If you were hoping to get your hands on the Nintendo Switch 2, you may have to wait a while as Nintendo’s highly anticipated console successor won’t be releasing anytime soon. According to the Japanese publication Nikkei, the console has its release window pushed back to March 2025. The main reason for the new release being due to Nintendo wanting to ensure enough consoles are manufactured in order to satisfy consumer demand as a way to combat scalpers and avoid a situation similar to that of the PS5.
While fans will undoubtedly be disappointed, this decision by Nintendo does make a lot of sense. Back in 2017, when the Switch first launched, the hybrid console was in such high demand that the console was nearly impossible to get a hold of. This unfortunately meant that scalping and resellers were running rampant and it is very likely that the gaming giant wouldn’t want a repeat of this situation with the Nintendo Switch 2.
Nintendo will launch the successor of its mega-hit Switch console as early as March 2025, later than widely expected, Nikkei has learned.
Though it was expected to be out in 2024, the company has prioritized giving more time to game developers.https://t.co/kbgaGo3ZV9
— Nikkei Asia (@NikkeiAsia) February 27, 2024
It should be noted that March 2025 is the earliest possible date Nintendo would be able to release the console. It is very likely that the hybrid console will not make to store shelves for Nintendo’s next financial year. There is a lot of pressure riding of the Nintendo Switch 2 as the company had announced there had been a 7.8% decline in Nintendo Switch sales, which means the console sold 1.26 million less units than the original 15 million units it had originally predicted. Even then, with 139.36 million units sold, the Nintendo Switch is steadily becoming one of the best-selling consoles of all time just behind the Nintendo DS and PlayStation 2.
Interestingly enough, the delayed release window wasn’t the only interesting piece of information we learned about the Nintendo Switch 2, as Nikkei has confirmed that the console will also have hybrid functionality much like the original Nintendo Switch but will instead feature a bigger screen. This may not be the only new feature we can expect to see from Nintendo’s next-gen hybrid console as many fans speculate the console may feature backwards compatibility as well as possible VR capabilities.
