants to push at least 13.5 million Switches b??y the end of March 2025.

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Alongside a financial report on Nintendo's 2024 fiscal year, the publisher has at long last acknowledged that it is working on a successor to the Nintendo Switch, though it's still keepi?ng details close to its chest.

I've lost track of how long rumours of a Nintendo Switch 2 have been going on for, but they have been picking up steam for the last several months. A number of?? developers have said they're working on a new Nintendo console and lately it was claimed to have magnetic Joy-Con controllers. Nintendo has regularly refused to comment on any such rumours, though now its own president has confirmed via Twitter the co??mpany does indeed have a new console in the pipeline.

That said, all Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa was willing to say was that a proper announcement for the Switch 2 (or whatever it's actually called) will take place this fiscal year. In case you didn't know, Nintendo's 2025 fiscal year runs from April 2024 to March 2025. Furukawa also confirmed a new Nintendo Direct will take place this June, which was always a safe assumption since that lines up with E3 season... well, Summer Game Fest season now. However, i??t will only focus on Switch software ??coming out in the latter half of 2024; there will be no information about the new console.

Still, we could be officially seeing the Switch 2 before the end of 2024. If not then, then early 2025. This doesn't really narrow down when the console could hit store shelves though. There were claims last year of it launching in 2024 but, more recently, sites like VGC and Eurogamer have alleged that the console's being he??ld back for 2025. If so, while it could be revealed before the end of March 2025, the Switch 2 may not actually come out until the following April or later.

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Official details on Nintendo's next console, widely dubbed the Nintendo Switch 2, remain non-existent. A new rumor, however, is claiming to have obtained information from sources at accessory manufacturing companies; specifically that the? console will have new magnetic Joy-Cons.

This is according to a report by Spanish website Vandal (via VGC), which did accurately share details on the Switch OLED before it was formally announced in 2021, such as its new dock and support stand. Vandal claims the Switch 2 (or whatever Nintendo decides to call it) will be larger than the original Switch though still smaller than something like Valve's Steam Deck. Perhaps the most interesting claim is that the console's Joy-Con controllers will connect to the Switch 2 using magnets rather than th?e rail?? system the original Switch has.

This could mean Joy-Cons for the current Switch model won't be compatible w??ith the Switch 2. After all, they're no?t magnetic, and need to be slotted and clicked into place. Vandal can't corroborate if this will indeed be the case, but it does add that the current Switch's Pro Controller will be compatible with the Switch 2.

The only other thing Vandal's report mentions is that Nintendo is holding back its next console for a 2025 launch, so it can build up a stronger catalog of games to put out alongside it. This lines up with a VGC report from February which claimed to have heard the same thing, with a separate Nikkei report allegi??ng that Nintendo's internal delay is being done to avoid potential stock shortages.

Nintendo has otherwise refused to comment on any potential new hardware, though it's believed it demoed the Switch 2 to developers behind closed doors at Gamescom 2023. A number of developers also said they were working on a Switch successor in a January survey. Assuming the Switch 2 is on track for a 2025 launch, then we should be seeing a formal reveal before the end of 2024. Then again, Nintendo is predictably unpredictable, so there's no telling when or how it'll announce its next conso?le.

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It looks like the follow-up to the Nintendo Switch is almost here. According to a new report from VGC, the successor to the Switch is likely?? to release in the second half of 2024.

In the report, several key partners to ??Nintendo have claimed to have received development kits for ?the new console. Development kits for consoles are typically sent out well before the retail release so developers learn the new hardware and ensure some titles are ready to launch on the new platform.

The sources went on to share some alleged details on the new system. Like the Nintendo Switch, the next-gen console will have portable mode. Furthermore, the console will launch with an LCD screen rather than an OLED screen to reduce costs.

Those worried about the digital revolution need not worry as, allegedly, the new console will also accept physical ga??mes via a cartridge slot.

[caption id="attachment_384302" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

No word on backward compatibility support

Unfortunately, there has been no indication if the new console will have backward compatibility support with the Nintendo Switch. With over 100 million Switch units sold, backward compatibility support is going to be a huge deal. Nintendo will look to convert as many Switch owners as it can, and backward compatibility will certainly make that easier. However, adding a chip to enable such compatibility can further increase the cost of the sys?tem, which Nintendo may be trying to avoid in order to keep the price down.

Honestly, the second half of 2024 makes sense in terms of a new Nintendo system rel??ease. Sales for the Switch have been in decline for a few years now. Usually, that's an indicator there's room in the market for a new console release. Also, if the Switch successor were to release in the second half of 2024, that puts t??he Switch life-cycle at a little over seven years. That's par for the course for Nintendo's competitors, as the PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One all had a similar life cycle.

Are you ready for a new Nintendo console?? I'm definitely not against the idea. I really do hope it's backward-compatible, though.

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