Rumour: New Nintendo Switch SKU Planned For Late 2019

If this is going to be a minor revision with no significant upgrade, then it will be fine. Something like a Switch mini or XL version.

If they are going for a Switch Pro to get more third party support and make exclusive software titles for them, similar to the New 3DS, they will be shooting themselves in the foot again. Seperating the user base is never a good idea.

If more details regarding this upgrade start to leak before the holidays end, it will also have a big impact on their sales.

I wouldn't be surprised.

But honestly anyone could have guessed this might happen

I've been saying...Nintendo would never pass on the Pokemon Gen8 opportunity to launch a revision.

Good luck convincing people to buy 20m Switches until March now that this is out though.

Nice!

Nice! Can't wait for the improvements. But for the love of god, don't give it exclusive Switch titles.

Implying struggling sales had nothing to do with Nintendo's lackluster first-party support this year.

I'll welcome a Switch Pro. Anything to get more games on the platform.

Nice! I hope it comes with exclusives and a better dock station.

"According to sources which have spoken to the outlet, the Switch is struggling to maintain its amazing sales momentum so Nintendo is looking at ways to give it a boost - and refreshed hardware seems to be the favoured option"

Or making great new games? Naahh, that would be silly!

This should not be a surprise as Nintendo always update their handheld hardware...
Regardless what they do, one thing is certain, the new device MUST be more powerful to keep up with the new PS5 and Xbox.

Better screen
Slightly more robust shell
Much bigger internal storage
Better battery life
Sorted

better battery! better battery! better battery! better battery! better battery! better battery! better battery! better battery! better battery! better battery! better battery! better battery! better battery! better battery! better battery! better battery! better battery! better battery! better battery! better battery! better battery! better battery! better battery! better battery! better battery! better battery! better battery! better battery! better battery! better battery! better battery! better battery! better battery! better battery! better battery! better battery! better battery! better battery! better battery! better battery! better battery! better battery! better battery! better battery! better battery! better battery! better battery! better battery! better battery! better battery!

Things that will make me get a new model:

1 Improved battery
2 Improved dock
3 Louder speakers
4 D-pad
5 No controller sync issues
6 Move stand to the middle

Things that won't make me get a new model
1 Brighter screen

According, apparently, reportedly 👍🏻

Great stuff

Nice. A new upgraded console rumoured just 19 months after release of the original. As much as I would love an upgrade I think for this news to come out right before the Holiday season is a mistake. I just hope it's not a repeat of the New Nintendo 3DS models...

@Archius9 I’ve never once had an issue with the battery

A mic would be good for voice chat without a phone...

Assuming it’s true, Nintendo probably aren’t happy that this leaked. In the run up to Christmas you don’t want people hesitating about buying a switch in case the new version is much better.

Personally I would love a switch mini that’s more portable. I’d buy it in a heartbeat.
Oh and Bluetooth headphones compatibility.

I'll be treating this below blogger-level since it is WSJ. They have zero credibility anymore.

@sandman89 I’ve not had an issue really. But I play handheld 99.9% of the time and I would just love to be able to do that a bit longer without charging it

Nintendo should revise their online strategy if they want to pick up more sales.

Lack of games this year isn't the big kicker, that mostly effects people who bought the Switch last year, not new adopters. As long as the touted 1st party games from next year do come then it'll be fine.

Their big issue right now is their online infrastructure... Not just their poor paid for service but lack of media apps is a huge issue.

Many of my casual gamer friends in the office actually laugh at the Switch for not having this stuff and none of them own a Switch so they dont know how good it can be. But trying to convince them isn't my job, im not Nintendo's salesmen.

I'm expecting very minor updates: better battery, slightly larger screen, fixes hardware exploits...

I don't think this will be a "New Super Nintendo SwitchBoy Advance XL Pro"

If it isn't a vast improvement, I don't think I will pick one up. I already love the graphics of the games we currently get. I personally don't need all games to be on Xbox One's or PlayStation 4's level, even if their next iteration is around the corner.

A beefier console with a full HD screen would be very welcome as long as it will be possible to buy the console on its own without the need for new Joy-con and dock. A boosted dock that allows for better graphics on TV would also be welcome, provided it can be bought seperately and can be used with the original console. A new beefier console that cannot be bought without buying new Joy-con and dock would not be welcome even though I'll probably still end up buying it

Pleased to hear this. Rechargeable batteries don't last forever so if I'm going to need a new one at some point it'll be nice to get some better hardware into the bargain.

Switch XL - Bigger storage, 128 gigs or larger. Bigger antiglare display that is usable outdoors. Bigger and more comfortable joy-cons.

As a 4K TV owner I'd like a Switch Pro. As long as the first-party and indie software is compatible with the original, I would love a 1080p screen on the unit and a dock that allows for 900p/1080p minimum or higher resolutions. First world problems but 720p or lower does look a bit soft or a bit jaggy on a 55 inch 4K TV. This would hopefully mean that AAA 3rd party support would be improved, with the kind of games we see on PS4 and Xbox One. Maybe i'm dreaming haha.

Something I read a while ago was a comment from someone at Nintendo (I forget who it was). Nintendo wanted to make games that worked on both consoles. This would increase sales of each game and give gamers a bigger choice of games.

So the next step forward is a smaller switch, slightly more portable that does not connect to the dock but takes the same game card. And an upgrade to the existing Switch.

It’ll have a larger screen that gets rid of much of the black bezel, better battery, thinner, lighter, better kick-stand, more on board memory.

All nice refinements but nothing that changes the games themselves performance wise and splits the player base. DS to DSlite.

I’m sure the ‘Pro’ (or ‘New’ knowing Nintendo) version will come later but I expect that’ll be a few years further down the line to give it a boost around year five.

Look at the Switch: There is a big bezel around the screen. Nintendo could include a larger screen within the same sized unit.
Then make the screen brighter and the system more power-efficient to compensate.

They could make the screen 1080p, but I would be concerned how much this affects battery life, heat, etc. There would have to be decent improvements to power efficiency to do that.

@Yasume The new 3DS was a flop! I mean how many exclusive titles has the 3DS gotten so far, next to the Xenoblades Cronicles?

I could care less about the Virtual Console exclusive stuff.

Since it's too soon for a CPU upgrade, since the Tegra X2 is too expensive still and focused on automotive, the revision will be mostly cosmetic and like has been said, better more efficient screen to improve battery life. Since poor battery life has been the achiles heel of the Switch so far.

I think its quite too soon. Also leaking this news before holiday might actually hurt the sales since people who thought about getting a switch will now just wait for the updated one.

In terms of hardware improvements, Nintendo need:
Better battery life,
Better kick stand,
D Pad,
No sync issues,
More internal storage (128 gb at least),
Better dock,
Louder speakers....

Now this last improvement could really make the Switch the must own portable... Backward compatibility with 3DS games.

Good. That's perfect timing; I'll be ready for an upgrade by the end of next year. Hope it gets a performance boost and dpad.

Another reason for them to push a new revision model is piracy. Current Switch has that Nvidia Bootrom exploit that Nintendo can't patched out.

@jtmnm If it's a switch pro....then you are not getting more games on the platform. You are just getting more games on a new platform.

@zool
Pretty much, the switch is essentially just a tablet pc using a simple SoC. Games can scale on each new and old unit if programmed to do so. That makes sense if you paid attention to the time frame Nintendo wants to keep the Switch relevant as well as their 10(20 was it?)+ year contract with Nvidia.

I'll gladly take an improved Switch for improved portable mode performance alone.

@F1R3F1Y

Nah, it'll be like any PC, PS4, or Xbox 1X game. Same game scaleable on multiple hardware setups.

I don't think they'll make any changes to the size and shape- they wouldn't want to have two confusing ranges of joycons and docks that are only compatible with one type of Switch. I think they could easily do a new iteration with better screen, better battery and more storage. (Better screen might actually mean the same battery lasts longer). That would be an improvement but still fully compatible.

Nice, just what I was waiting for hopefully it's an upgrade that fixes a lot of issues with the Beta Switch and not a downgrade that's just cheaper option but I wouldn't complain on that option either depending on price and other stuff

New Rumour: Maybe coming to Nintendo Switch PRO or Nintendo Switch XL or Nintendo Switch 2 or Nintendo Switch VR Headset. I can't wait to see reaction next year. Prepare to be hype!!!.

I'll never get why people are using the Sony naming for upgraded hardware. It should be referred to as New Switch, not Switch Pro or Switch X

Hopefully just a revision with some hardware tweaks. Better screen, battery life, etc. I dont want to spend over 300 euros for a midgeneration again. I hated the Pro and X.

It will be what, two years and a half into Switch's lifetime? Yeah, not a bad point to upgrade.

Upgrade the damn Graphic Chip :/

Good to know, planned to buy a 2nd Switch, not gonna wait 1 year

Nintendo Switch Lite.

"Nintendo's other current portable, the 3DS, has seen no less than five different hardware iterations since launch."

Isn't there 6 3ds versions ?

The og, the XL
The new, the New XL
The 2ds and the 2ds XL

@Yasume they’re never gonna disregard the almost 20 million Switch users with exclusives on a new upgraded console.

@chardir exactly what I thought about the size and shape - accessories would become a complete mess with like Joycon XL’s knocking about.

The dock needs a revision it’s a bad design same for the kick stand. And give me a proper d pad. I don’t pass the joy around.

I may as well but this new version then, still only one game I want a Switch for, Mario Odyssey. Got Zelda, MK and Smash on my Wii U.

@Rhaoulos Nintendo Switch U

@Fandabidozi I wouldn't say that no one bought the new 3DS. I did, but that was just because I wanted an XL version and the New 3DS XL was only one available.

The newer 2DS consoles seem to be doing much better, as again.... 3D enabled games have been far and few between. So if the 2DS XL was available when I bought the New 3DS XL, I would have bought the 2DS XL in a heartbeat. Much cheaper.

All I want is the graphics capabilities to make sure the multi-format games release on Switch.

Will wait and see. Not that worried about the cost of upgrading since the game store I buy my games usually do a 50% or more of the price if you turn in the old version

Switch Pro?, Switch Mini?, Switch XL?

I wouldn't be surprised if we get a cheaper, smaller Switch that's more durable and more suited to younger children.

I also wouldn't be surprised if we got a new one with a redesigned dock, or a more internal storage, or a second micro SD card slot.

A revised Switch with the newer version of the Terga chip is another possibility.

Switch Ultimate?

@Razer Completely agree with you. Amazing that Nintendo has once again got the wrong end of the stick. The current hardware is fine and honestly I think a new Switch in 2019 is too early for a hardware revision.

Perhaps if Nintendo actually started giving us what we want such as a Virtual Console and a decent online service and a better and more frequent release schedule of games, then the unit sales would increase as fast as they are hoping.

Well done Nintendo... excellent way to irritate early adopters like myself and as @bratzdoll says this won't help them ship more units of the current model this fall if people believe a newer unit release is just around the corner.

Switch VR?

@andyg1412 Never ever.

Switch XL DS BOY LITE ADVANCE ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM 64?

I think is too early in the game for a major hardware revision. That should come after PS5 and new Xbox. I will wait and see for this as I am happy with what I have at the moment

Nobody should be surprised by this. At this point in the respecitve lifecycles of other Nintendo portables, the DS Lite and 3DS XL had already been released, and the 2DS and GBA SP were on their way.

The only question is whether the revision will have upgraded specs (i.e. DSi, New 3DS, PS4 Pro, XB1X) or if it will be a form-factor redesign with minimal internal changes (DS Lite, 3DS XL, PS4 Slim, XB1S).

To be honest most people outside of the core fanbase (that read websites like NL) are not going to have any visibility of this update until much closer to the time - so I can't see it affecting sales in the short term. I would argue that the underwhelming release schedule for the first part of 2018 is behind the slow down in hardware sales, rather than any apathy towards the hardware itself.

@CaptChaos They did the same with the 3DS and that system had a much higher install base at that point.

@hakjie11 I love it, but that would imply a different generation on console. It could be Switch Color since it's a half gen.

@andyg1412 "New Super Virtual 23DSWiitch CubeBoy Advance SP Micro XL Pocket Color Lite Entertainment System 64DD U Classic Mini Famicom LL Edition" to be specific.

It's a tricky time for Nintendo after a great first year momentum has been lost in a sea of disappointing releases which are largely just Wii U ports, nothing wrong with ports as long they they supplement other releases and don't become the line up. Unfortunately for Nintendo they don't have 3rd party support pick up the slack of any downtime unlike Sony, for me personally I haven't even touched my Switch for 6 months as I have nothing to play and plenty elsewhere and this looks to be the case until next year.

I still believe in the system and will no doubt play it to death again at some point. That said this is a tricky situation for Nintendo, do they go for minor screen improvements and battery life which isn't going to get anyone excited? How about a smaller portable only version for the kids like the 2ds? Or finally a more powerful Switch which could get others to jump on board but potentially splits the user base and creates headaches for developers who could have up to 4 versions of a game to make. It'll be interesting to find out which way they go

Get rid of the bezels please. I will buy it anyway as I always do.

DS Lite was 2 years after DS. 3DS XL was 2 years after 3DS.

New Switch 2 years after Switch follows the pattern. This makes sense. I wonder what it’ll change.

I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a smaller cheaper model. It wouldn’t replace the current one, but it would be a nice alternative for the people who say Switch is too big to use as a portable.

Bet they’re waiting for the new Switch to release before announcing Pikmin 4...

The actual Switch is still really good for me and I don't see how they can improve like they did for the old 3DS. Well they still can make a smaller or a bigger one but eh
We just need a BETTER dock. The one we already have is not good (to stay polite)

As long as it doesn't have separate games, I'm not fussed. Splitting the instal base this early would be stupid!!

@Yasume I read in another rumour (huge pinch of salt etc) that a Switch Pro would be more for 3rd party games and that all 1st parties would still run on both Switches. If this brings Monster Hunter World and other big AAA games to the Switch, I don't see this as a bad thing. If the switch wants to truly be seen as a hybrid then it has to get on better with big 3rd party AAA games otherwise it's more a 1st party, ports and Indie machine (which I personally am fine with!), or to put it another way, a really good portable with some standard console functionality on the side.

Plot twist: 2 SKUs
1) Pro Dock for 4K at home
2) Pro Switch for 1080p 60 fps on the move

I think a Pro version is imminent but they will push it for later once the PS5 and Xbox TWO are getting closer. For next year a portable-only Switch Mini would make more sense.

Maybe a 4G model with a dataplan.
Play anywhere on the go, with Switch Online for 2 years included.

No...

“struggling to maintain its amazing sales momentum”

Because everybody on the planet has bought one! *probably lol

I reckon it’ll be revisions to improve energy efficiency and battery life, possibly storage. Sorry graphics fiends.

Ok, anyone who thinks a 1080p screen is feasible needs to do some logical analysis.

1080p is 4x the resolition of 720p. We barely get 3 hours handheld at 720p. Do you realize how pathetic it would be powering 4x the res? And for what gain? 720p looks so excellent on a handheld, it's simply not worth the tradeoff. Devastating effect on power usage and battery, negligible increase in perceived crispness.

No, that's a horrible idea. Sorry guys. 720p is where it's at for portables. And that's perfectly fine. 720p has an incredibly high pixel density on a 6 in screen.

The Switch will be 2 1/2 years old by then and that's an age in terms of this type of tech, so a revision is more likely than not. Plus, Nintendo definitely have a precedent of upgrading/diversifying hardware.

I still think E3 this year went a long way to slowing momentum. Not showing much of what is coming doesn't make sense when the world's eyes are on you. Online needs improvement too, going by the backlash.

I know what I’m getting for Christmas next year

@jtmnm You're missing the forest for the trees here. Doing that would basically mean burning early adopters, and meaning they'll have to shell out another 300+, possibly 400+ depending on what they do to change the chipset and motherboard, just to get what will basically be a brand, shiny new unit, new hardware be ****ed.

We should not be getting a new iteration of the Switch this early, no matter how much of a firestorm of a time it's had in the market the past year and a half of it's life in the market.

@Nukuleardawg there are 6 versions, the original and 5 iterations. The original cannot count as an iteration.

Just a midgen refresh, nothing more. Can’t afford to split the user base so early in its life. We’ll get the more powerful iteration in 4/5 years. Let’s not blow this unfounded, easy to guess, rumour out of proportion.

Cheaper version of the current Switch is what's required.

cheaper screen no game card slot and a price hike. but will have 3 nes titles built in

I think Nintendo will upgrade the processor in the Switch to allow for better resolution and frame rate in games. They will probably allow developers to update their current games to look and play better than their current iterations. Microsoft has taken this approach with upgrades to current Xbox One games to allow for 4k graphics and better performance in the Xbox One X versions of those games. There's no need to split the user base anymore. You would be able to play the same games, but if you upgrade to a more powerful system, the same games will have better resolution, etc.

If you all think this will be an upgraded version you're crazy. It's probably a portable only SKU, it's launching alongside Pokemon after all.

@tomwinsagain A 1080p screen on an undocked Switch would look no different to the naked eye than the existing 720p screen. It’s simply too small to notice a higher resolution and would therefore be a waste of resources to include.

Better battery and a dock with more features (like ssd or external hdd support) would be nice. Not that i would buy right away (got my Switch less than a month ago) but i could potentially upgrade in the future.

@Yasume yea I’d like to see a more powerful switch at some point. I’m not worried about 4K but one that can easily and consistantly run 1080p 60 without turning off everything would be really nice. That being said, it’s too early in the console’s lifespan for that.

This sounds like FAKE NEWS

I'd say early 2020 rather than late 2019. Late 2019 would probably see an uptick in awareness of it. As far as how I feel about it-- I'd consider upgrading if the iteration is significant (e.g. stronger CPU, Bluetooth headphone compatibility, wireless charging, 4K docked/1080p portable, etc), but not "simple" aesthetics, such as only being thinner. And as far as I'm concerned, and I know I'm in the minority, I'd be perfectly fine with leaving switch as is to the end of its life and just wait for the actual next console.

I would be extremely turned off by Nintendo if a Nintendo Switch "Pro" is released with exclusive games. My loyalty to the brand would be crushed. My family has already spent over a thousand dollars on the system alone. We will not spend another thousand this generation; especially since two of our three systems have had issues with the joy cons!!!! They can't even take care of the current problems. Like others said, release some system selling games and you don't need an upgraded system that's going to split the user base. Just my opinion!

I'd be more than happy with a Switch Pro type situation, although I feel it's a bit soon. I'd buy it even if it just meant we got ports of higher profile/spec games. I think I'm one of the few people who love the Switch being a port machine with added Nintendo originals.

Relax, it may end up like 3DS iterations: Minor design changes with almost no difference in experience.

This is still a rumor, isn't it? The internet seems to be reacting to this like it's a fact. I've already seen a few people on various sites say they're going to wait till next year to buy the revision.

@Medic_alert seeing what is and has been happening on phones I think they could do it. I’m one of those people that would be perfectly fine if the switch were a little thicker to support a larger capacity battery. Either way though I still think releasing a more powerful unit this early would really be harmful to the momentum. Really a Switch 2.0 a few years down the line with said features would be fine with me.

@JaxonH dude people shout for more power, higher screen resolutions without ever even thinking about battery life. No matter how many times you mention that battery would be dead after 2 hours max people still don't listen.

Sales are slowing as I predicted because youre not giving people a reason to buy them.

A new hardware set will not do this. Some people will buy a second, but eh.

Suddenly it appears the Switch is in trouble.

Oh man I’d be way down for a revision... more like a DS to DS Lite scenario.

Improvements to the Dock...
1. Charging light
2. Some velvet to ease scratching
3. A redesign so you can dock horizontally, I’d like to put my dock next to my DVD player in the cubby under my tv.

Improvements to the Switch itself..
1. Bluetooth capability, wireless headsets!
2. Front facing speakers
3. Remove the headphone jack from the system and put it in one of the joycons.
4. Better location of the joy on ejection button ( I always press other buttons when trying to remove them)
5. Replaceable battery. We d love to be able to switch out a dead battery with a fresh one while on trips.
6. Cameras. Front and back facing. I loved the 3ds used theirs
7. Microphone built in for FaceTime calls

I wonder how the lack of cloud saves for games like Splatoon 2 and Pokémon Go are going to affect Nintendo’s sales. If I were to upgrade my system, I’d have to sell my current Switch to help offset the cost. Why would I want to do that if I’m not able to transfer the progress of every game I currently own?

@thesilverbrick I see your point, and I do think the current screen is great already. I forgot to add that I would like a resolution increase and a size increase on the screen! If it had a more modern display that is thinner, they could also hopefully eat into that rather large bezel around the current Switch screen. This way, they could keep the Switch size the same, but have a bigger and higher resolution screen. Also I would love a modern OLED display on there, would happily pay extra if they had that as an "elite" option or whatever.

sigh Well as long as the update is about the same as those we saw for the DS/3DS, I can just ignore it. No revision of either system even remotely enticed me to get it.

@S4ndm4n I don't think they would care. They know people will compulsory buy one to play Smash.

@JamesR: That's what I think. Slight upgrade, primarily fixing the hardware exploits.

@Medic_alert with all due respect, 1080p isn’t even close to cutting edge. The current hardware is nearly there and can do 1080p on the tv. A small spec bump and more battery and we are there.

Area I could see them improving: Improve the antenna strength for the joycons and pro controller. ...I have to play Hollow Knight in portable mode because there’s a noticeable lag in responsiveness when playing from across a room.

Give me a PRO with updated everything; VR would be amazing even if it's "Nintendo" VR. And a cheaper mini for all my nephews and nieces. They seem to mostly play on handheld mode anyway, and I can't justify spending thousands when they're just going to break them. But whatever they do, I'll end up buying at least one for me anyway.

I could see a £150 Switch Mini coming into replace the 3DS.

About the same dimensions as the Vita, integrated controllers, fully compatible with all existing accessories (including the dock) and the exact same innards.

Plenty of existing families would happily buy an extra Mini Switch console for younger members of the family, particularly if Nintendo let 2x consoles registered to the same user play the exact same games at the same time.

They need a cheaper model to drive more adoption, not a bells and whistles expensive one.

@Medic_alert we can agree to disagree, have a good day

A minor revision is completely pointless IMO, if they want a proper mid gen upgrade they need to make it more powerful to notice the difference.

And if Nintendo has any sense then the next system will be fully backward compatible to run games at higher res etc, but then even the mid gen "upgrade" should do that, but if it's a minor upgrade and not like PS4 Pro or the One X style upgrade, then it's not worth talking about.

As expected. But anyway, I'll be waiting for it and willing to buy it at launch. Still keeping the one I own already. Would be cool if the Tegra X2 used to be a stronger upgrade on top of a better screen. We'll see what happens, hopefully...

@RazumikhinPG Out of curiosity, do you still have the controller sync issues? I haven’t had them for at least a year?

@Yasume
Yeah I agree. However, I wouldn't be surprised if Nintendo goes that route with a "Switch Pro" per say. Nintendo is getting better at catering to 3rd party requests. And some devs are willing to make or port games on a stronger Switch model. Nintendo will make the appeal likeable more than a bad taste somehow, if this turns out to be what is expected.

I'll probably get it if it supports 4K res. Otherwise i'm fine with it as is.

Odd how they say its struggling even though Switch has still been doing relatively well these past few months

I'm not sure why the article and commenters keep presuming this must be a more powerful "upgrade." It's a rumor for a new SKU for 2019. The year the new Pokemon comes out. Many of us have been saying since before Switch even launched there will be a new SKU for a smaller, cheaper, more rugged Switch in the vein of 2DS landing whenever Pokemon lands. In all likelihood this is "Switch Mini", and is fully predictable. It seems way too early for an upgrade SKU, and TPC needs a cheaper unit to get more Pokemon in more little hands.

A hardware upgrade itself I'm sure is in the works, but not yet. And it can't be that significant, more like a PS4 Pro to PS4 than anything else is all one can expect from that upgrade. You can't break the ecosystem. And you can't change the form factor as Joycons aren't going to have a totally redesigned form factor when they're an iconic component of the Switch, so any new model either has to have integrated non-Joycon controls, or needs to have a hardpoint for the current iconic joycon (which can't really get smaller without making them unusable.)

@JaxonH sorry but 1080p isn't 4x 720p, that would be 1440p. 1080p is 2.25x 720p.

The rest of your point stands though, at that size it would make little difference to the visual qualities of the games anyway

Also need Pro Controller Pro with proper d-pad and 3.5mm jack for voice chat

@sandman89 Yeah man, I just bought one of the Hori L-controllers with the proper D-Pads. Suddenly every fighting game became incredibly more fun in handheld mode. A straight up official Nintendo D-Pad would be ideal for me.

As long as it doesn't make me feel as though my system is obsolete because certain Games will be released only on the new system im ok with it. The second I start hearing 'releasing only for the new Nintendo switch ' I'm going to be pretty salty.

@Wolfgabe
I also found that quote to be unbelievable to. But they would more than I of course.

I’d say upgrade the tegra to the next chip, think it’s 2 or x2. Keep the screen resolutions/size the same. Target all software to run on the current switch hardware however when running on the new switch, you’ll see less reduction in resolution when dynamic resolutions are used. That could also benefit current games like Doom and Wolfenstein with less reduction in resolution and possibly even hit native resolution targets more often.

A good game that could benefit would be Xenoblade 2, I found the resolution pretty low in that especially in handheld mode

@N-Gage
Yeah Nintendo fell way off with that Pro dpad. The Wii U Pro controller was much better, near perfect imo.

"the Switch is struggling to maintain its amazing sales momentum so Nintendo is looking at ways to give it a boost"

How about, you know, not having such a paltry release schedule for games?

I would pay $1000 for a new Switch that could play Zelda in 1080 at 60 fps.

I also don't see where people are getting this idea that Switch's release schedule has been sparse. Lately its been a pretty good roll.

At this point I would rather just buy a Surface Go & enjoy all the retro games that Nintendo doesn't want me to enjoy.

I also had thoughts that Nintendo could have packed away higher texture qualities into the game cards, reason being: once a successor or upgrade comes along with more power, the game could run those higher res textures too.

Shame they can't do that for many games because of card size/cost limitations, it would also be ideal if DLC itself could auto copy to the physical game card as well.

@beazlen1 Hmmm good point. Fair enough I stand corrected ( Or sit corrected at least )

@Dromosus @dkxcalibur Thing is, this will come out when PS5 and the next Xbox come out. Third parties will develop for that. So it will literally be the same issue.

So Switch OG: Wii U ports and a few exclusives, Switch Pro: new ganes? Eh...

If that happens I'm done with Nintendo aside from Xenoblade games.

@FTL There was a recent joy-con firmware update which may have helped things, but I only did it like 2 days ago, so am not sure. But yeah I always had issues with the left joy-con.

The Switch was a very expensive handheld and I am not interested in buying multiple models of it like I did the DS and the 3DS.

Probably a better screen an maybe blue tooth. I don't see how they could change the size as all existing Joy cons would be incompatible.

I have been saying this for some time now and people told me that that could not be possible because it would annoy Switch users. I reminded them of 3DS, 3DSXL, 2DS, New 3DS, New 3DS XL, New 2DS XL...

Even if people don't want to see it, there are a lot of design flaws in the Switch, more than in the original 3DS, many of them have been reported many times, but if you were nitpicking you could find many more regarding comfort, autonomy, durability, lack of microphone, low-quality speakers, etc.

It's sad and certainly disappointing but Switch needed a revision since day one.

@Yorumi Totally agree with you. I think this is what we are all thinking!

@Yoshi87 to be honest i don't actually think new hardware would be such a bad thing, as long as the improvements are aesthetic like i mentioned and not internal like an updated GPU/CPU...

Aesthetic upgrades are good because its purely optional and fixes those naggy issues the Switch has, like Kick stand, de-syncing ect...

Also by end of 2019 thats 2.5 years into the Switch's life, which is exactly the right time for an upgrade... In fact any later than second half of 2019 is too late.

But this really is secondary to the huge glaring issue that is Nintendo's online infrastructure.

The Switch will never pass 37m sales with the current online infrastructure.

I would be willing to literally bet money on that with anyone...

The Switch with it's current online infrastructure can be on sale for another 5 years but it won't double its sales from now if nothing changes

Nintendo's biggest mistake since the Wii U has been their online infrastructure.

Ugh. I’m going to be upset if I got screwed again by being any early adopter of the hardware. This happens within every handheld and I feel screwed every time. I’ll likely hold out like I did with the GBA SP, DSi, and New 3DS.

I'd love a version which is designed for connecting to the TV only by removing the battery and screen and bundling with a pro controller. this would be the perfect machine for me as I never really play my switch in handheld mode.

If they used Tegra X2 which is much more efficient, battery life would be much better. If they used an OLED screen, image quality and battery life would be much better. If I know Nintendo they won't use a better quality screen though.

...Maybe I should wait a bit longer than I originally intended before grabbing a Switch, at least until we learn what the new SKU is. I had a feeling that a revision would probably show up in 2019. As this is still rumor territory, we don't know what that revision will be just yet. A Switch Pro would be awesome and would be my upgrade of choice. I would also welcome a Switch Mini for more accessibility to the masses, though I wouldn't grab one.

At least I don't feel as pressured to round off my Wii U backlog now. There are still a few months worth of games for me to play through....

Never buy a console day one or in it's first year! They'll always be replaced with a new model eventually.

Unless there's a significant hardware revision here, I'll be skipping this. I feel like I JUST bought my Switch (even though it has been over a year).

Why would be a Switch X/Pro a bad idea? Imagine if it was compatible with Switch games but could run at higher resolution and better frame rate. Some Switch games have terrible resolution like The Wolfenstein 2 and Xenoblade Chronicles 2, occasionally dropping to 360p as proved by Digital Foundry. That looks awful on the Switch screen, not to mention on the 1080p or 4K TV that most people have.

@Razer I'm mainly with you on that. If Nintendo issues a new Switch with a limited hardware update, then I'd be OK with that - but if it is a major update it would be very annoying to me as an early adopter of the system. A new system in 2020 would be fine, but 2019 to me is way too early.

Also, I think this is typical Nintendo Japan - they have drawn the wrong conclusions from the wrong argument. The sales of Switch would have been better with a more staggered release schedule and, as you rightly point out, the Online Service needs to be majorly improved.

I wrongly assumed the year long delay was because Nintendo was going to hit the ground running with NES, SNES, N64, Gameboy, Gameboy Advance and Gamecube games - not neccessarily a wide selection, but enough to take a year to put together. Instead, I honestly don't know why they spend a year putting together the same package they had previously planned to launch, especially given the awful marketing - such as not telling people that Nintendo would retain our Cloud saves for six months, just basic marketing errors like that.

As I mentioned, in terms of the release schedule we've ended up with some strange decisions such as Pokemon Let's Go being so close to Smash Brothers, which also makes absolutely no sense.

I love Nintendo so much, that it just annoys me when the company executives in Japan make such bad decisions - so many open goals they seem determined to avoid just for the sake of doing their own thing.

I'm in! I bloody love my switch and would upgrade in a heartbeat.

No one should be surprised. They've been upgrading portable consoles since the Game Boy.

I want a clamshell design just for screen protection.

@gspro15198 They could call it the NoSwitch.

If this is a situation of like the GBA to the SP or SP to Brighter that's fine in respect to like the screen and a beefier battery.

If this is them jumping on the Tegra X2 setup for more life, power, battery sipping compared to what is there now there will be a LOT of pissed off owners as it's too soon. Optionally if they did this and allowed people to mail their existing systems in for upgrades, that would be awesome as a choice. We know from teardowns everything is pop out swappable, CPU/GPU(Tegra), memory, screen, etc. I'm not sure they'd be cool enough to do that though.

@Yoshi87 A new system in 2020 would be fine, but 2019 to me is way too early. I have a solution for you, you can wait until 2020 to buy it even if it comes out in 2019.

I just don't understand, if you are ok with it in 2020 then you should be ok with it in 2019. As for me, this kid of thing is just training me (and others I imagine) not to buy anything until atleast the first revision.

A revised model coming out a year from now is unlikely to be a reaction to whether current sales are very high and/or remain that way.

It serves a multitude of other purposes aside from boosting sales.

Guaranteeing hardware longevity, reducing production price through simplifcation of assembly, increasing quality through securing good deals with new manufaturers, trojan-horsing experimental hardware and software, improving on areas of common complaint among users/developers/technicians, reducing box size/weight for cheaper shipping, so on.

Of course, in the end, the result is more money, but not only from more sales, also from sustained sales or slightly lower sales even.

@VmprHntrD
I fully expect this to be a type of revision in line with GBA SP, DS lite, or perhaps a little more elaborate, like DSi or new3DS. Absolutely won't be something that attempts being a system of its own.

@Rhaoulos "New Nintendo 3DS" was the worst name ever (for the best handheld ever), I hope that they don't call it "New Nintendo Switch". It created a lot of confusion even for gamers. I remember those "New Nintendo 3DS game" tags. Is that a new game for Nintendo 3DS or a New Nintendo 3DS game? Impossible to tell. "New Nintendo Switch" sounds like "New WC product", too. But it can't be Switch X or Switch Pro, those are just popular terms.

@Rhaoulos because 'New Nintendo Switch' sounds just as dumb as it did when it was 'New Nintendo 3DS XL'

Surely Nintendo can't seriously be thinking the hardware is the cause of reduced momentum?

2017 proved that a very strong game lineup sells a console and I imagine most have been disappointed by the 2018 lineup.

@BlueOcean It depends what kind of upgrades you're talking about that might annoy current Switch owners. You can list all those different types of 3DS's, but performance-wise, there are only two. Standard vs New. And considering virtually nothing was developed to make use of the higher performance of the "New" model, it's not like the owners of the standard models have anything to be mad about.

@Yoshi87 i need to keep this short as im at work and im very busy.

The simple reason for the delay was sales.

Do you honestly believe the Switch would be sitting on 20m sales had the paid online been released with the console?

Even Nintendo are not that stupid and they released the damn service. They knew 100% that their online infrastructure was going to kick up a fuss...

But its very clever what they did here... Because now by releasing a bad service and slowly improving it will gradually get them more sales of both the console and the NSO than had they released a good service from the start...

Because believe it or not some people would have kicked up a fuss regardless of what Nintendo had done in that space.

These same people are more likely to sign up to something that was once bad and is now good... As its in their nature to always resist change regardless of how good that change could have been. So a good service from the start wouldn't of gotten them interested anyway.

They will not do a SoC upgrade. So no worries. The X2 is way more expensive than the X1. There is a reason why Nintendo went with the X1. Keep the Switch price low and accessible.
Going for the X2 would have made the Switch at least 100 bucks more expensive. If not more. Like I said earlier, the X2 is also primarily targeted at the Automotive industry. Hence why you don't see a new Shield system with the X2 either.

What I would like to see in a Switch revision and which is most likely to happen: More efficient screen (perhaps), bigger battery, more internal memory option (much requested) and hopefully a better redesigned Dock.

People really need to stop being salty about upgrades. Get used to it, seriously. We already got it with the other consoles and it's a good option for people who have the money. It doesn't even affect you.

Man, this is like people who say PC gaming is bad because new graphics cards always release. You can literally just not buy it and move on.

@Crono1973 I think my view would be that, in technology terms, a year is a very long time. I also think that it just wouldn't make much sense for Nintendo to launch a new system in mid or late 2019 because of the combination of annoying early adopters and late adopters, particularly who might buy a Switch in anticipation of the 2019 Pokemon title and other games.

It might seem trival, the difference between 2019 and 2020, but to me by 2020 we are more likely to see new hardware coming from Sony & Microsoft and technology will also have moved on greatly from 2018 - so it just seems a better target year to me.

@Razer I appreciate your contributions as they are always very good. Agree with you entirely that they used free online to get people to adopt Switch, before moving to the paid service. However, I also agree with you that we should speak with our wallets and not accept a bad service.

@Yoshi87 yep 100%

@Mogster @BlueOcean I know, but at least it sounds like a Nintendo console, not a Sony one. And we all know what happened last time Nintendo and Sony teamed up...

“Struggling to maintain”... how about the absence of quality games for the first 9+ months of 2018.. that might have something to do with it.

Never upgraded my PS3, VITA or PS4... all launch day units. I'll keep my Switch.

The Switch just needs exciting BIG games... not more old rehash, more niche indies or more mini games collection that only make the same Nintendo base happy (and Casual Gamers who rarely buy $60 games)

There were always going to be a few downsides to Nintendo launching brand new hardware halfway through a traditional console cycle. This is one of them.

We're probably still a couple years out from Scarlett and PS5 hitting the market (I'm still thinking 2020 for them, won't be any sooner than holiday 2019) and Switch was already still a notch below the base PS4 and XBO let alone the Pro and X. It IS a portable system, so some level of being under-powered should be expected.

That being said, it's already struggling to get any sort of significant uptick in third party support (it's definitely improved some over Wii U) but we've seen eighth gen projects like Steep being canned because the system can't run it well enough. Some developers like Panic Button have done an admirable job scaling games like Doom and Wolfenstein 2 to run well on Switch, but those are not huge open world games by any stretch that would need more horsepower to run.

The difference between the "New" 3DS and a potential Tegra X2 powered Switch "Pro" is a bit different imo. The New 3DS line was only a very minor upgrade with a few enhancements. Only a handful of games (Hyrule Warriors, FE Warriors, Xenoblade, Minecraft, SNES VC, etc) utilized or required that extra bump in power since the vast majority of games made after it released were still made with the base 3DS model in mind. The goal of a potential TX2 Switch would be to get more third parties on board, but any games made for it wouldn't run on the base model and that's where Nintendo is kinda stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Do you come out with a more powerful model next year barely two years after launching your most successful piece of hardware in over a decade to try and get more third party support on board while the system still has a few more years left in the tank? You'd have the ability to build a larger userbase with the more powerful model now while the system still has some legs, but the 20 or so mil current Switch owners might feel a little left out in the cold. You know Nintendo first party games will always be developed with the base first gen hardware in mind, but if some major third party games only get made requiring the Switch Pro? That'd be a sticking point for sure. And are third parties going to be gungho making games for the enhanced Switch only when the majority of the first iteration owners won't be able to play the new games without upgrading? The Pro and the X got around this by requiring developers to make games to run on all iterations of the hardware. I don't think Nintendo might have that luxury with Switch although they could easily enough let it be up to developers and publishers whether they want to make Switch Pro only games or not.

If Nintendo does announce an enhanced Switch next year, it's going to be interesting to see how it plays out.

@baller98 what about the 3DS XL released in 2012 between the 3DS and the 2DS?

@Yorumi did they really force people to upgrade the 3DS to the 3DS XL in 2012?

I play mostly in docked mode, so if the screen and energy efficiency are the only improvements, then I'm fine with the current version.

@Mgene15 remember when fanboys and their god Reggie touted how the Switch (and 3DS) were doing so well in 2018?

I only play switch docked so this news is completely irrelevant to me. If I want to play handheld I prefer 3ds

@pika677
I certainly do. I love me some Nintendo, but won’t hesitate to call the big N on there bull****

@Agramonte Why can't we have both? What is with people and this logic that older ports are bad? If the Switch didn't get "old rehash" as you say it, we wouldn't have Skyrim, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and we also wouldn't be getting the first Valkyria Chronicles.

@Jeronan
Tegra X2 will soon be replaced with Xavier. By this time next year, X2 may become much cheaper. If nVidia/TSMC also manages to shrink it to the 7nm node, then an upgrade to X2 could be feasible. I don't think it will happen though.

I really hope they don't change the size, because that means all new accessories. But they better improve performance, battery life, and add a 1080p OLED screen (smartphone standard).

They also can't call it Nintendo Switch Pro, because people would think the Pro Controller only works with that model, and/or vice versa. Maybe Switch Plus?

@pika677 Yeah, I was under the impression that the Switch was selling super well.

@ArticFox They also can't call it Nintendo Switch Pro, because people would think the Pro Controller only works with that model, and/or vice versa. Maybe Switch Plus?

Maybe Super Switch or if it's a slimmed down version call it the Switch Jr.

@HollowGrapeJ Yes!... we need BOTH. There is already tons of remakes and Indies.

I am going to sell my Switch now that I am not using and get the updated version in a bundle when it comes out. That way the price won't drop as much and I'll get a better deal in the end.

@Trajan I agree! I don't mind them releasing a smaller version, or a version with a larger screen, or improvements to stuff like battery. But if they do a "PRO" I think I might be done too.

Just cuz a journalist wrote an article online doesn’t mean the rumor is true.

@Yasume That's basically my own feeling.

Same games compatibility. Same rough performances specs. Tweaks in the more minor stuff such as a less battery-hungry screen or such as I've already seen floated on Kotaku.

Not a game changer for people who got the console on Day-1, and perhaps even a minor boon if they retain it's dock-compatibility but decide to sell a package without the dock(but, again, still dock compatible) at a cheaper price that could be that further motivations for household who were pondering getting a second Switch to, well, get a second one.

@dkxcalibur I saw an article on Kotaku floating talks about a new Switch as well in 2019 but even there it seem like what's suspected is very much a "roughly same performances specs, more battery friendly" kind of thing.

Less a 3DS to "Stronger" New 3DS.

More like DS to "slimmer, more battery friendly" DS Lite that then basically became the basic DS model(to the point of the starting 3DS years later adopting roughly the same sort of layout and design).

Really, there's already a precedent to consider making a "lite"/"same but improved batteries/etc" model and still be a well worthy move that doesn't mean the previous product is made obsolete(and thus avoiding early adopters from feeling "gimped" on if improvement are more "quality of life battery" than "FPS/memory/etc performances"-related that could lead to "new model" exclusive games).

The Switch is such a success, the last thing one wants is to alienate it's existing base.

@HollowGrapeJ Tbh we don't even know if upgrades are meant to tackle "This can tackle new exclusive games"-related like the late-life New 3DS.

For all we know it might be much more quality-of-life style performances like "You can now play Zelda BOTW for 4-5 straight hours in handheld mode thanks to a more efficient screen rather than the only 2-3 hours of the original Switch model".

More like the transition from the original Nintendo DS to the DS Lite that was more compact but also more energy efficient and thus leading to longer playtime.

More than "this badbox can push so much FPS!" upgrade, I suspect they will be focusing almost exclusively on battery life because that's the thing that kept being pointed as the weakest point of the original Switch model when compared to the 3DS that could run for an entire day of handheld play.

That's much more likely the kind of upgrade we might look forward to, one meant to exist alongside existing Switches rather than replace them. Plus if a package option come for the ability to buy one without a dock(while remaining nonetheless compatible with TV/charging dock for TV play), it would further mesh with the plan to have "multiple Switches within a single household".

Because the old Switch could remain the "primary TV play Switch" but the new one might become the more attractive option for a member of the household who primarily enjoy handheld mode while still able to pop it into the dock to play on TV when the original Switch isn't being used.

Maybe it could be a dock with more power for larger games? Although it may make some games TV only it won't separate the user base and means existing owners won't have to buy a new console

@Vriess Like said when it comes to performances, I suspect Nintendo will be focusing on battery life in handheld mode rather than "throw more horsepower at the console".

Early reviews of Zelda all adored the game but criticized how short the battery life was when playing in handheld. Unless the new chip is specifically more energy efficient, I don't see Nintendo going "Welcome to the New Switch, so powerful it can run games the old one could not before!" especially if it doesn't bring a better battery life.

What I did see floated on Kotaku was a new screen display that could be more energy efficient while potentially supporting a slimmer case(but I don't know how desirable a slimmer case truly is, considering that you still want a measure of grip when holding the console and too thin might just be uncomfortable).

Personally I'm fine with quality-of-life style upgrades. It means that games-wise my Switch remains as relevant as before, but later down the line I might still enjoy the idea of upgrading it to a model I can carry around in handheld mode for longer periods of play.

Also while I mused about what the advantage of a thinner display might mean, I just realized it might not mean a thinner case but one that would be more internally spacious; thus making it easier to give components the space they would require and thus facilitating cooling/etc as well as perhaps even leading to improved production if a possible cramped design of the original Switch might have meant hurdle during production due to requiring much more precision/etc.

I originally got into the DS line with the DS lite, but later I still ended up getting the DSi for reasons of my own.

Meanwhile despite getting the original 3DS a while back, I never got into the New 3DS and even disliked a bit the idea of needing to do so to play "exclusive" games. It felt like a rote and forced way to warrant the upgrade rather than something that could be desirable for convenience alone(or, which was a motivation for me getting the DSi, now having a second nintendo DS I could lend to my brother for multiplayer games).

Like I'm mostly the only one of my household who play the Switch, but one of my sibling who live elsewhere is someone I know might not neccessarily say no to being given my older Switch so we could play some games together if I get a "newer" model in 2019 or 2020.

@Jeronan X2 is not much more expensive than X1 now, not to mention in 2019. Nintendo just underpowered their console as they have been doing since Wii. Nobody expected Switch to have just 32 GB of memory and Digital Foundry explained what they were expecting X2 in the original model, because Nintendo was already working with Nvidia and that would make the console more powerful and much more efficient. The battery inside Switch is not small but the console is not efficient.

As long as it is not a pro/new version. That mid life upgrade mess is the reason I'm passing on MS and Sony next product release.

@Rhaoulos I think it could be something like Switch XS or XL or Plus or any other short suffix depending on the marketed changes.

I'll wait and see. If this rumor is true, we don't have any further info on it except that it's a revision. No reason to blow up over something that's already so up in the air.

@Syrek24
Lol, as I’ve stated many times. I love my switch. I love Nintendo. If you only choose to pay attention to my posts where I call out Nintendo on there bull**** , and you choose to dismiss the other half of my posts where I’m implying positive things about Nintendo, then that’s on you. Just because I don’t 100% kiss Nintendo ass on this forum, doesn’t mean I hate Nintendo. And yes, you’re Nintendo fanboy colors are showing. Relax.

@Yasume Even if your statement is true, I still want a more powerful SWITCH to handle larger/newer 3rd Party ports.

Please understand....

Interesting parts of the article:

"One option is improving the display, they said. The current Switch uses a lower-end liquid-crystal display without some technologies that are standard in more recent smartphone LCDs.
Updating the display with these technologies would make it brighter, thinner and more energy-efficient. The updated Switch isn’t expected to adopt the organic light-emitting diode or OLED panels used in Apple Inc.’s iPhone X series.
Nintendo is looking to release the new Switch in the latter half of 2019, perhaps as soon as summer, the people said."

I'm expecting a smaller revision with non-detachable controls. Something more similar to an original GBA in size, though probably still quite a bit larger.
No dock included either.

@Pod If they got the New3DS route they’ll anger people. It kind of is a new system as it has games only it can run. If they did the GBA SP to SO brighter or micro much like the 2DS option that would be wise. Some people do not want a handheld or a console. They could do limited cheaper ŚKUd that only work on tv or as a handheld saving the money that way not buying useless parts.

@VmprHntrD
Yeah, DSi had this thing with a few games that didn't work on the regular, and then that hopeless online store.

They COULD do the only-tv or only-handheld versions, but I think the internet being flooded with articles about people being surprised about how they have ended up using the Switch is telling Nintendo that the dual nature of the system should be kept intact.

I'm personally expecting something much closer to the DSlite. Sleeker and prettier. And then maybe with a few couple surprises added.

@Pod The DSi sounds like the New 3DS in how it tries to bring more to the table, but can't go all of the way with upgrades, lest the player base get split in half. It doesn't seem like it's all that worthwhile in either case (though I'm sure the perks are nice, they're probably not "trade in my old system for the new model" nice)

I understand the idea of having Switch models dedicated to specific uses, but the whole point of the Switch is to be a flexible console that you can do anything with. Nintendo can't make big upgrade that'll split the base, and shrinking the console would mean they'd have to fuse the Joy-Con to the Switch-eliminating a lot of game functionality and easy co-op gameplay. Any big revisions just seem more likely to compromise the entire point of the Switch. Admittedly, I'm hoping Nintendo just sticks to the one regular version, but I can't imagine there being massive changes to the current model.

I don't think there's a huge amount they can do really, without alienating the fan base.

Better screen quality (im not sure if upping the resolution would have any point, but potentially allowing the screen to display at docked resolution might be a possibility, with reworked internals)

Higher capacity battery

More internal storage

Perhaps a better docking solution that doesn't scrath the screen and a more robust case and kick stand.

Other than that I cant see much else happening, the shape has to stay largely the same to remain compatibility with the joy cons. The capabilities have to stay largely the same so as not to alienate customes ala, 'new nintendo 3ds'.

@RazumikhinPG Actually I just remembered - the Switch I have now is actually not my launch version (first one was stolen and definetely had the issues), so maybe they updated the hardware?

@zitpig Like the Wii U gamepad.

Can Nintendo finish the 1st switch?? The switch has a bland UI, no themes, no folders, no music in the eshop. It still feels like a prototype system in alpha. Don’t get me wrong I love my switch, but I’ve been waiting patiently for Nintendo to atleast bring features that have been on 3ds, and now they’re talking about a new system...

@Mgene15 Admittedly, this year has been slower than last, but I don't see it as that bad. The Switch has mostly been carried throughout this year with third party ports and some of them quite excellent too. DBFZ just released for example.

Hyrule Warriors Definitive Edition is one of the games that's taken up a ton of my time. I still want Bayonetta and Octopath Traveler. As well as the Kirby game from the start of the year. (Though I think that's priced bit too high for my liking)

I'm curious as to what games you want as well as what games you play on your Switch. I don't even have all of what I want from last year. I need to catch up...

@HollowGrapeJ
Well the games I’ve played on my switch this year are hollow knight, South Park fractred butt whole, Mario kart deluxe, Mario rabbids dlc, dead cells, and bomb chicken, and tropical freeze (which I played in Wii U) I want the maddens, the red dead 1, a lot of older triple a’s would be fine because I no darn well we’re not getting new triple A games (or at least not that many). I’d like a lot more day n date games that come out for PlayStation and Xbox. Last year was great for switch, a breath of fresh air, where’s the 1st party games ? It just seems to me that this year Nintendo took a step back. I didn’t buy a switch for indie games and ports.

@Pod The DSLite option is best (or as I said the SP to SP 101) where you put a nicer screen in there, maybe a beefier battery, but leave the core un-upgraded for another year or two out. They'd split the base and infuriate people if they pulled a GBC/DSi/New3DS style update so fast just a couple years into it.

I think still a cheaper option would be wise for people who don't want one style or the other but want the games to experience. Make a handheld only release that's just one device, but sell the option of buying the dock (as they already do) and detachable joycons with the motion controls to get the full experience.

@carlos82
Yes, that's right. It's still twice as much I believe. Get mixed up sometimes with all the lg x wd areas

All I want is a bigger external memory storage (maybe something around 128gb would be nice), 2 kickstand, and maybe 2 microSD card slots, one each within one kickstand. A longer battery life would had been nice too. Also Ninty we need a firmware update for external memory saving please, not letting us use our memory card for saving game data memories is treachery.

Built in mic and Bluetooth headphone support.

Oh and probably not gonna happen, but I'd love to see that super stable 3d make a return. Still bummed that's gone with switch.

@BlueOcean Nintendo went for a different naming with each generation: Gameboy Pocket, DS Lite, DSi, New 3DS, 3DS XL. I guess we'll have to wait and see. Although I'd love to be proven wrong and see a Switch Pro someday ^^

@VmprHntrD
They are already selling the Switch without the dock in Japan. That move makes sense. But selling a version without detachable controllers really would be splitting the base as well.

Suddenly a developer couldn't count on people having that option anymore, and a future game similar to ARMS, for instance, would be a lot less likely to exist in the first place. Super Mario Party or 1-2-Switch wouldn't be playable either without buying extra equipment.

This conundrum was immediately apparent with the Wii, where even if you gave all players a nunchuck in the box, the fact that you could detach it and put it in the closet meant that on average, games that required the nunchuck sold only half of what games that could be played with just the wiimote managed. This effect only escalates if separate peripherals have to be purchased. Proven over and over.

While I understand that some would appreciate a cheaper system, and could do without certain features, it really is in everyone's best interest to not remove vital launch-day functionality.

Personally, I always toggle rumble off. Amiibos don't matter to me. And I despise clickable analog sticks. But removing features like those would harm the perception of just what constellation of technologies the Switch represents, and that divides both developers and users.

Nobody makes a smartphone without [speaker, microphone, rumble/vibration, accelerometer, gyro, front camera, back camera, and a touch screen with support for 5+ fingers]. It is what people came to understand as the de-facto basic functionality after the release of the first iPhone, and it's what developers rely on.

Switch 4k?. Sony and MS seemed to come up with there 4k models to combat the switch which is why a lot of people are hoping for at least 2020 for next Xbox,Ps5. If Nintendo do a 4k switch they will more than likely annouce ps5 and next box a year later and destroy the switch, don't take the bait ninty make the next switch, switch 2 not switch 4k!. I love Nintendo and don't want them to go on a down period on switch like they did the Wii U so please no Switch 4k, Just switch 2 in 2021 or 2022.

But... i just bought mine... 😖

Here’s something I’ve not seen suggested yet... is it possible this new sku is simply all about dropping the price so a, say, $250 Switch is more competitive against the PS4 Pro and XBox1X than a $300 Switch? Perhaps talk of changing the screen is related to something meerly more affordable rather than necessarily dfferent or better? I expect we’ll see a genuinely new Switch at some point, but in a few more years. I wouldn’t be surprised if we just end up seeing some relatively modest changes that permit a lower price in late 2019.

As @baller98 , @NEStalgia , @link3710 , and @bratzdoll directly pointed out (among others who alluded to it), the 2019 Switch hardware revision will be a cheaper, portable focused iteration, to be launched in time to accommodate Pokemon and it's target audience.

Just think about it. A true mainline Pokemon series entry has never debuted on a console costing $300+ throughout the world (outside Japan). It's always been on a console costing closer to $100 for the baseline SKU. There's no way that most parents who would be buying Pokemon for their children would also be willing (or perhaps even economically able) to pony up $300 for a device dedicated purely to gaming. Especially in cases with multiple children who each want their own console.

To get the price down below $200, certain parts of the OG model will absolutely need to be cut, such as the dock. However, simply releasing a dockless SKU is nowhere near enough to go below $200.

The JoyCons are one of the most expensive components of the Switch- those will likely be cut, in favor of either built-in controls or a version of the JoyCons lacking motion control tech. If the former option is done, it would prevent being able to utilize motion controls in games like Super Mario Oddysey and ARMS, but they're still somewhat playable in portable mode. The second option would be preferable, if possible, so JoyCons with motion controls could still be used as an add-on.

Along with cutting the dock, this is enough to drive the price down to just above $200. However, it's still not affordable for Pokemon's target audience. More sacrifices need to be made.

The parts on the motherboard used to connect the Switch to a dock and display out to 1080p on a TV may be cut, along with other dock functionality. In conjunction with this, the Tegra X1 SoC would be locked at a comfortable clock rate for portable use, and not be able to reach the full base specs clock rate of the OG Switch. The console's processing capability would thus be weakened, but it would still be enough to match the OG Switch in portable mode. This would allow a cheaper passive cooling redesign to replace the current air cooling design.

A slimmer model of display screen would likely be used, and of course, be more energy efficient. The display dimensions would likely be very close to the OG Switch. It remains to be seen how much that color contrast, brightness, and other factors would be affected, but hopefully proper calibration would be necessitated at the factory. The rest of the console could also be slimmed down a bit.

Put all these things together, and there's your portable-only Switch SKU costing no more than $180. Leading up to it's launch, all remaining New 2/3DS XL models will be price-dropped closer to $100.

Granted, doing all of this would defeat the purpose of the "Switch" naming/marketing scheme. Yet, drastic measures must be taken. It would be illogical to launch a new Pokemon entry without a more affordable SKU to drive software sales.

Even Nintendo Life seems to finally be using wording which matches this reality:

"Nintendo's other current portable, the 3DS, has seen no less than five different hardware iterations since launch."

"Other"? You mean the Switch was actually a portable console all along, so the marketing term "hybrid console" has been retired? I mean, the Switch HAS sold very well thus far, so I guess it's okay at this point to officially discard the notion of Switch being a home console...

That may sound harsh, but keep in mind that the PS5 is releasing in 2020, no more than about a year after the 2019 Switch portable focused revision. The PS4 and XB1 are on their way out. Without a significant specs upgrade, Nintendo is better off pivoting their marketing and recognizing the Switch for what it is.

@Jeronan @BlueOcean Regarding current pricing of the Tegra X2...

https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/autonomous-machines/embedded-systems-dev-kits-modules/

https://www.arrow.com/en/products/900-83310-0001-000/nvidia

https://www.arrow.com/en/products/900-82180-0001-000/nvidia

$450 for NVIDIA's Jetson TX2 modules in bulk of 100+. Even if the Tegra X2 itself only comprised 1/3 the retail price of the entire module, it would still cost $150. Compare that to the Jetson TX1, which retails for ~$321, with 1/3 of it's cost being ~$107 for the Tegra X1 itself. It is currently impossible for Nintendo to maintain the $300 price point for a Tegra X2 SKU. The difference in specs is such that it would inevitably create a gated wall on content between the OG SKU and the upgraded SKU.

I would not expect an upgraded SKU to exist until 2021 at the earliest. NVIDIA's Jetson AGX Xavier will have replaced the Jetson TX2 by then, and the Tegra X2's price will finally drop down to a level which accommodates the $300 price point.

@sikthvash and it is for this very reason, now I am not going to go for a Switch this holiday season. :/

I will kick myself if I get one now, and the new release has a better batter/screen/something I haven't thought of.

I will also kick myself if I wait till "late 2019" and it is a Switch SKU that was not worth waiting for.

I feel like a one-legged man in an ass-kicking contest.

@PlywoodStick I think you have suggested the most sensible and likely outcome. The best thing for the Switch and Nintendo is selling more systems. The best thing for selling more systems is a price drop. This revision will use more affordable components and efficient production methods to bring the dockless cost down to $199 retail, perhaps $250 with a dock. Summer/late 2019 will see this revised Switch replace the OG version with only very minor cosmetic changes and almost no improvements other than more affordability. Current owners won’t feel messed around, and cautious parents/casual gamers/those wanting a second system will buy. Switch sales will grow... more games will come... and then in 3/4 years we’ll get an actual replacement with significantly revised specs.

@tomwinsagain There is a simple science to it and it also depends on the image processing on the display. 720p is on the lower end, and I wouldn't suggest it on larger displays at normal distance, it's fine after 10 feet, but in 1080p with all the image enhancement options on Switch games look pretty great on my 150 inch screen at THX recommended viewing distance for 1080p. Turn all the image enhancement off and the clarity and depth disappears, it's a night and day difference. On a 55" screen at 6-10 feet the viewable space is about the same as the Switch at handheld distance, so the quality from a pixel-per-inch standpoint at 1080p is better on a TV. Even on a screen that fills your entire view 1080p performs perfectly fine. As for 4K, even current PC hardware can't render 4K with all the processing effects on. 4K comes with serious compromises in framerate and image enhancement effects that actually creates a messier image overall. Rendering more pixels doesn't make for a better quality picture, even professional cinema projectors display at 2K on 300" screens. The Switch will not be rendering at 4K ever, but that doesn't really matter. Art style and effects are more important for games, and display image processing makes a huge difference that costs no processing power from the Switch. 4K in gaming at this point is largely a gimmick, even super-expensive PC rigs have to make compromises.

I understand the concerns with alienating the userbase with a revised Switch with better specs that would allow for exclusive games on the new hardware, but the reason there are so few third-party games on Switch compared to its competition is because of its lackluster specs. I would be totally on board with selling or gifting my current Switch and upgrading my hardware to something that could run games at the graphical quality of the base PS4 at least. Also, hardware revisions could allow for so many more features than just upgraded performance. Bluetooth headset capability, more RAM to allow for background apps (so Nintendo could finally merge the Switch Online app into the console itself and add more features to it. Party chats and instant messaging, anyone?), a larger battery (never been a problem for me, but some people never play in docked mode so it's understandably an issue for many), and even revisions to the joy-cons and pro controller such as a headphone jack. There's so much potential in a Switch Pro and I fully support it, as long as Nintendo doesn't squander the opportunity.

What does SKU mean?

The rumour that began it all.