Nintendo reportedly has an upgraded Switch in the works for 2019

Although Nintendo has been enjoying a lucrative second year with its Switch hybrid console, reports suggest that sales have softened in recent months. It looks as though Nintendo anticipated this, however, as it gears up to launch an iterative upgrade to the hybrid console next year.

Nintendo isn’t shy with its iterative upgrades, first noticeably launching hardware variants with the handheld Game Boy Advance, releasing Advance SP and Micro versions following the original. This trend continued throughout its successor, with the Nintendo DS, DS Lite, DSi and DSi XL. Of course, its latest true portable console comes in a whopping six different variants, with Nintendo releasing 3DS, 3DS XL, New 3DS, New 3DS XL, 2DS and New 2DS XL across six years.

While PlayStation and Xbox have been releasing Slim and Elite versions of their consoles for years, Nintendo has rarely embraced iterative upgrades to its home consoles. Unlike Sony’s PlayStation 4 Pro and Microsoft’s Xbox One X, the Wall Street Journal’s report of a new Switch suggests that it won’t be a comprehensive hardware overhaul, but focus on updating the display.

Oddly, the report states that Nintendo isn’t considering the now-standard OLED panel, and will likely be switching out the lower-end LCD display on the current version of the Switch for higher-end LCD technology. This is to make the hybrid console “brighter, thinner and more energy-efficient” rather than more powerful.

Nintendo has yet to release an official response to the reports, which are comprised of information from “suppliers and others with direct knowledge of the plan,” however it’s possible that we will learn more in the run-up to its 2019 launch if the leak holds water.

KitGuru Says: Given its 2019 line-up, Nintendo could launch its new Switch bundled with any number of first-party games. A Pokémon-themed Switch would be a delight, as would a Fire Emblem: Thee Houses and Luigi’s Mansion 3 bundle. Are you interested in buying a new Switch? What game would you like to see it bundled with?

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