[Report] Smaller Nintendo Switch on the way in 2019

Published: January 31, 2019 5:00 PM /

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Reports say that Nintendo is planning on releasing a new edition of its wildly successful hybrid console. The new version of the Nintendo Switch, per the report, will feature a smaller form factor and remove some features to emphasize portability. It is slated for a 2019 release.

The news comes from Gematsu's translation of a Nikkei article. In it, Nikkei reported that Nintendo is coordinating with suppliers and game developers regarding the smaller Switch. In fact, this report corroborates a rumor from last year that implied a new Switch iteration was on the way.

Nintendo itself confirmed nothing, but the company is no stranger to releasing iterations of its handheld consoles before. Consider that after the Nintendo DS, the DSi was launched. The simply named New Nintendo 3DS followed the 3DS, with different versions of 2DS and XL screens peppered across the lineup. Even before that, there was, of course, the Game Boy Color and Game Boy Pocket iterations of the original Game Boy. The Switch embodies parts of a handheld, so this news comes as no surprise.

Nikkei also reported that Nintendo has plans to launch another online service for the Switch that is more expensive. No other details came to light about this new service. However, the current service could see its own major update in the form of SNES emulation with a respectable list of games, which could also be a way of enticing folks to the premium plan.

This March will mark the tw0-year anniversary for the Switch. Since its release, Nintendo has seen wildly successful sales figures for the hybrid console, surpassing the lifetime sales of the Wii U in just the past financial year with them forecasting that they'll have sold 17 million in the financial year.

In other Switch news, development for Metroid Prime 4 has been rebooted, with Nintendo handing it off to Retro Studios. On a brighter note, the first DLC character for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Piranha Plant, saw a surprise release earlier this week.

How do you feel about a new iteration of the Nintendo Switch? What features would you want to see added to it? Let us know in the comments below.

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Robert Scarpinito TechRaptor
| Features Editor

Robert Scarpinito is the Features Editor of TechRaptor. With a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the Ohio State University, sharing compelling stories is… More about Robert