Gamers who have been waiting for years for Nintendo to release a successor to its popular Switch console finally got a clue on when to expect an upgraded device.
Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa said Tuesday in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) that the Japanese technology giant will announce the new switch within its current fiscal year, which ends in March 2025.
Nintendo offered no additional details, including a launch date for the Switch 2, as the console is called. The company didn't respond to a request for comment. In February, Nintendo told video game publishers the device will be delayed until early 2025, Bloomberg reported.
Unveiling a new Switch system would bolster Nintendo in a fiercely competitive video game market that includes Sony's Playstation and Microsoft's Xbox. The global video gaming market is expected to grow to $583.6 billion by 2030, according to business consulting firm Grand View Research.
The Switch became an instant hit for Nintendo when it debuted 2017 thanks to its unique design and plethora of games. The device resembles a tablet and has detachable buttons on each side that a player uses to control game play. It can also be docked on a charging station, enabling the user to continue playing on a television screen — a first-of-its-kind feature at the time.
Nintendo's first-ever handheld gaming system — the Game Boy — was released in 1989, but the company didn't release another handheld system until 2004, when the DS reached U.S. stores. Another 13 years went by before Nintendo introduced the Switch. In major cities across the U.S., customers camped outside in long lines the day before Switch consoles went on sale in 2017.
In 2019, Nintendo introduced the Switch Lite, a less pricey version of the gaming system. Switch sales skyrocketed in 2020 during the pandemic as homebound Americans turned to gaming to pass the time.
Some of Nintendo's best-selling video game titles — including the Legend of Zelda, Pokémon, Minecraft, Super Mario and Super Smash Bros. — are all available on the Switch, making the device even more enticing to gamers. Nintendo will announce new games available for the Switch next month during a company event, but the upcoming presentation will not include details about the Switch's successor, Furukawa also said Tuesday.
Today, the Switch is Nintendo's second-best-selling console behind the DS. Nintendo has sold more than 141 million Switch consoles, according to company data.
By comparison, the company has sold 154 million DS consoles along with 76 million Nintendo 3DS. Nintendo has sold 101 million Wii units and 13.5 million Wii U units.
Nintendo reported $3 billion in profit for the fiscal year ended in March 2024, up from $2.8 billion in the prior year.
—The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Khristopher J. Brooks is a reporter for CBS MoneyWatch. He previously worked as a reporter for the Omaha World-Herald, Newsday and the Florida Times-Union. His reporting primarily focuses on the U.S. housing market, the business of sports and bankruptcy.
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