Are you looking forward to an upgraded Nintendo Switch or Switch Pro? It looks like you’re in for a long wait.
You can never be reminded to ignore rumours often enough. Following rampant speculation that an upgraded Switch model is on the horizon, Nintendo has confirmed in a new Corporate Management Policy Briefing that we won’t see a “Switch Pro” in 2020.
In the briefing – which covers the fiscal year ending March 2020 – president Shuntaro Furukawa says that the Switch Lite is the company’s focus for the foreseeable future:
“With the launch of Nintendo Switch Lite in 2019 as a member of the Nintendo Switch family at a different price point and with different features, we are seeing new consumers purchasing Nintendo Switch for the first time, and also consumers who already own Nintendo Switch opting to purchase an additional system to make use of both systems.”
Since March 2017, the Switch family has sold a combined total of 52 million units. Furukawa says the priority is on continued growth, and that a new hardware model is not part of that plan.
“We believe that it is important to continue to communicate the appeal of both Nintendo Switch systems and expand the installed base. Please note that we have no plans to launch a new Nintendo Switch model during 2020.”
That’s not to say that an upgraded Switch won’t be released at some point, but with demand for the current models still high, 2020 looks too soon for a significant update.
Read the full Nintendo Policy Briefing
- Corporate Management Policy Briefing / Jan. 2020 (pdf) – 1 MB.
In the meantime, we can look forward to the release of a beautiful Animal Crossing themed console. It’s due in March alongside the highly anticipated Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
Follow Thumbsticks on Facebook, Google News, Twitter, and Flipboard for more video game news, reviews, and politely expressed opinions.
