[Update] After publishing our article, gaming outlet Eurogamer also writes that the new Nintendo Switch model is expected to be shown before this year's E3 event.
I understand this is to ensure third-parties working on games which support the upgraded Switch are free to announce these projects at E3, and before Nintendo's own digital showcase later in that week.
[Original story] Nintendo’s rumored upgraded new Nintendo Switch 4K model might launch as soon as September with an official announcement being imminent.
In a new report from Bloomberg, journalists Takashi Mochizuki and Debby Wu write that Nintendo might well be planning to announce its new Switch model ahead of next month’s E3 event. According to the report, the upgraded model with be available alongside the Switch Lite with the original Nintendo Switch being gradually phased out. Exact details on the price of the new model weren’t shared, but will likely be sold for a higher price than the original $299 model due to the new OLED display and upgraded hardware with 4K capabilities via NVIDIA's DLSS upscaling tech.
“The new console, likely to be priced higher than the $299 original, may be announced ahead of the E3 conference starting June 12 to allow publishers to showcase their full range of Switch games at the global event”, people familiar with the new model reportedly told Bloomberg. “It will be sold alongside the $199 Switch Lite, with the standard Switch phased out over time.”
Based on Bloomberg’s report, the new model will start shipping as early as July.
The report continues, “assemblers will start shipping the new model -- whose commercial name is known only to a handful of people within the Kyoto-based company -- as early as July, and production is planned to ramp up to a peak in the October-December quarter.”
Earlier this year, Bloomberg reported that the new Switch ‘Pro’ model could be sold for $349 USD.
The new report is being backed up by well-known Nintendo insider Emily Rogers, who took to Twitter to confirm that Bloomberg’s report is accurate and that an announcement for the new model is indeed imminent.
Yes, Bloomberg's report was accurate.
New screen, upgraded chips.
Aiming for Sept - Oct release.
An announcement is imminent. We might be getting news sooner than we thought.— Emily Rogers (@ArcadeGirl64) May 27, 2021
In other Nintendo Switch-related news – the insider also expressed to be confident that fans will be seeing a new Metroid game later this year. This rumor is in line with the recent rumors about Nintendo planning to release a new 2D Metroid installment on the Switch.
We’ll update you as soon as we learn more on this matter. For now, stay tuned.
