The million-dollar question in video games for some time now has been when Nintendo will launch its next console. Next year has seemed like a safe bet for that to happen, but now we have something slightly meatier to sink our teeth into. According to VGC sources, the next new Nintendo console is currently targeting a release date in the second half of 2024, and while we don’t know if it will be a “Switch 2,” the hardware will reportedly retain the ability to play handheld. Backwards compatibility is not confirmed, but the console will reportedly use physical games through a cartridge slot again — and the console might use an LCD screen to bring down costs, as opposed to OLED.
Nintendo intends to ensure ample stock on day one when its new console launches in its nebulous 2024 release date window, avoiding supply chain problems faced by PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series, but there is no telling what its release lineup will look like. That’s basically the exciting part, of course. There’s absolutely no way to know how many large and small secret projects Nintendo has in the works for this console at the moment.
So in summary, VGC claims a new Nintendo console is currently intended to launch in the second half of 2024 with a portable mode (“Switch 2” or not), a cartridge slot, and maybe an LCD screen, and backwards compatibility remains a big mystery. But Nintendo Switch still has plenty of life left in it, with Super Mario Bros. Wonder and a Super Mario RPG remake coming this fall, among other projects.