Reports Suggest Nintendo's Switch Successor with an LCD Screen, not OLED

The Next Step for Nintendo

The Nintendo Switch is seven years old, but its popularity shows no signs of waning, thanks to its innovative offerings like Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and the common sight of commuters engrossed in gameplay. According to recent reports, Nintendo’s upcoming hybrid console may be an enhancement rather than a drastic overhaul compared to prior console cycles.

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Nintendo's Strategy: What Remains and What Changes

VGC revealed on Monday that various anonymous sources familiar with Nintendo's strategies shared the company's plans for a next-gen console launch in late 2024. The report suggests that many features from the Switch, such as the use of physical cartridges and the handheld mode, will continue in its successor. There might also be an upgrade in terms of storage capacity from the current Switch's 32GB (or 64GB for the OLED model). However, to keep costs down, the company seems to be sticking to the LCD screen, ruling out the mainstream adoption of OLED.

As stated in VGC's article:

Two sources VGC spoke to suggested that the console could launch with an LCD screen, instead of the more premium OLED, in order to bring down costs, especially considering the increased storage needed for higher fidelity games. The current Switch comes with just 32GB of internal memory, while many current-gen PlayStation and Xbox games are over 100GB.

Timeline: A Late 2024 Release

The 2024 release window corresponds with what was hinted at by Nintendo's supply chain, mainly their parts suppliers last week. Despite a perceived slowdown in Switch sales after hitting 125 million units sold as of March 2023, Nintendo reportedly has no new hardware planned for the current year. Instead, the company is focusing on extending the Switch's lifecycle. With a new Mario side scroller set for release in October, players might have something to tide them over until major releases anticipated for the 2024 holiday season.

The company plans to maintain ample stock to meet what is expected to be robust demand, hoping to avoid the issues that plagued the PlayStation 5 at launch.

Notably, Nintendo's post-mid-2024 release plan aligns with its past tendencies. The Nintendo Switch was launched mid-way through the PS4 and Xbox One lifespan, which turned out to be a fruitful strategy. Despite the company's mixed record with hardware transition (like from the N64 to Gamecube or Wii to WiiU), many fans are excited about a more powerful Switch console with improved battery life and graphics.

The Success Path for Nintendo's Upcoming Console

In an investor call, Nintendo's president, Shuntaro Furukawa, mentioned their aim for a "smooth transition" from the Switch to the next console. Backward compatibility is expected to be a significant factor for many Switch owners. The Switch is, by all measures, an aging console, but it boasts over 100 million users. To entice this vast user base to transition to the new console, offering backward compatibility seems sensible.

Nonetheless, the details remain vague. Whether the upcoming console is a "Switch Pro" or a completely different device, Nintendo seems to understand one thing clearly: gamers appreciate a convenient, portable console packed with high-quality games. This appreciation could explain the disappointment with Sony's recently announced handheld streaming device, and why an LCD screen could be a cost-effective solution for players happy with their current Switches.

The optimal path for Nintendo's next console could be modernizing the Switch to allow more games to run directly on the console without resorting to streaming. If they could also address the notorious issues of joy con failure and stick drift, that would certainly be a win for fans.