Nintendo’s next-gen console is slowly coming into focus

polygon.com:

Nintendo’s next-generation console is slowly starting to come into focus. The Switch successor is slated for release in the second half of 2024, according to a new report from VGC, citing anonymous development sources. Some “key partner studios” reportedly already have development kits for the Switch successor.

While details on Nintendo’s next-gen hardware are scant, it will reportedly be playable as a portable device, just like the Nintendo Switch, and will support cartridge-based games. The system will reportedly feature an LCD screen, not an OLED screen, which aligns with reporting from Bloomberg that Sharp is manufacturing LCD screens for a “new gaming console.”

The latest report on what is colloquially known as “Switch 2” is in line with Nikkei Asia’s reporting from May, which said that a new Nintendo console is in the works and could be ready next year. VGC editor-in-chief Andy Robinson said in a video discussion supplementing his story that he expects “the floodgates are going to open” as more studios get their hands on Nintendo’s next-gen dev kits.

Nintendo has not formally announced its next console, and has effectively ruled out releasing one anytime prior to April 1, 2024. The company said earlier this year that it wants to bolster Switch sales with new games and add-on content. Nintendo’s current lineup includes new games and DLC for some of its biggest franchises, including Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Detective Pikachu Returns, a Super Mario RPG remake, WarioWare: Move It!, a new Princess Peach game, and a pair of add-ons for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet called The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero. Most of these games have 2023 release dates, but the Princess Peach game and a remake of Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon are