Tears of the Kingdom could affect when the console comes out

So wait another year. In an investment call, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa said there are no Switch revisions planned in fiscal 2023, which runs through March 2024. The console really needs an update.

The hybrid console from Nintendo was released in March 2017. Even then, it couldn’t keep up graphically with the more modern consoles from Sony and Microsoft. However, that was exactly how it was planned: the switch should convince with its form factor. A portable console that can also be easily connected to the TV. Technology that enables 4K and ray tracing simply could not fit into this small device.

Now, a good six years later, this is clearer than ever. Therefore, fans have been hoping for a revision or a successor to the Nintendo Switch for years. A number of rumors have already been circulating, none of which have turned out to be correct. And maybe that’s because Nintendo doesn’t yet know exactly when it’s supposed to launch its new console.

Even if there aren’t many concrete details yet: You can be sure that the Switch 2 has existed for a long time. It may not be mass-produced yet. But as a dev kit that developers use to work on their games, the new console should be on its way by now. So it is already clear which specs and features the console has.

It has to be, because the development period for video games is getting longer and longer. In order for enough games to be released when a Switch 2 is launched, Nintendo has to announce years in advance on which basis these games are to be developed, i.e. which technology will be available.

Also, in today’s hardware market, the components for a console must be ordered well in advance. Nintendo couldn’t just spontaneously occupy chip makers’ production lines to make the right parts for a new console.

So it can be assumed that Nintendo has known for quite some time what the Switch 2 will look like and how it will work, as well as which games will appear in the release period. The company just doesn’t seem to know yet when it actually wants to launch its console.

Again and again it has been said from more or less trustworthy sources that Nintendo is about to announce new hardware. There has already been talk of dev kits and games to be released on the Switch 2. And a Pro console is said to have been discontinued at short notice. But nothing ever came of these rumours. Of course, that may be because some of it was nonsense.

But the amount of informal information floating around the internet could also indicate that Nintendo is at odds. And there are some good reasons for that. The most important is that the console is still selling really well. It just became known that the Milestone of 125 million consoles was reached. The Switch is currently the third best-selling console ever.

Nintendo can’t just leave such a large crowd with new hardware. And unlike Sony, for example, which released games for the PS4 at the same time in the early years of the Playstation 5, it should be more complicated with Nintendo. Because according to rumors, the Switch 2 should be significantly stronger than its predecessor. Cross-gen productions would then have to cut back much more, probably to the annoyance of many buyers.

So Nintendo is in the difficult situation of having to make a leap from a very successful console. That’s exactly what went wrong with the transition from Wii to Wii U: the Wii had long since passed its peak, the hype was gone. And the Wii U was poorly communicated as a successor. Many thought it was just another addition to the Wii.

There are many variables – Zelda is one of them

The strategy for Nintendo right now has to be finding the right timing. Namely when the switch is still successful enough to be a desirable console. Only then can a successor – which will probably also be based on the form factor of the switch – connect directly. Other questions such as backwards compatibility, i.e. whether the Switch 2 will be able to play the games on the Switch, will also play a major role.

All of these open questions show that Nintendo itself may not yet have an exact release date for the Switch 2. It’s clear that the console has to be released within the next year or two. But when? This could perhaps also influence the recently released The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – which is one of the best rated games ever.

Nintendo should be watching closely whether the game will bring a breath of fresh air to the console business again. First numbers show that sI sold the game excellent – it breaks records for Nintendo. But the question is whether it can also generate new Switch buyers. If that’s the case, it’s proof for Nintendo that new high-profile games can still sell hardware – and therefore proof to wait a little longer with the Switch 2.

Especially since the option to lower the price of the switch is still unused – and thus a great lever to persuade even more gamers to buy the switch. So there are still some options for Nintendo to extend the life of the Switch.

Meanwhile, all users who want to play Nintendo games with better graphics are left behind. Because they have to wait at least a year. After all: Remakes and remasters are currently part of the daily business of all major video game manufacturers. So if “Tears of the Kingdom” doesn’t look good enough for you at the moment, you’ll definitely be able to experience a refreshed version on stronger hardware in a few months (or years?).