Nintendo to launch upgraded Switch next year, sources say

Nintendo Co. is cooking up plans for an upgraded Switch console next year, along with a lineup of new games, sources familiar with the matter revealed.

In an article published by Bloomberg.com, the Japanese console maker is reportedly looking into more computing power and 4k high-definition graphics for a next-gen Switch console it plans to release next year. And though the specs of this new machine (dubbed Switch Pro by Nintendo fans) has yet to be finalized, this development hints of Nintendo’s plans to take on PlayStation 5 from Sony and Xbox Series X and S from Microsoft.

People briefed on the strategy also told Bloomberg News that the upgraded Switch will be accompanied by a slew of games from Nintendo itself and related outside studios. Those games would cater to a wide range of players, from casual gamers seeking small doses of escapism to more devoted fans putting in hours in marathon gaming sessions. The focus on next year’s timetable may explain Nintendo’s relatively quiet software release schedule this year, so far.

According to insiders, production of Nintendo’s next-gen console isn’t expected to begin until 2021 because assembly partners are still busy making the current models.

FDG Entertainment, the game developer of Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom, is the latest to fuel rumors about the upgraded Switch. In a cryptic tweet, FDG hinted: “Who knows?! Maybe Switch also has some next-gen hardware in the oven?”

The Kyoto-based gaming giant has achieved great success in coming up with record-breaking hit Animal Crossing: New Horizons and even in the COVID-19 pandemic, its stocks registered a 70 percent surge in share price since the game’s release in March.