Switch 2 Will Have Larger Screen That Might Not Be OLED, Tech Analyst Says

26.01.2024 - 15:21 / gamerant.com / Dominik Bo / Nintendo / Will

The next console from Nintendo, provisionally dubbed the Switch 2, will feature an LCD screen that's roughly 15% larger than that of its predecessor, an industry analyst said. This forecast, which also includes some additional predictions about the console, is the latest in a long string of evidence indicating that the Switch successor could be hitting the market sooner rather than later.

According to a recent GDC study, a substantial number of studios are already developing games for the Switch 2. The main implication of that finding is that Nintendo has already started sending out the console's dev kits no later than 2023. The Japanese gaming giant historically sends out specialized hardware 6 to 18 months before a given system's release.

The possibility of the Switch 2 hitting the market in the immediate future has now been substantiated by consultancy firm Omdia. Speaking to Bloomberg, Omdia Research Manager Hiroshi Hayase forecast that the next Nintendo console will be released before the end of 2024. His prediction is largely based on an analysis of consumer electronics supply chains, with Hayase explaining that the number of «amusement display» shipments is expected to double this year, amounting to around 26.6 million units. Such a component uptick is most easily explained by the impending arrival of a hot commodity like a new Nintendo console.

Although the latest variant of the Switch features an OLED display, its successor will once again revert to LCDs, Hayase believes. This forecast isn't the first indication that the next Nintendo console will launch with an LCD panel, with one late 2023 leak already claiming the Switch 2 will lack an OLED display. Japanese display manufacturer and Foxconn subsidiary Sharp is believed to be supplying the Switch 2 panels. The company already has a long-standing relationship with Nintendo, having most recently helped assemble the Switch during the initial wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hayase also expects the Switch 2 to release with an 8-inch display, thus offering almost 15% more screen real estate than its 7-inch predecessor. And while a larger screen would mean an increase in power consumption, Nintendo would presumably offset the difference by equipping its upcoming console with a bigger battery in order to at the very least match—if not exceed—the Switch battery life.

The 2017 console will be seven years old on March 3. Since its successor hasn't yet been unveiled as of late January, the chances of it hitting the market in the first half of 2024 are slim. But given how new Switch 2 leaks and rumors are now emerging on a near-daily basis, Nintendo's next console does appear to be just around the corner in a «where there's smoke, there's fire» kind of way.

Ni