Nintendo Hints at Its Next Console

Is there a new Nintendo Switch coming out? There have been rumors and reports about a Nintendo [...]

By Tyler Fischer

Is there a new Nintendo Switch coming out? There have been rumors and reports about a Nintendo Switch Pro and what Nintendo's next console may be like, but at the moment, Nintendo hasn't mentioned any plans beyond supporting the Switch and Switch Lite. However, during its 80th Annual General Meeting of Shareholders, Nintendo did hint at their next console, and how it may piggyback on what makes the Switch unique and what has ultimately made it so successful.

During the shareholders meeting, one investor suggests Nintendo should go beyond the "limits" of a TV for their next console. Replying to this, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa and director and senior executive officer Ko Shiota point out what has made the Switch so successful, and that the company will carefully consider this when designing its next console.

"Our current generation game system, Nintendo Switch, has entered its fourth year since launch, but its momentum is increasing," said Furukawa. "We believe there are two factors behind this. First is the existence of two hardware configurations with different characteristics, in Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch Lite. The second factor is that Nintendo's development resources are concentrated on developing content for a single platform, Nintendo Switch. We want to extend the life cycle of Nintendo Switch while maximizing such advantages."

Adding to this, Ko Shiota noted that with the Switch, Nintendo has learned how important it is to make a console that fits into the consumer's daily life, which means giving consumers multiple ways of play. To Nintendo, this is what has made the Switch so successful, and that's not something that will be lost on the team who designs the next Nintendo console.

"In addition to the performance aspects (higher technical specifications), Nintendo's dedicated video game platforms are developed with a focus on providing a comfortable environment for consumers to play fun software," added Ko Shiota. "From the perspective of playing with the image displayed on a TV, we believe that because consumers can play Nintendo Switch on a TV or the game console screen itself, it has greatly increased the opportunities for gameplay in various scenes in their lives, compared to previous consoles," he explained. "Through Nintendo Switch, we've made many discoveries about where a dedicated video game platform can fit into a consumer's daily life. We see scenes on social media of children and their families sitting around a game console to play, which gives us a renewed sense of the value of our dedicated video game platform. We will utilize these experiences in carefully considering the form our future game consoles will take."

At the moment, it remains to be seen if Nintendo's next console is simply a more powerful Switch or if the company will do something new. Considering the success of the Switch and Switch Lite, you'd assume it would be the former. Whatever the case though, one thing is clear, the dual-option of being able to play remotely or connected to a TV seems like it's here to stay.

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H/T, Video Gamer.

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