Nintendo Potentially Hints New Console: What It Could Mean for Consumers

A Nintendo Switch OLED model

By RILEY EATON
Special to North Palm Beach Life

Nintendo has been a prominent part of the gaming industry, and the numbers alone speak volumes. With a whopping 100 million-plus Nintendo Wii consoles and more than 125 million Nintendo Switch consoles sold over the years according to GameRant’s Tom Bowen, it is clear that Nintendo is a top choice for many gamers. With that said, people younger and older alike look forward to the new release of games and, occasionally, new consoles by Nintendo. Last night (November 7th, perhaps November 6th depending on time zone), Nintendo’s president Shuntaro Furukawa finally addressed ongoing rumors about a Nintendo Switch 2.

According to Nintendo Everything, Furukawa said to Nintendo Investors, “The rumors online that appear to be public information are not accurate.”

Also cited from Nintendo Everything, Furukawa went on to say, regarding a public patent of a peculiar Switch-DS hybrid console that Nintendo purchased, “We applied for a patent knowing the information would be made public. This does not necessarily mean we plan to equip future products with this.”

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​From the astute observation of gamer YouTuber Aero in his video titled "Nintendo’s President Talked About Switch 2 Last Night,"  Aero points out that Furukawa has completely shut down rumors about new consoles in the past, so Furukawa’s too-specific statement has potentially tipped off to an upcoming console.

So, if a new console or Nintendo Switch 2 is truly on the horizon, what will that mean for consumers? It can mean a lot of things for different people.

On one hand, it’s exciting to upgrade to a gaming console with better graphics, cool new features and a library of new and innovative games. On the other, gamers and parents of gamer kids may feel frustrated at the idea because of Nintendo console pricing (e.g. a current Nintendo Switch model costs on average $300 at average retailers like Walmart and GameStop, excluding accessories and games), and it could mean leaving behind a library of expensive and beloved video games collected over a span of years.

There’s no way around the finances, but let's hope Nintendo will treat fans and customers fairly when it comes to their game libraries. Perhaps Nintendo would use a hardware/software combo on a Nintendo Switch 2 that would allow physical copies of Switch games to run on new consoles like they did with the Nintendo 3DS being equipped to run predecessor Nintendo DS games on it. Hopefully, they’ll also permit digitally downloaded Switch games that are backed up to SD cards to be uploaded to the new console via the SD card.

But, yes, there’s also a huge chance that corporate greed will force people’s current game libraries to stay stuck on their Switches forever to boost the sale of new consoles and new games…

The bottom line? Furukawa’s statement was vague yet telling, but there are still too many unknowns to say for sure how a new Nintendo console, if any, may affect Nintendo Switch users and customer game libraries. All we know for sure is the likelihood of Nintendo doing something with a console in the future. 

In the meantime, my advice to gamers who worry like I do about what a new console could mean for their beloved game library: Don’t throw out your physical Switch cartridges, transfer  your digital-only Switch game data to an SD card and don’t feel bad about holding out on buying a new console for financial reasons or to enjoy your current Switch for longer if a new one rolls out anytime soon. Otherwise, I wouldn't sweat it too much because Nintendo may still surprise us with console features and Switch compatibility that makes everyone happy.

References
Bowen, Tom. "The Best-Selling Video Game Consoles of All Time, Ranked." GameRant, 18 July 2023, https://gamerant.com/best-selling-video-game-consoles-most-sales/#playstation-102-4-million
Accessed 8 November 2023.

Nintendo Everything. "Nintendo president says recent switch 2 rumors are inaccurate." Nintendo Everything, 7 November 2023, https://nintendoeverything.com/nintendo-president-says-recent-switch-2-rumors-are-inaccurate/
Accessed 8 November 2023.

"Nintendo’s President Talked About Switch 2 Last Night…" YouTube, uploaded by Aero, 7 November 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8BOg6yRHzE&t=312s