If you were holding off for the next iteration of Nintendo Switch hardware, you may want to reconsider. Nintendo has no plans to update the Switch’s hardware in its second year on the market, sources close to the situation told The Wall Street Journal.
Instead, Nintendo will set its sights on introducing new peripherals in an effort to further interest and sales of the current Switch model. When peripherals are mentioned for the Switch, the first thing that comes to mind is the Joy-Con controllers. After all, Nintendo has already created waves with Nintendo Labo, the cardboard creation kit that will turn Joy-Cons into fishing rods, RC cars, a piano, and more when it launches April 20.
But those familiar with Nintendo’s plans also mentioned attachments that would connect to the Switch’s USB Type-C port.
The focus on improving and diversifying the Switch through peripherals seems to directly tie-in with Nintendo’s hope that the Switch can outlast the typical hardware lifecycle of five to six years. It seems Nintendo believes that releasing a “Switch 2.0” too soon could negatively impact that goal.
Even though this report makes it seem highly unlikely a new Switch iteration will arrive in 2018, that doesn’t mean Nintendo won’t ever tweak the Switch hardware. In fact, it would be surprising if that didn’t happen. Nintendo has a long and consistent history producing updated versions of portable hardware. The Game Boy, Nintendo DS, and Nintendo 3DS all received multiple updates throughout their life cycles.
The difference for the Switch seems to be timing. The Nintendo DS Lite launched in the second year of the Nintendo DS life cycle, and the Nintendo 3DS XL arrived in year two of the Nintendo 3DS. The Switch appears to be bucking the trend of quick hardware revisions, forgoing the second year update that has become an expected tradition.
Nintendo expects Switch sales to reach 17 million by March 31, the end of Nintendo’s fiscal year. While the Switch has already exceeded the company’s expectations, recently becoming the fastest-selling home console of all-time, Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima is hopeful the Switch can pick up the pace and eclipse 20 million units sold in the 2018 fiscal year.
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