This increased first-party game production, further bolstering the machine’s appeal.
In the here and now, it’s clear that things are changing.
Scaling to 1080p or 1440p would likely look good enough.
I would be wary of comparisons with Steam Deck, however.
Pushed to its limits, the Deck is burning through 26-27W of power.
That kind of throughput would get you about 30 minutes of play on today’s Switch battery.
2023 is looking unlikely, unfortunately.
From a commercial perspective, there are two ways of looking at this.
Assuming similar success elsewhere, the business case for a replacement this year may not be compelling to Nintendo.
On the flip-side, sales are actually down 25 percent year-on-year.
The system has clearly peaked, and we’re now in a period of managed decline.
Our guess, based on gut feeling and no firm intel whatsoever?
An announcement towards the end of the year and perhaps a release in Q1 2024.
Combined with Nintendo’s unparalleled game design, it should be an astonishing reveal.
