Japanese publication Nikkei has reported that Nintendo is planning to release a smaller and cheaper version of the Nintendo Switch console, and it could come as early as 2019. [Thanks, Hachima.]
In Nintendo’s financial report released earlier today, we learned that the company reduced its initial sales forecast of the Nintendo Switch selling 20 million units in the fiscal year ending March 2019. The initial forecast was reduced by 15% to 17 million units. After three quarters, Switch sales are at 14.48 million units as of December 31, 2018, so the new goal shouldn’t be difficult to meet.
Since the launch of the Nintendo Switch console, we’ve seen numerous releases from popular series with hit titles such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and more. However, going into the next fiscal-year Nintendo finds itself on the opposite position with a lack of new featured titles to start out.
According to Nikkei’s report, Nintendo is already working on the next step for the Switch, and a part of the plan is a smaller version of the Switch. Nintendo said it couldn’t share any comments when asked by the publication but they learned through several suppliers that this new Switch model could release as early as this year.
A source also mentioned that Nintendo’s goal is to expand on their customer base by introducing smaller Switch model that emphasizes portability, and at a lower price with some functions omitted.
Lastly, the report notes that Nintendo plans to release a new online service sometime in 2019, and it will be more expensive than the one that is currently available.
