Skip to main content

No Switch hardware revision this year - Report

Wall Street Journal says company will focus on peripherals to drive sales for hybrid system's second year

Those holding back on a Switch purchase for a hardware revision may have to be a bit more patient. With the Switch celebrating its first full year on shelves this week, The Wall Street Journal cites sources familiar with Nintendo's plans in reporting that the console-handheld hybrid won't see a hardware refresh in its second year.

Instead, Nintendo will focus on improving the system's offering of online features and peripherals. While the upcoming line of Labo cardboard build-it-yourself kits is one example of the company's peripheral strategy, it is also considering additional add-ons that would use the USB-C port at the system's base.

While it would be unusual for Nintendo to release a significant hardware revision for one of its home consoles in the first two years, it's just as unusual for its portable systems to not have a follow-up in that time period. The Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and Nintendo 3DS were followed by the Game Boy Advance SP, DS Lite, and 3DS XL respectively in their second year on the market.

The Nintendo Switch launched on March 3, 2017, and is on pace to have sold 17 million units by the end of this March.

Read this next

Brendan Sinclair avatar
Brendan Sinclair: Brendan joined GamesIndustry.biz in 2012. Based in Toronto, Ontario, he was previously senior news editor at GameSpot.
Related topics