Followers anticipating a successor to the Change should wait a bit longer. Nintendo confirmed that no Change 2 or Change Professional is predicted within the coming months throughout its newest earnings name. 2024 may lastly be the yr we see what new console the corporate’s been engaged on, however within the meantime gamers should put up with the present, ageing {hardware}.
The Week In Video games: Return To Hyrule
Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa instructed buyers on a name Tuesday that no new Change or revised variations just like the Change Lite and OLED mannequin had been factored into the 2023 fiscal outlook, Bloomberg stories. Whereas that doesn’t fully preclude the corporate from surprise-launching one thing, or starting to tease it later within the yr, it definitely makes any imminent launch of a extra highly effective Change console unlikely.
This would be the third yr in a row now that gamers have been ready for Nintendo to announce a extra highly effective handheld hybrid. Different corporations aren’t ready for the famed writer to make the following transfer both. Valve launched its personal Steam Deck PC gaming handheld and Asus is now getting ready to compete with the ROG Ally, an expensive system that however guarantees highly effective specs. Then once more, none of these have The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
The information comes amid a slowdown in total Change gross sales because the {hardware} enters its seventh yr. The corporate introduced it offered 18 million models final yr, almost 1 / 4 lower than in 2021 and under its aim of 21 million. Furukawa stated the corporate’s aim within the meantime is to promote extra Switches to individuals who already personal them. “We attempt to not solely put one system in each dwelling, however a number of in each dwelling, and even one for each particular person,” he stated within the newest earnings assertion.
Learn Extra: Can The Change Deal with Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom? Right here’s What Individuals Are Saying
A technique it’s been doing that’s by releasing special-edition Switches pegged to main launches like Pokémon Scarlet and Violet and now Tears of the Kingdom. Nintendo stated it additionally goals to proceed rising the gross sales of older video games. Notably, Tremendous Mario Bros. U Deluxe offered one other 2 million copies final yr, edging Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee out of the Change’s prime 10 best-selling video games checklist. An enormous Mario Day sale and the billion-dollar field workplace success of the Mario Film in all probability helped with that.
Whereas Tears of the Kingdom is true across the nook, Pikmin 4 is at present Nintendo’s solely main introduced launch for the second half of the yr. The one different scheduled drops to this point are Scarlet and Violet’s Space Zero enlargement and extra Mario Kart 8 Deluxe DLC. Metroid Prime 4 continues to be TBD and Nintendo has but to tease any different large blockbusters within the pipeline, although I’m certain they’re there. A brand new Tremendous Mario sport lastly, maybe? It’s been nearly six years for the reason that final one.
Or possibly Nintendo will reserve it for every time it’s lastly able to reveal no matter console is coming after the Change.
