New Console Delayed Until 2024

Nintendo recently announced some news that might disappoint many fans (including me). They've officially put to rest all the rumors swirling around about their next hardware release, including the much-anticipated Switch Pro or Switch 2, or whatever it may eventually be called. According to Bloomberg, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa shared during an investor meeting that we will see a successor to the Nintendo Switch in at least April 2024. Yes, you read that right – we're looking at waiting for another year or more.

This announcement comes at a time when Switch sales have been slowing down. Over the last financial year (April 2022 to March 2023), they sold around 18 million units. That's a drop from the 23 million sold the year before and an even bigger decline from the 28 million units sold the year before that. Despite this downward trend, Nintendo isn't rushing to release a new console. They are predicting another decrease in sales for the coming year.

Furukawa acknowledged during the meeting that maintaining Switch's sales momentum is becoming a challenge as it enters its seventh year in the market. He even admitted that reaching their goal of selling 15 million units this fiscal year might take a lot of work. Still, they're committed to boosting demand, especially during the holiday season.

Rumors about a new console have been floating around for a while. Some analysts even thought Nintendo might drop the new hardware as early as 2021, with hopes that it would offer graphics on par with the PS4 or PS4 Pro.

Nintendo's decision to delay the new console until 2024 raises some questions. Why are they waiting? What challenges are they facing? While we don't have all the answers, we can only guess. It could be that Nintendo wants to ensure their new console delivers an amazing gaming experience. They may be working on groundbreaking features that could shake up the gaming industry once again. Who knows?

What we do know is that Nintendo is focused on overcoming the challenges ahead and maintaining its success. They're aiming to boost demand and hit their sales targets, even with the current sales dip. As fans, all we can do is wait and hope the wait will be worth it.

What do you think? Is it better for Nintendo to take their time, or would you prefer to see a new console sooner?