Latest Switch 2 Update May Confirm Two Rumors About Nintendo's Next Console

26.01.2024 - 20:17 / screenrant.com / Ben Brosofsky / Nintendo

A new report offers more clarity on the future of the Nintendo Switch 2, and the key piece of news that it delivers actually supports two major rumors about the upcoming console. Nintendo has generally kept quiet about plans for a Switch successor, but that hasn't stopped speculation from running wild for years. In more recent months, things have transitioned from more random conjecture to reasonably grounded analysis of reports about the console, which seems set to arrive in the near future despite the lack of any official announcement from Nintendo.

The Nintendo Switch is coming up on its seven-year anniversary, a healthy lifespan for a console that's significantly less powerful than its competitors. An appealing form factor and strong marketing helped propel it beyond the disappointing performance of the Wii U, and it's held strong despite the lack of any major mid-generation upgrade. Although a Switch Pro may have been in development at some point, any plans for overhauling the system have merged into the development of its successor. Getting the Switch 2 right will be crucial, as losing the momentum generated by the console would be an enormous waste.

One piece of information that's been bouncing around for a while is the idea that the Nintendo Switch 2 will have an LCD screen, and a new report from Bloomberg backs up this theory with support from analyst Hiroshi Hayase. Hayase's market research on small and medium display panels apparently indicates the significant supply chain shifts necessary to provide these panels for a Switch successor. Although Nintendo declined to comment on the situation, actual production shifts like this are generally a significantly more reliable indicator of plans than random rumors.

The fact that the Nintendo Switch 2 will presumably be employing an LCD panel will no doubt be disappointing to some, as the minor mid-generation Switch refresh saw it receive an upgrade to an OLED screen. The decision isn't surprising, however, as keeping costs down on the panel will make it easier to target a competitive Switch 2 price point necessary to sell the device to families. The original Switch's LCD panel is also a strong display despite its lack of contrast compared to an OLED, with better color accuracy and uniformity than some past Nintendo offerings.

Another interesting tidbit about the new LCD panel is that it's expected to be an 8-inch display, which outdoes both the 6.2-inch LCD panel of the standard Nintendo Switch model and the 7-inch OLED panel of the upgraded version. Presumably, the design will look more similar to the smaller bezels on the OLED model, as a lot of extra space went to thick bezels on the original iteration. Even so, an 8-inch diagonal is slightly