Draft:Unnamed Nintendo console
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| Codename | Ounces[1] |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Nintendo Switch 2 |
| Developer | Nintendo |
| Type | Video game console |
| Generation | Ninth |
| Release date | 2025 |
| Backward compatibility | Nintendo Switch |
| Predecessor | Nintendo Switch |
An unnamed video game console, colloquially known as the Switch 2, is in development at Nintendo. It will be the successor to the Nintendo Switch and is expected to be released in early 2025. It is set to be part of the ninth generation of video game consoles alongside Sony's PlayStation 5 and Microsoft's Xbox Series X and Series S consoles.
History
[edit]Development
[edit]In a June 2023 shareholder question-and-answer session, Nintendo's president, Shuntaro Furukawa, stated that Nintendo sought to make the transition between the Nintendo Switch and its successor smooth for consumers, and was planning to retain the system's Nintendo Account system.[2] The following month, Video Games Chronicle (VGC) reported that Nintendo had sent out software development kits for its next console to development partners. VGC added that Nintendo wanted to avoid the shortages that the other ninth generation consoles, the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Series S, had suffered at launch.[3] Nintendo showcased the console in a private presentation during Gamescom in August; among the tech demos were a version of the Switch game The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017), running at a higher frame rate and resolution, and the Unreal Engine 5 demo The Matrix Awakens (2021).[4][5]
Announcements
[edit]On May 7, 2024, Shuntaro Furukawa officially acknowledged the development of the Nintendo Switch's successor, stating that more information would be revealed later that fiscal year, and additionally confirming that the console would not be discussed at their planned Nintendo Direct broadcast in June.[6] On November 6, Furukawa announced that the console would be backward compatible with Switch games and would retain Nintendo Switch Online (NSO).[7]
Release
[edit]The console was initially expected to launch in late 2024, but in February, Bloomberg News reported that Nintendo had informed publishers it was delaying the release into early 2025.[8] The Nikkei, corroborating Bloomberg, reported the delay was to prevent shortages and scalping.[9] Nintendo's shares fell by nearly six percent following the reported delay.[8] In August 2024, GamesIndustry.biz and Eurogamer reported that the console would not launch before April 2025.[10]
Hardware
[edit]VGC's July 2023 report stated that the console, ala the Nintendo Switch, would be a hybrid type that could be used as both a home and handheld console, with ROM cartridges used for physical game distribution. VGC reported the console would initially ship with an LCD, rather than an OLED, to reduce costs.[3] Sharp Corporation stated it had been providing Nintendo LCDs for the console since mid-2023, and the technology analysis firm Omdia stated these were likely 8-inch screens.[11]
The console's alleged system on a chip, the Nvidia Tegra T239 (codenamed "Drake"), was leaked in the 2022 Nvidia ransomware attack by Lapsus$. It features an octa-core ARM Cortex-A78C CPU, a 12 SM Ampere GPU, and a 128-bit LPDDR5 memory interface.[12] Internal Activision emails from FTC v. Microsoft indicated that in terms of power, the console would be similar to eighth generation consoles like the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One,[13] though it reportedly supports Nvidia's deep learning super sampling (DLSS) technology and ray tracing to allow for visuals comparable to more recent consoles.[5]
According to accessory manufacturers, the new console will feature redesigned Joy-Con controllers that connect to the display with magnets.[14] Existing Joy-Con and Nintendo Switch Pro Controllers are expected to be compatible as well.[15]
On September 18, 2024, supposed images of the system leaked on Reddit, with details that matched previous reports.[16] In October 2024, Pokémon series developer Game Freak became the target of a significant data breach which exposed various development materials associated with the franchise. Among them included references to the tenth generation titles in the franchise, and that they were targeting a release on the Nintendo Switch's successor, codenamed internally as "Ounces".[1][17]
Software
[edit]Online services
[edit]During an investors' meeting in November 2024, Nintendo confirmed that the existing NSO service suite would be retained on the new console.[7]
Games
[edit]Third-party support
[edit]In December 2022, Microsoft Gaming announced as part of their bid to acquire games publisher Activision Blizzard, that they were in negotiations with Nintendo over a ten-year agreement to bring Activision's future Call of Duty games to their platforms following the merger's finalization.[18] The agreement became legally binding by February 2023, ahead of the merger's completion that October.[19][20] By July 2023, development kits for the console had been secured by key third-party partners.[21] A survey conducted at the 2024 Game Developers Conference (GDC) in January 2024 inquired 3,000 independent and AAA developers on game creation and which platforms they were engaging, of which 250 individuals identified themselves as already producing games slated for the Nintendo Switch's successor, while a further 32% of those surveyed expressed interest in developing for the console.[22] In May 2024, Nintendo announced their intentions to acquire Miami-based developer Shiver Entertainment from their prior parent company Embracer Group, with the company detailing in a statement that the merger enabled them to procure specialized in-house resources for the development and porting of software, while allowing the studio to continue their commitments to Nintendo Switch and other platforms.[23] Bloomberg News later reported that the acquisition was for bolstering Nintendo's efforts in securing games from third-party developers on the Nintendo Switch's successor, with Shiver assisting external developers in the optimization of such titles from competing platforms.[24]
Backward compatibility
[edit]The console will be fully backward compatible with existing Switch games.[7][25][15] Reports in February 2024 indicated the console would feature backward compatibility with physical and digital Switch games, and that developers would be able to update games to take advantage of the new hardware.[26]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Yin-Poole, Wesley (2024-10-13). "Pokémon Developer Game Freak Reportedly Hacked, Stolen Data on Unannounced Games as Well as Nintendo Switch 2 Codename Leaked Online". IGN. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
- ^ Welsh, Oli (June 27, 2023). "Nintendo promises 'smooth transition' to next console with Nintendo Accounts". Polygon. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
- ^ a b Robinson, Andy (July 31, 2023). "Sources: Nintendo targets 2024 with next-gen console". Video Games Chronicle. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
- ^ Phillips, Tom (September 7, 2023). "Nintendo demoed Switch 2 to developers at Gamescom". Eurogamer. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
- ^ a b Robinson, Andy (September 7, 2023). "Sources: Nintendo showed Switch 2 demos at Gamescom". Video Games Chronicle. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
- ^ Tom Richardson (7 May 2024). "Nintendo Switch 2: Official announcement promised within next year". BBC. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- ^ a b c Bankhurst, Adam (2024-11-06). "Nintendo Switch 2 Will Officially Be Backward-Compatible With Original Switch Games". IGN. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
- ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (February 26, 2024). "Nintendo Switch 2 Reportedly Delayed to March 2025 in Part to Combat Scalping". IGN. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
- ^ Phillips, Tom (August 14, 2024). "Hopes fade for Switch 2 launch in early 2025". Eurogamer. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
- ^ Mochizuki, Takashi; Furukawa, Yuki (January 25, 2024). "Nintendo's Next Switch Coming This Year With LCD, Omdia Says". Bloomberg News. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
- ^ Leadbetter, Richard (November 3, 2023). "Inside Nvidia's new hardware for Switch 2: what is the T239 processor?". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on November 9, 2023. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
- ^ Warren, Tom (September 18, 2023). "Activision was briefed on Nintendo's Switch 2 last year". The Verge. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
- ^ Ollie Reynolds (26 April 2024). "Rumour: 'Switch 2' Will Reportedly Feature Magnetic Joy-Cons". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
- ^ a b Reynolds, Ollie (April 29, 2024). "Rumour: 'Switch 2' Said To Be Fully Backward Compatible With A Larger, 1080p Screen". Nintendo Life. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
- ^ Robinson, Andy (September 18, 2024). "Alleged images of Nintendo's new Switch have appeared online". Video Games Chronicle. Archived from the original on September 19, 2024. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
- ^ Fischer, Tyler (2024-10-12). "Massive Pokemon Leak Reveals Gen 10 and New MMO". ComicBook.com. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
- ^ Life, Nintendo (2022-12-07). "Microsoft Enters "10-Year Commitment To Bring Call Of Duty To Nintendo"". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 2024-06-01.
- ^ Life, Nintendo (2023-02-21). "Microsoft's Commitment To Bring Call Of Duty To Nintendo Is Now Legally Binding". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 2024-06-01.
- ^ Warren, Tom (2023-10-13). "Microsoft completes Activision Blizzard acquisition, Call of Duty now part of Xbox". The Verge. Retrieved 2024-06-01.
- ^ "Sources: Nintendo targets 2024 with next-gen console". VGC. 2023-07-31. Retrieved 2024-06-01.
- ^ "8% of developers in a GDC survey say they're working on Nintendo's next console". VGC. 2024-01-18. Retrieved 2024-06-01.
- ^ Life, Nintendo (2024-05-21). "Nintendo Announces Acquisition Of Shiver Entertainment". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 2024-05-23.
- ^ Mochizuki, Takashi (May 20, 2024). "Nintendo Buys Studio to Bring More Outside Games to Next Switch". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 2024-05-23.
- ^ McEvoy, Sophie. "Nintendo confirms backwards compatibility on Switch 2". Games Industry. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
- ^ Serin, Kaan (February 11, 2024). "Nintendo Switch 2 will reportedly have digital and physical backward compatibility, plus "enhanced" older games". GamesRadar+. Retrieved February 14, 2024.