According to reports coming out of Japan, Nintendo is indeed preparing its next-generation console. Nintendo has addressed the idea of a Switch successor a number of times, primarily to debunk rumours that a new console is on the way.
The cycle of Switch 2 rumours continues this week. According to Japanese news outlet, Nikkei, development of Nintendo's next console is “progressing well”, but it won't launch until 2024.
Specifically, it is suggested that the next-gen Nintendo system won't be available until at least Spring 2024. This lines up with the launch window of the original Switch console back in 2017, which released at the end of March that year alongside The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
If a new console is indeed on the way, then it raises a few questions. For instance, what will happen with Metroid Prime 4? The game was originally announced for the Switch early on in its life cycle and has yet to be seen or shown to this day. Assuming Nintendo isn't hiding it in its back pocket for a Q4 2023 launch, it could end up being one of the big year-one titles for Nintendo's next system.
KitGuru Says: Nintendo rumours are often all over the place and can rarely be trusted. With that said, 2024 sounds like the right timeframe for a new Nintendo console.