Nintendo 'considering many different designs' for next-gen Switch

Nintendo has briefly mention its next-gen hardware plans but there's admittedly not much to go on.

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In Nintendo's recent quarterly Q&A session with investors, company CEO Shuntaro Furukawa confirms that a single concept or design hasn't been locked in just yet.

"With regards to the next game system, we are considering many different things, but as far as the concept and launch timing are concerned, there is nothing we can share at this time," Mr. Furukawa said.

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NVIDIA's new Orin SoC could power the next-gen Switch.

We've been reporting on the new 4K-ready Nintendo Switch, dubbed the Switch 4K or Switch Pro, for years now. All the signs are there, and have been in place for a while.

Nintendo's own recent financial briefing strongly indicates the new system is on the way. Reports say game developers already have upgraded Switch 4K devkits, and NVIDIA is currently preparing new Tegra chips that could theoretically power the next-gen handheld-console hybrid. The new Switch OLED dock is also future-proofed with a chip that can output 4K resolution video at 60 FPS.

The real question is the overall design and form factor--will the upgraded Switch be a console-only device, or will it also transform and make the 2017, 2019, and new Switch OLED models obsolete? Based on the way Nintendo describes differentiating consumer motivations, I'm betting it'll be a console-only device similar to the Wii.

In any case, we won't hear about a new model until next year at the earliest.