Switch 2 apparently ‘delayed’ until 2025 for a very specific reason
How do you go about topping one of the most successful home consoles of all time? Well, in the case of Nintendo, it could be a case of slapping a '2' on the end, beefing up its capabilities, and giving us eight inches - insert smutty pun here.
It's a close call on what the rumour mill likes churning out more: stories about the mythical PlayStation 5 Pro or rumours about the mythical Switch 2. While we've heard about a successor to the Nintendo Switch since before the pandemic, it feels like we're constantly being struck by the blue shell of Mario Kart or stalling on the starting line.
The Switch 2 has apparently been delayed
Click to enlargeWe last heard about the Switch 2/Pro being more of an 'iteration' of its bigger brother, suggesting a console that looks a lot like its sibling but packs a little more oomph under the hood. With rumours of fully integrated backward compatibility and a potential 2024 release, gamers were ready to welcome another child to the family.
However, with word of a delay and the February 2024 Nintendo Direct making no mention of what comes next, it started to dawn on us that this year might be another year without a new Switch under the Christmas tree. Now, Japanese newspaper Nikkei (via Eurogamer) suggests the gaming giant is targeting 2025.
According to the publications, Nintendo had been aiming for a late 2024 launch but has since bumped the Switch 2 back into 2025. Eurogamer's sources had previously suggested a 2025 delay to allow for a more "robust" lineup of launch games, although the latest update hints that a different reason could be behind the move.
The Switch 2 could be delayed for an important reason
Click to enlargeCasting your minds back to the release of the PS5 and Xbox Series, those gaming Goliaths going head-to-head wasn't quite the console launch they'd hoped for. Due to issues with sourcing parts, finding either console was a bit of a challenge. In fact, both the PS5 and Xbox Series have faced stocking issues until fairly recently.
Nikkei now claims that the Switch 2 will arrive in March 2025, which means it would miss the bumper end-of-year sales season. The Switch 2 would still fit into the upcoming financial year in terms of launch sales, and holding it back is apparently to avoid issues with scalpers making the most of limited stock levels.
It's important to note that even if all of the above is true and even if Nintendo is hoping to release the Switch 2 in March 2025, all of this could change if the gaming giant deems it 'necessary.' Even though it looks like we're shuffling closer to the Nintendo Switch, it feels like one step forward, two steps back.
