Contrast to Sony and Microsoft, Nintendo has always found their success stepping outside the boundaries of the standard means of hardware development. While speculation of the Nintendo Switch's success was largely skeptical once its specs were revealed (such as running on a modified Tegra X1, which was not capable of producing high-end games on par with the PS4 and Xbox One), the hybrid portability and a desirable line of software made it a global success. It's now approaching seven years into the lifespan of the Switch, and the PlayStation 5, Series X|S, and Steam Deck have seen the sales of the under-powered Switch declining.

Nintendo has kept the cards close to their chest regarding the follow-up hardware, but mild leaks throughout the recent months have indicated the developer/publisher has been in the lab, waiting for the time to showcase the successor, and it will be capable of producing high-power games on par with the current generation hardware. Insidergaming.com founder and  reporter Tom Henderson posted on Twitter/X that it will be more regular to see the next Nintendo platform getting the same launch reveals as the PS5 and Series X|S.

Really excited for the Nintendo Switch 2 and its tech. We'll see "Launching on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC" a heck of a lot in 12-18 months.

Really excited for the Nintendo Switch 2 and its tech.

We'll see "Launching on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC" a heck of a lot in 12-18 months.

— Tom Henderson (@_Tom_Henderson_) September 30, 2023

Most of the rumors and projection windows indicate a new console from Nintendo will likely be revealed in 2024. The Switch global sales, as of September 2023 (according to Statista) are sitting around 132.5 million units. Nintendo will certainly aim carefully to meet the consumer and developer expectations to keep the traction going. Doug Bowser has stated in the recent past that Nintendo is embracing backwards compatibility, so there's a strong chance current Switch software will remain viable. Powerful chip sets have become more accessible in recent years, and early in the Switch's development cycle, there were plans to use a more sophisticated processor, but complications led to overheating. Today's games are quite powerful and demanding, it will be interesting to see if Nintendo's key data compression can match the interior cooling for their hardware to run heavier titles like Call of Duty and potentially Grand Theft Auto 6 (not confirming that, mere speculation on this writer's part). 

Will they have learned the mistakes of the Wii U? Will the next Nintendo console truly rival the PlayStation 5?

SOURCES: Insidergaming, Statista