Switch 2 will be an iterative upgrade, not a big next-gen 'revolution,' analyst predicts

Nintendo's new Switch 2 console may be more like a pro model than a fully-fledged next-gen system, one analyst predicts.

Like most of the internet, Japan-based video games analyst Dr. Serkan Toto believes that Nintendo will release a new console in 2024. Rumor has it that the new Switch model--dubbed the Switch 4K, Switch Pro, Super Switch, or Switch 2, depending on who you ask--will feature a new enhanced NVIDIA chip capable of 4K resolution upscaling. Having already completed the trifecta of Switch hardware, Nintendo's new hardware will apparently aim at a more modern audience now that 4K UHDTVs are so widespread.

Dr. Toto lays out his predictions in a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, where he says that the new Switch could be more iterative than it is next-gen. This indicates that the Switch 2 could be somewhere in the middle between a Switch Pro and entirely new gaming platform, or even potentially sit in the same Switch family as the fourth, most-powerful system. This is supported by the fact that the Switch 2 is likely to use the same 4K-ready dock as the Switch OLED model.

"The time is finally here for a Switch successor, even though I can say a "Pro" model actually did exist and certain developers were already working with the dev kit.

"I believe the next hardware will drop next year for $400. There is a high chance that games will cost more, too: $70.

"The next system is also likely to be an iteration rather than a revolution. Nintendo might add some bells and whistles to the device, but it will be similar to the current Switch.

"And because there is Pokemon and Pokemon is associated with handheld gaming, there is no way on earth Nintendo will drop the portability feature for their next big thing."

This isn't the first time Dr. Toto made predictions around the Switch 2. The analyst had previously forecasted that Nintendo would release a new Switch Pro in 2020 for $400. Reports from Digital Foundry, and Dr. Toto, say that Nintendo was planning on a Switch Pro model but it was cancelled.

Reports indicate that Nintendo showcased its new Switch hardware during special behind-the-scenes demo events at Gamescom. Sources tell Video Game Chronicle that Nintendo plans to release the new system sometime in the second-half of 2024, potentially during the holiday season.