Nintendo’s Switch 2 Gamble: Familiar Face, $400 Price Tag?

There have long been rumors that in 2024, Nintendo will unveil the Switch 2. In July 2023, reports emerged suggesting that game studios closely allied with Nintendo had received development kits for the Switch 2. Many Japanese game developers, in their New Year’s addresses, openly expressed their anticipation for Nintendo’s new console.

In an article by Gamesindustry predicting the gaming industry’s landscape in 2024, Dr. Serkan Toto, an analyst at Kantan Games, shared his insights on the Switch 2. He noted that a “Pro” version of the Switch had been in the works, with some developers even obtaining development kits, but it was subsequently abandoned for unknown reasons. Toto then hypothesized that the Switch 2 would be a conventional hardware upgrade rather than an innovative leap forward. Although Nintendo might introduce some flashy new features in the new model, its overall design would largely resemble the original Switch, maintaining its hallmark portability. In terms of pricing, Toto anticipates the Switch 2 could be priced at a steep $400, a significant increase from the Switch’s standard retail price of $300. Toto, with a long history in analysis, has previously made accurate predictions and reports about the Japanese gaming industry.

Wccftech, however, points out the current predictions about the Switch 2 are rife with contradictions. Earlier reports suggested the device might support DLSS 3.5 and ray tracing technologies, potentially outperforming the XSX/S and PS5 in gaming performance. However, other sources claimed Nintendo had finalized the Switch 2’s SoC to be a custom Nvidia T239, with an 8-core Cortex-A78 CPU and 1280 CUDA core GPU, possibly manufactured using Samsung’s 7LPH process. Thus, wccftech advises tempering expectations for the Switch 2’s performance. They concur with Toto’s prediction that the most likely scenario for the Switch 2 is a standard hardware upgrade rather than a groundbreaking product.