Two new Nintendo Switch models rumoured

Rumours are circulating that Nintendo is gearing up to release two new models of the Nintendo Switch, following the publishing of a report by The Wall Street Journal.

That new report follows up on a similar report they published back in October of last year, where they reported that Nintendo was planning on releasing just one new model of the Switch in 2019. If these new rumours are true, Nintendo has decided to double down on their initial plan.

It seems as though each of the rumoured new Switch models will be aimed at opposite ends of the market, with the first new model having “enhanced features targeted at avid videogamers”, although they do say that “it won’t be as powerful as Sony Corp.’s PlayStation 4 Pro or Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox One X”, so don’t expect it to be a Nintendo equivalent to either of those machines. The second model, which is going to be cheaper than the current Nintendo Switch, sounds like it’s intended to be a long term replacement for the Nintendo 3DS, with WSJ calling it “a cheaper option for casual gamers that Nintendo sees as a successor to its ageing hand-held 3DS device”. WSJ claims that Nintendo will be dropping certain features for the cheaper model of the console, with controller vibration being cited as one feature expected to get the chop.

WSJ expects both new models to be announced at E3 in June, with the possibility of them being released “a few months later”, which would see them arrive just in time for Christmas, which makes sense from a business point of view. Nintendo is likely to be eager to present something big at this years E3 to take advantage of Sony’s shock decision not to attend, and announcing two new Switch models could be the perfect way to take advantage.

I’m a big fan of companies releasing different models of their consoles with varying price points, as it allows consumers to have more control over what they’re willing to spend and what requirements they have from their console. We’ll have to see how this one pans out, but it’ll be interesting to see what price points these two new Switch models come in at and what effect it will have on the standard Nintendo Switch that is available today.