Nintendo"s hybrid console - the Nintendo Switch - made quite a splash when it launched last year, contributing towards a significant bump in operating profit when the company released its annual report back in April. The device remains fairly popular, but the gaming giant has been facing some pressure as its performance hasn"t been quite up to the expectations set in the first year.
There are already some major titles making their way to the Switch, such as Pokémon Let"s Go and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, which will likely boost the hardware sales towards the end of the year, but it seems like Nintendo has other plans to bring those numbers up. According to a report from The Wall Street Journal (via Kotaku), the company is planning to release an updated version of the hybrid sometime in 2019 in order to keep its sales momentum.
It"s not entirely clear which improvements will be made to the console"s hardware, but it"s expected that it will be compatible with all the software for the current iteration. This is only logical considering that we"re talking about a refresh just two years after the original release and not a whole new system. On the hardware side, it"s said that one of the possible improvements is the display, which will reportedly be more in line with what"s offered on modern smartphones. It"s still not an OLED panel, but the newer technology would make it brighter, thinner and more power-efficient, according to the report.
Aside from that, there"s not much more to suggest what could change with the upcoming refresh. Presumably, the form factor will be similar to ensure compatibility with the current Joy-Con controllers, but it would be interesting if Nintendo could reduce the bezels around the display or replace the protective plastic with glass.
Source: The Wall Street Journal (Paywall) via Kotaku