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Don’t expect a Switch Pro or new Nintendo console within the next year

By Tomas Franzese Published May 9, 2023

If you were hoping that a new Nintendo console was right on the horizon after the release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, think again. Nintendo has confirmed that it plans to release no new hardware over the next 12 months.

On May 9, Nintendo shared its financial results for the last fiscal year with investors. Console and software sales both lagged by a bit compared to the year before, with Nintendo crediting a semiconductor shortage and a weaker holiday season for that. Looking to the next year, the company hopes to sell 15 million new Nintendo Switch consoles on top of the 125.62 million that are already out there. Those forecasts are all based on existing hardware, according to a report by Bloomberg.

Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa confirmed as such on a call with investors following the release of Nintendo’s financial results, saying that “no new or upgraded hardware is factored into Nintendo’s annual forecast.” Industry analysts like Ampere Analysis’ Piers-Harding Rolls and NPD’s Mat Piscatella predict that Nintendo won’t release new hardware until the latter half of 2024, and this appears to line up with Nintendo’s own plans.

So, if you’re worried about picking up a new Nintendo Switch ahead of the release of Tears of the Kingdom would be made redundant quickly, you appear to have at least one more year until the next piece of Nintendo gaming hardware is upon us. Whether that comes in the form of a true successor to the Switch or something entirely unpredictable, we’ll just have to wait and see.

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Gaming Staff Writer

Tomas Franzese is a Staff Writer at Digital Trends, where he reports on and reviews the latest releases and exciting…

Gaming

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This all came from a statement by President Shuntaro Furukawa on Nintendo's corporate X (formerly Twitter) account. "We will make an announcement about the successor to Nintendo Switch within this fiscal year. It will have been over nine years since we announced the existence of Nintendo Switch back in March 2015," the post confirms. "We will be holding a Nintendo Direct this June regarding the Nintendo Switch software lineup for the latter half of 2024, but please be aware that there will be no mention of the Nintendo Switch successor during that presentation."

Gaming

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A Steam Deck sits next to a Switch OLED.

It's always an exciting week when the sequel to one of the greatest games of all time surprise releases on a Monday. That's what happened on May 6 when Hades 2 surprise launched into early access. Players are already diving into the surprisingly robust roguelike, testing their might in its new biomes. I've been enjoying it myself from the comfort of my couch -- and not on my Nintendo Switch, where I played the first Hades. Instead, I'm curled up with my Steam Deck.

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Early access on the go
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Gaming

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Thankfully, you have a lot of great excuses to do so if you're subscribed to Nintendo Switch Online. The service is home to plenty of classic games from the NES up to the Nintendo 64. Even if you're a game historian, there's a good chance you haven't played everything Switch Online has to offer. This weekend, I have three recommendations for anyone looking to fire up some great, old games. These aren't random picks; I've chosen three games that feel spiritually linked to some of this spring's biggest games.
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