According to a Japanese analyst, the release of the Switch 2 may be delayed and it could potentially have a higher price than originally anticipated.
In a recent report, Hideki Yasuda, an analyst at Toyo Securities, has suggested that the Nintendo Switch 2 may cost less than $499.
Yasuda spoke to Kabutan News, a Japan-based news site, and expressed that despite numerous reports indicating a $499 cost, many people in Japan remain skeptical that it will actually be priced that low.
Since its initial release seven years ago, there have been several leaks indicating that the next version will be a significant improvement. These leaks include a noteworthy increase in RAM and the addition of magnetically attached controllers.
Keeping this in consideration, it is likely that these enhancements will result in a higher price point for the Switch, surpassing the initial price of $299.99 when it was released in 2017.
With a price tag of $499, the Switch 2 is set to cost nearly $200 more than its predecessor. Despite this, Yasuda clarifies that no additional information has been disclosed about the impending handheld, leaving us to only speculate at this point.
Switch 2 coming “in the first half of next year”
According to a report translated by Google and uncovered by Bloomberg reporter Takashi Mochizuki, Yasuda also mentions that the same reports indicate the release of the Switch 2 in the first half of next year.
Toyo Securities analyst Hideki Yasuda says Nintendo’s next-gen would come first half next year. https://t.co/4ikEgUL0dJ previously said it wouldn’t come this fiscal year. That means the launch would be sometime between April and June 2025?https://t.co/11rb2eAJRB
— Takashi Mochizuki (@6d6f636869) August 16, 2024
Shuintaro Furukawa, the President of Nintendo, announced that the Switch 2 is expected to arrive within the current fiscal year, which ends in March 2025. Although Yasuda did not specify an exact month for its release, it is confirmed to be coming within this time frame.
Despite Yasuda’s findings potentially aligning with the President’s previous statement, GameIndustry.biz head Chris Dring has stated that none of the developers he has spoken with anticipate the launch of the Switch 2 during this financial year.
In a recent episode of the GameIndustry.biz Microcast podcast on August 13, Dring revealed that developers creating games for the Switch 2 have been informed to anticipate its release within the current fiscal year.
Despite Dring’s statement, those he spoke to expressed their hope that it would be released in April or May.
Takashi Mochizuki, who initially posted Hideki Yasuda’s report on X/Twitter, suggests that this could potentially indicate a release date within the timeframe of April to June 2025.
Despite the lack of official information from Nintendo, all statements made by the analyst should be approached with caution, as they have only been based on President Shuntaro Furukawa’s previous statement.
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