‘Nintendo comes with an improved and a cheaper version of Switch console’
Nintendo is releasing two new versions of its Switch console this summer, according to sources from The Wall Street Journal. It would be a cheaper variant and a version with improvements aimed at serious gamers.
The Wall Street Journal article states that the upgraded version is not as powerful as the PlayStation 4 Pro and the Xbox One X. That’s what parts suppliers and game developers have said. While it makes sense that an upgraded Switch won’t be as powerful as the fastest consoles from Microsoft and Sony, the wording seems to indicate that it’s a new variant with improved hardware so games run smoother or get improved graphics.
The second new variant is a cheaper version and Nintendo would see it as the successor to the 3DS. To keep the price down, functionality is removed, such as the vibration function on the controllers. It is not yet clear what the price difference will be. Nintendo hasn’t released any new 3DS variants for a long time. The Japanese console builder still regularly releases new games for the 3DS.
According to people who have had the new Switch consoles in their hands, it is not simply about new versions of the Switch with the same appearance and lower or higher performance. Exactly how the upcoming variants differ from the current model is not clear, but it may go beyond changes in hardware and design.
Nintendo has previously released revisions of consoles with improved hardware. For example, in 2014 the New 3DS and an XL variant appeared. Those handhelds have a faster processor than their predecessors, while in principle they are intended for the same games. If Nintendo comes with an improved version of the Switch, it is likely that games for that version can also be played on the current Switch, and vice versa.
According to a source from WSJ, Nintendo is expected to announce the new Switch variants during the E3 game fair in June. A few months later, the consoles would be in the shops. Nintendo released the Switch in March 2017 and sales of Switch hardware and software now account for 80 percent of Nintendo’s sales. With new models, Nintendo would like to give the deliveries of the now two-year-old console a boost again.