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Don’t expect a Switch Pro or new Nintendo console within the next year

By Tomas Franzese Published May 9, 2023

If you were hoping that a new Nintendo console was right on the horizon after the release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, think again. Nintendo has confirmed that it plans to release no new hardware over the next 12 months.

On May 9, Nintendo shared its financial results for the last fiscal year with investors. Console and software sales both lagged by a bit compared to the year before, with Nintendo crediting a semiconductor shortage and a weaker holiday season for that. Looking to the next year, the company hopes to sell 15 million new Nintendo Switch consoles on top of the 125.62 million that are already out there. Those forecasts are all based on existing hardware, according to a report by Bloomberg.

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Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa confirmed as such on a call with investors following the release of Nintendo’s financial results, saying that “no new or upgraded hardware is factored into Nintendo’s annual forecast.” Industry analysts like Ampere Analysis’ Piers-Harding Rolls and NPD’s Mat Piscatella predict that Nintendo won’t release new hardware until the latter half of 2024, and this appears to line up with Nintendo’s own plans.

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So, if you’re worried about picking up a new Nintendo Switch ahead of the release of Tears of the Kingdom would be made redundant quickly, you appear to have at least one more year until the next piece of Nintendo gaming hardware is upon us. Whether that comes in the form of a true successor to the Switch or something entirely unpredictable, we’ll just have to wait and see.

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A former Gaming Staff Writer at Digital Trends, Tomas Franzese now reports on and reviews the latest releases and exciting…

Gaming

How to preorder the Nintendo Switch 2

The Switch 2 on a blue background.

Now that the Switch 2 has made its official debut, everyone is ready to put their money down to get their hands on this new console. The initial trailer showcased just a glimpse of the system but did put many minds at ease by confirming backwards compatibility. Sadly, the one major piece of information we were hoping for, the release date, was missing from the reveal. We know it is coming in 2025, and that there will be events held around the world to play it early, but most of us just want to preorder the system so we know we will have it when it does finally launch. You can't technically preorder the Switch 2 quite yet, but we can show you how to be the first to know when you can.
How to preorder the Switch 2
Nintendo Switch 2 – First-look trailer

As of the time of this writing, preorders for the Switch 2 are not open at any retailer. We suspect they will open once the full release date and price is shared, likely on April 2 during the next Direct. However, there are some retailers that are currently allowing customers to sign up for email notifications when preorders become available. Here are all the current places you can go to sign up for notifications:
Best Buy
You can visit the Best Buy store and sign up for their email notifications. Emails will include information about the console, but also games and other things related to the Switch 2.
GameStop
GameStop has launched its product page for the Switch 2 and also offers emails related to pre-orders, news, and upcoming games.
When will preorders start for the Switch 2?

Gaming

5 games we want to see on the Nintendo Switch 2

Astrion holds his chin in Baldur's Gate 3.

Now that the Nintendo Switch 2 has had its formal reveal and will be arriving in 2025, we can finally shift our focus from all hardware leaks and rumors to the most important part of any console: the software. The Switch 2 was revealed with footage of Mario Kart 9 and details about its backwards compatibility, but that leaves a lot of room to hope and speculate for other games to fill the lineup of upcoming games. With a host of new features, as well as more power to keep up with games that wouldn't be possible on the Switch, a world of possibility has opened up for games we would love to play on the Switch 2. These are our top seven games that we would love to see hit Nintendo's latest console.
Crusader Kings 3

Hardcore strategy games have typically been a genre locked to PCs. While plenty of recent games have done an admiral job of adapting the complex controls and systems for controllers, the genre is clearly best played with a mouse in almost every example. The Switch 2's new Joy-cons may look like a larger version of the original, but they come with a simple yet brilliant feature that opens the doors for these types of experiences to sing. By holding the Joy-con on its side and placing it on a flat surface, you can use it as a mouse pointer. This would be the ideal way to play a game like Crusader Kings 3, which is built on being one of the most dynamic and deep simulations set in the Middle Ages. Being able to take your empire on the go and still be able to easily manage all the systems without fumbling over the controls would easily get us addicted all over again.
Baldur's Gate 3

Gaming

The Nintendo Switch 2 marks the end of the ‘toy’ video game console

The Switch 2 on a blue background.

I still have a clear memory of Christmas Day 2001. After a morning of eagerly unwrapping my gifts, my parents rolled out one more surprise that I'd been so desperately anticipating. I tore off the wrapping paper and there it was: the Nintendo GameCube. Without a second of hesitation, I pulled it out of the box and started poking and prodding every button on the little box. It wasn't just a fancy new electronic device; it was a toy.

That used to be the dual function of a video game console. Each one was unpredictable, bringing entirely new innovations or gimmicks that begged to be played with as much as the games. The ones that didn't at least got playful with their design. That's slowed with each passing generation. Vibrant colors has been replaced with black and white plastic. Xbox console designs now border on brutalist. Everything is slowly converging to one unified vision of what a video game console looks like.